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8 Ways to Improve Your Recovery Time After Exercise

  • Writer: Laura Malady - Osteopath at Prom Health
    Laura Malady - Osteopath at Prom Health
  • 6 days ago
  • 4 min read
Fish Creek Football Player Levi Cocksedge - Megan Vuillermin Photography
Fish Creek Football Player Levi Cocksedge - Megan Vuillermin Photography

There’s a buzz of excitement across the region this week, with the start of the Mid Gippsland Football and Netball season! The reality for many players is that they will be anticipating regular and sometimes intense delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after Saturday’s matches.  At the clinic last year we noticed that many players were struggling to recover quickly enough to train on Tuesday or even Thursday. Does that sound familiar? Why not start this season afresh and try some new strategies to help get you back on the court or field sooner. Because there’s so much research in this field, we’ve broken this topic into a two-part series to help provide a comprehensive answer to the topic. So to start with, we will cover 8 Ways to Improve Your Recovery Time After Exercise


Our bodies have a natural process when recovering from exercise which includes recycling blood lactate from muscles, creating and processing inflammation, synthesising glycogen and proteins. However, this process can sometimes be sluggish or stalled. So how can we improve our body's ability to recover? 


  1. Cold water immersion (CWI)


Studies have shown that CWI is helpful for improving DOMS but errors are commonly made which impacts results (1). Sorry folks, but the Sunday ocean soak might be one of these. Here are steps that we can take to improve the possible effectiveness of CWI for our recovery: 

  • Check the water temperatures: Ideally, 9-15 degrees. Most people don’t bother checking their water temperature, but this is key to ensuring a physiological response (2).

  • Too short: To help stimulate a reduction in our core and muscle temperatures stay in for at least 10-15 minutes if possible (2).

  • Too long after exercise: Do CWI as soon as possible after exercise. Recovery is improved when CWI is done immediately compared to greater than 3 hours later (2). 

  • Go deeper: Try submerging your whole body rather than just your leg muscles. Consider how your whole body can benefit from CWI. One study showed that CWI creates blood flow pressure changes which may improve sleep quality post-exercise including reduced arousal and limb movements in the early parts of the sleep cycle (2).


  1. Compression


  • Compression garments, tights, sleeves or socks improve reoxygenation rates in muscles post-exercise (3). They provide us with a time-effective way to enhance our recovery. If you are busy with family or other commitments after the game, you could opt for a pair of compression tights or a sleeve for a particularly sore region.  

  • Importantly, compression garments need to be the correct fit. Too tight or too loose will lead to ineffective compression. Make sure that the products that you purchase display the compression rating in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) which is a unit of pressure. The suggested minimum pressure rating for the calves is 17.3mm Hgs and 15.1mm Hgs on the thighs. Some of the major brands provide this information in the fine print. So please do your homework.



Osteopath at Prom Health, Laura Malady doing an ice bath at home.
Osteopath Laura Malady doing an ice bath at home.

  1. Keep moving


  • If you don’t have access to an ice bath or compression gear, then active recovery is a simple way to reduce DOMS (4). Some older athletes call active recovery the ‘poor man’s massage’, as low intensity exercise can promote gentle blood flow to key muscle groups. Good examples are easy walks, light pedaling on a bike or a casual swim (on the way home from junior Sunday sport). Aim for 15-40 minutes, anything longer may push your body further into a recovery deficit. 

  • Avoid running, as your biomechanics may be impaired for up to 48 hours post-exercise (5). Let your tendons and bones recover from the impact of your match without adding more repetitive strain and impact from running.


  1. Avoid NSAIDS


  • Hold off on the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) post-match! Inflammation is part of the normal healing process. Research shows that taking NSAIDS to reduce your DOMS actually reduces protein synthesis and slows the restoration of functional recovery (6). A rigorous study last year found that the NSAIDS ibuprofen and flurbiprofen didn’t help with reducing DOMS or improving vertical jump performance compared to placebo (7). Be mindful that we are referring to generalised soreness after exercise rather than acute injuries. 



Start with trying the strategies above to improve your recovery post-match. If after 3 days, you are still struggling with DOMS then review your approach, allow for more rest or if the issue is local to one part of your body, then consider whether you have an injury. In part 2 we will discuss sleep, nutrition, protein, stretching and massage as additional ways to improve your post-match recovery. 

  Remember - improve your recovery time after exercise = faster return to training!


References:


  1. Xiao F, Kabachkova AV, Jiao L, Zhao H, Kapilevich LV. Effects of cold water immersion after exercise on fatigue recovery and exercise performance--meta analysis. Front Physiol. 2023 Jan 20;14:1006512. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1006512. PMID: 36744038; PMCID: PMC9896520.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36744038/ 

  2. Allan, R., Akin, B., Sinclair, J. et al. Athlete, coach and practitioner knowledge and perceptions of post-exercise cold-water immersion for recovery: a qualitative and quantitative exploration. Sport Sci Health 18, 699–713 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-021-00839-3 https://rdcu.be/efSdY   

  3. Hong WH, Lo SF, Wu HC, Chiu MC. Effects of compression garment on muscular efficacy, proprioception, and recovery after exercise-induced muscle fatigue onset for people who exercise regularly. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 28;17(2):e0264569. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264569. PMID: 35226703; PMCID: PMC8884515. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8884515/  

  4. Fares, Rony MSc1,2; Vicente-Rodríguez, Germán PhD1,2,3,4; Olmedillas, Hugo PhD5,6. Effect of Active Recovery Protocols on the Management of Symptoms Related to Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review. Strength and Conditioning Journal 44(1):p 57-70, February 2022. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000654 https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2022/02000/effect_of_active_recovery_protocols_on_the.5.aspx 

  5. Kinetics of recovery and normalization of running biomechanics following aerobic-based exercise-induced muscle damage in recreational male runners. Markus, Irit et al. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Volume 0, Issue 0 https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(25)00002-7/abstract  

  6. Bateman, L.S., McSwain, R.T., Lott, T. et al. Effects of Ibuprofen on Muscle Hypertrophy and Inflammation: a Review of Literature. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 11, 43–50 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40141-023-00381-y  

  7. NSAIDs do not prevent exercise-induced performance deficits or alleviate muscle soreness: A placebo-controlled randomized, double-blinded, cross-over study. Roberts, Brandon M. et al. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Volume 27, Issue 5, 287 – 292 https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(24)00050-1/fulltext 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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