Publications

Background: Intermittent cold compression (ICC) is widely used for post-exercise recovery, but the optimal pressure for gastrocnemius recovery in soccer players remains unclear. This study investigated the immediate effects of different ICC pressure levels on gastrocnemius recovery after fatigue.

Methods: Seven male collegiate soccer players (national Level 2 or above) participated in a randomized crossover trial. Following a 90-minute soccer-specific fatigue protocol, participants received a single 20-minute, 1°C ICC intervention at either low pressure (LP, 5–15 mmHg) or moderate pressure (MP, 5–50 mmHg), with a 48-hour washout. Outcomes included subjective perceptions (VAS pain, Borg CR10 fatigue), motor function (countermovement jump [CMJ] height, peak force, peak power, concentric work, rate of force development [RFD]), muscle mechanical properties (tone, stiffness, elasticity), and muscle architecture (thickness, pennation angle), assessed pre-and post-intervention.

Results: Pain and RPE scores decreased significantly from pre- to post-intervention (p < 0.05), with no significant pressure or pressure × time effects. Significant time effects were found for CMJ height (F = 25.94, p = 0.002, η2ₚ = 0.812), peak force (F = 11.07, p = 0.016, η2ₚ = 0.649), and peak power (F = 13.17, p = 0.011, η2ₚ = 0.687), all declining post-intervention. Significant pressure × time interactions emerged for RFD (F = 6.07, p = 0.049, η2ₚ = 0.503) and lateral gastrocnemius logarithmic decrement (F = 9.21, p = 0.023, η2ₚ = 0.606).

Conclusions: While both regimens alleviated subjective symptoms, significant pressure × time interactions were observed for RFD and lateral gastrocnemius logarithmic decrement, suggesting that compression pressure may influence the acute neuromuscular and mechanical responses to ICC. These findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size and the absence of significant within-condition changes in RFD.

Subject Areas: sports, skeletal muscles, ultrasound imaging, gastrocnemius muscles, pain, fatigue, mechanical properties, stiffness

This study compared the immediate recovery effects of ICC at different pressure levels on the gastrocnemius muscle in collegiate soccer players. The results demonstrated that both pressure conditions were associated with reductions in subjective pain and RPE scores, while CMJ height, peak force, and peak power declined following ICC. Significant pressure × time interactions were observed for lateral gastrocnemius logarithmic decrement and RFD, suggesting that compression pressure may influence the acute mechanical and neuromuscular responses to ICC. However, the post hoc findings differed between outcomes, and neither pressure condition showed a significant pre-to-post change in RFD. Therefore, the interaction findings should be interpreted cautiously, particularly given the small sample size. These findings suggest that compression pressure may be an important factor influencing the acute response to ICC. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to determine the optimal pressure parameters for specific recovery goals.