Hot water immersion: Maintaining core body temperature above 38.5°C mitigates muscle fatigue

Abstract

Purpose: Hot water immersion (HWI) has gained popularity to promote muscle recovery, despite limited data on the optimal heat dose. The purpose of this study was to compare the responses of two exogenous heat strains on core body temperature, hemodynamic adjustments, and key functional markers of muscle recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD).

Methods: Twenty-eight physically active males completed an individually tailored EIMD protocol immediately followed by one of the following recovery interventions: HWI (40°C, HWI₄₀ ), HWI (41°C, HWI₄₁ ) or warm water immersion (36°C, CON₃₆ ). Gastrointestinal temperature (T_gi ), hemodynamic adjustments (cardiac output [CO], mean arterial pressure [MAP], and systemic vascular resistance [SVR]), pre-frontal cortex deoxyhemoglobin (HHb), ECG-derived respiratory frequency, and subjective perceptual measures were tracked throughout immersion. In addition, functional markers of muscle fatigue (maximal concentric peak torque [T_peak ]) and muscle damage (late-phase rate of force development [RFD_100-200 ]) were measured prior to EIMD (pre-), 24 h (post-24 h), and 48 h (post-48 h) post-EIMD.

Results: By the end of immersion, HWI₄₁ led to significantly higher T_gi values than HWI₄₀ (38.8 ± 0.1 vs. 38.0°C ± 0.6°C, p < 0.001). While MAP was well maintained throughout immersion, only HWI₄₁ led to increased (HHb) (+4.2 ± 1.47 μM; p = 0.005) and respiratory frequency (+4.0 ± 1.21 breath.min^-1 ; p = 0.032). Only HWI₄₁ mitigated the decline in RFD_100-200 at post-24 h (-7.1 ± 31.8%; p = 0.63) and T_peak at post-48 h (-3.1 ± 4.3%, p = 1).

Conclusion: In physically active males, maintaining a core body temperature of ~25 min within the range of 38.5°C-39°C has been found to be effective in improving muscle recovery, while minimizing the risk of excessive physiological heat strain.

Keywords: exercise-induced muscle damage; heat dose; hemodynamic adjustments; muscle recovery; pre-frontal cortex oxygenation; recovery intervention.