Effects of thermal interventions on skeletal muscle adaptations and regeneration: perspectives on epigenetics: a narrative review.

Recovery methods, such as thermal interventions, have been developed to promote optimal recovery and maximize long-term training adaptations. However, the beneficial effects of these recovery strategies remain a source of controversy. This narrative review aims to provide a detailed understanding of how cold and heat interventions impact long-term training adaptations.

The Effects of Heat Therapy During Immobilization and Rehabilitation on Muscle Atrophy and Strength Loss at Return to Sports in Healthy Humans.

Background: Animal research suggests that repeated heat exposures may stimulate skeletal muscle protein synthesis and downregulate protein degradation.

Hypothesis: Repeated heat exposures during ankle immobilization and rehabilitation would preserve human muscle strength and mass.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Cryotherapy for treating soft tissue injuries in sport medicine: a critical review.

Sports medicine physicians and physiotherapists commonly use cryotherapy (eg, ice application) postinjury to decrease tissue temperature with the objective of reducing pain, limiting secondary injury and inflammation, and supporting healing. However, besides the analgesic effect of cryotherapy, a literature search revealed no evidence from human studies that cryotherapy limits secondary injury or has positive effects on tissue regeneration. Thus, our current understanding of the potential mechanisms and applications of cryotherapy largely relies on the results from animal studies.