BackgroundCryotherapy has been associated with a significant decrease in nerve
conduction velocity and muscle contraction with possible effects on exercise
and physical training. ObjectivesTo quantify the electromyographic response of the lateral gastrocnemius,
tibialis anterior, fibularis longus, rectus femoris and gluteus medius to
ankle inversion following cold water immersion. MethodThe peak values of the root mean square (RMS) were obtained from 35 healthy
and active university subjects after the use of a tilt platform to force the
ankle into 30º of inversion before, immediately after, and 10, 20,
and 30 minutes after water immersion at 4±2ºC, for 20 minutes.
The Shapiro-Wilk test, repeated measures analysis, Bonferroni's post-hoc,
and linear regression analysis provided the results. ResultsPeak RMS was significantly lower at all times after cold water immersion,
with residual effect of up to 30 minutes, when compared to pre-immersion for
all muscles, except for immediate post-immersion for the gluteus medius.
ConclusionsAfter cold water immersion of the ankle, special care should be taken in
activities that require greater neuromuscular control.
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