The Effect of Post-Training Cold Compression in Professional Volleyball Players

Our study examining the effects of post-training cold compression on muscle oxygen saturation (MOS9), fatigue and jumping performance in professional male volleyball players.

Volleyball is an intermittent sport consisting of short and high-intensity phases where players jump and change direction suddenly. Intense muscle use during training, intense match schedules, short preparation phases and double trainings applied during the day can cause athletes to lose performance and increase injury rates. The performance of the athlete during the season depends on the amount and distribution of the training load and the appropriate recovery intervention applied during the season. Therefore, appropriate recovery interventions for athletes, shortening the recovery period and increasing its quality are very important. Recovery is a process in which the athlete's fatigue after intense training or matches is eliminated, lactic acid in the muscle and blood is removed, energy stores are restored to their previous level and myoglobin oxygenation is provided. One of the parameters used to examine the effects of muscle damage after exercise and to follow recovery is oxygen saturation. It is known that oxygen saturation in the muscle decreases during exercise and increases in the following recovery process. Different interventions are recommended to optimize the recovery of athletes during the season. Cold applications are the most frequently preferred method due to their practicality and accessibility after training as a recovery intervention. Although it has been reported that cold applications have positive effects on fatigue and general perceptual well-being, their effects on acute performance parameters are controversial. In recent years, the use of cold compression applications in the recovery process after training has become widespread in clinics and sports clubs due to the fact that they allow two types of application and are portable and practical. Cold compression devices aim to reduce tissue temperature, reduce pain, control inflammation and accelerate venous return by applying cold and compression simultaneously. This is achieved by continuous circulation of ice water using intermittent pneumatic compression. There are many studies in the literature on the effects of cold applications on performance parameters (no effect or negative effect) and fatigue (reducing muscle pain and fatigue effects). However, the effect of cold compression on recovery at different temperatures has not been determined. Determining the degree of cold applied and the response received, as well as better identifying recovery interventions applied in professional sports environments and developing cold application protocols applied during the post-training recovery process, and investigating the effects of cold compression on fatigue, performance parameters and recovery parameters will contribute significantly to the literature. Therefore, the aim of our study is to examine the effects of different degrees of cold compression applied to professional male volleyball players compared to passive rest on muscle oxygen saturation, fatigue level and performance.