An interventional study of Cold Water Immersion (CWI) and Hot water immersion (HWI) in Muscle Fatigue (C23.888.592.612.612), Athletic Injuries (C26.857.500.124) and Recovery of Function (G11.427.698.620), sponsored by University of Castilla-La Mancha. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-04-10.
Sponsored by University of Castilla-La Mancha · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if recovery interventions using cold and hot water immersion can reduce the risk of injuries in amateur soccer players.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Do cold water immersions reduce muscle fatigue and improve performance more effectively than hot water immersions? What is the optimal timing and duration for these recovery interventions to maximize their effectiveness?
Researchers will compare:
Cold Water Immersion (CWI) Hot Water Immersion (HWI) No Immersion (NI) Thermographic Immersion (TI) based on individual thermal profiles
Participants will:
Undergo thermographic assessments to determine their thermal profiles. Perform physical tests such as isometric strength tests, countermovement jumps (CMJ), and squats with 50% body weight.
Complete wellness questionnaires to assess their subjective recovery and fatigue levels.
Provide blood and urine samples for biomarker analysis. Participate in recovery interventions (CWI, HWI, or TI) based on their assigned group.
258 studies on the registry are indexed under Athletic Injuries; 45 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 25 is below the median of 44 across 164 interventional studies indexed under Athletic Injuries.
Browse Athletic Injuries studies →University of Castilla-La Mancha is the lead sponsor of 107 studies on the registry; 26 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Age: Participants must be adults (18 years or older). Gender: Both male and female participants are eligible. Sport: Participants must be amateur football players. Team Membership: Participants must be members of a football team in the Castilla-La Mancha regional category.
Consent: Participants must provide written to participate in the study.
Health: Participants must be in good general health, with no chronic illnesses or conditions that would contraindicate participation in physical activity or water immersion.
Exclusion Criteria:
Injury: Participants who have sustained an injury that prevents them from participating in football activities for at least two weeks during any of the study blocks.
Medical Conditions: Participants with medical conditions that contraindicate water immersion (e.g., severe cardiovascular conditions, open wounds, skin infections).
Withdrawal: Participants who choose to withdraw from the study at any point. Non-compliance: Participants who do not comply with the study protocol or fail to attend scheduled sessions.
Pregnancy: Female participants who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study period.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants undergo five intermittent immersions of 2 minutes each in cold water (11°C), with 2-minute rest periods in between.
Other: Cold Water Immersion (CWI)
Participants undergo a continuous immersion of 18 minutes in hot water (38°C).
Other: Hot water immersion (HWI)
Participants follow the same protocol structure without any immersion.
Based on thermographic assessments, participants with a hypothermic profile (decreased temperature) receive hot water immersion, while those with a hyperthermic profile (increased temperature) receive cold water immersion.
Other: Thermography-Guided Immersion (TI)
Participants undergo five intermittent immersions of 2 minutes each in cold water (11°C), with 2-minute rest periods in between.
Also known as: Intermittent Cold Water Immersion (11ºC)
Participants undergo a continuous immersion of 18 minutes in hot water (38°C)
Also known as: Continuous hot water immersion (38ºC)
Based on thermographic assessments, participants with a hypothermic profile (decreased temperature) receive hot water immersion, while those with a hyperthermic profile (increased temperature) receive cold water immersion.
Muscle Fatigue Reduction:
Evaluated through changes in biomarkers such as creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and myoglobin levels, measured at multiple time points (pre- and post-intervention).
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention
Countermovement Jump (CMJ) test
Assessed using the countermovement jump (CMJ) test (cm)
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention.
Isometric Strenght Test (Hamstrings)
Assessed using isometric strength tests for the hamstrings (N)
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention.
Isometric Strenght Test (Adductor)
Assessed using isometric strength tests for the adductors (N)
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention.
Squat Performance
Assessed using squat performance with 50% body weight (reps)
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention.
Perceived Recovery
Description: Assessed using the Wellness Questionnaire, which includes questions on perceived recovery. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (1-10) Details: Higher scores indicate better perceived recovery.
Time frame: At 24 and 48 hours post-intervention.
Stress Levels
Description: Assessed using the Wellness Questionnaire, which includes questions on stress levels. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (1-10) Details: Higher scores indicate higher stress levels.
Time frame: At 24 and 48 hours post-intervention.
Fatigue
Description: Assessed using the Wellness Questionnaire, which includes questions on fatigue. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (1-10) Details: Higher scores indicate higher levels of fatigue.
Time frame: At 24 and 48 hours post-intervention.
Muscle Soreness
Description: Assessed using the Wellness Questionnaire, which includes questions on muscle soreness. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (1-10) Details: Higher scores indicate higher levels of muscle soreness.
Time frame: At 24 and 48 hours post-intervention.
Sleep Quality
Description: Assessed using the Wellness Questionnaire, which includes questions on sleep quality. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (1-10) Details: Higher scores indicate better sleep quality.
Time frame: At 24 and 48 hours post-intervention.
Overall Well-Being
Description: Assessed using the Wellness Questionnaire, which includes questions on overall well-being. Unit of Measure: Score on a scale (1-10) Details: Higher scores indicate better overall well-being.
Time frame: At 24 and 48 hours post-intervention.
Thermographic Assessments
Monitoring skin temperature changes using thermography to evaluate the effectiveness of the recovery interventions.
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention.
Injury Risk Assessment
Examining the association between recovery interventions and injury risk, based on the incidence of injuries recorded during the study period.
Time frame: From baseline (enrollment) to 24 weeks post-intervention.
Concentration of 3-Methylhistidine in Urine
Description: Additional analysis of urine samples for markers such as 3-methylhistidine to assess muscle damage and recovery. Unit of Measure: Micrograms per liter (µg/L)
Time frame: From pre-intervention to 48 hours post-intervention.
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No — We have decided not to share Individual Participant Data (IPD) with other researchers for several reasons: Participant Privacy and Confidentiality: Protecting participant privacy is paramount. Sharing IPD, even de-identified, risks re-identification and breaches confidentiality. Ethical Considerations: Our study involves sensitive health and performance data. Limiting access ensures responsible and ethical use, preventing misuse or misinterpretation. Data Security: Sharing IPD requires robust security measures to prevent unauthorized access and breaches, which are complex and resource-intensive to maintain. Informed Consent: Our consent process did not include provisions for sharing IPD with external researchers. Sharing data without explicit consent would violate ethical approval and participant trust. Resource Constraints: Managing data sharing requests and providing necessary support to external researchers require significant resources, which we currently lack.
Start is estimated for May 2025; primary completion for Jun 2025, 1 month later.
Of 119 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Athletic Injuries, half reached primary completion within 5 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 2 and three quarters within 14. This study's planned 1 month is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 121 studies reached it within 5 months; a quarter within 2 and three quarters within 14.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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