Comparison of Far Infrared Radiation and Warm Water Immersion on Recovery After Submaximal Physical Activity

Abstract

— Recovery is an attempt to make the body recover after physical training. Passive recovery includes Far Infrared Radiation (FIR) and Warm Water Immersion (WWI), but the two recoveries are not well known. The aims of this study were to test the the efficacy of FIR, WWI, and Passive (PAS) modalities in decreasing blood lactic acid levels (BLAL) as an indirect marker of muscle fatigue after submaximal intensity physical activity. This is a randomized pretest-posttest control group research. The subject were 21 male students at the UNESA Sports Science Faculty aged 18-23 years. They were assigned three different recovery modalities (FIR, WWI, PAS) in a random order. Subjects were treated with submaximal physical activity (85% maximal heart rate) with ergocycle. BLAL was assessed immediately after physical activity (pre), and after 15 minutes the tested (post). There was a significant decrease in BLAL from the three groups after recovery. The results of different tests (p <0.05) showed a significant difference between ∆FIR and ∆PAS (p=0.006), no differences between ∆WWI and ∆PAS (p=0,082), no differences between ∆FIR and ∆WWI (p=0,692). It can be concluded that the reduction in BLAL was greater in the FIR group than in the WWI and PAS groups.