The Effect of Active and Passive Recovery on Creatine Kinase and C‑reactive Protein after an Exercise Session in Football Players

Aims: One of the important issues in the context of exercise physiology is apply the best recovery methods completely after intense physical activities. Recovery methods will decrease the risk of muscle damage and subsequent inflammation. The aim of this study is to investigate the recovery procedures on changes of creatine kinase (CK) and C‑reactive protein (CRP) after an exercise session simulated in professional football players. Methods: Thirty Iran’s Azadegan League football players were participated in this research (age: 22.4 ± 2.38, height: 179.1 ± 2.63 cm, weight: 68.5 ± 4.82 kg, body mass index: 21.5 ± 2.10 kg/m2). After exercise protocol, simulation team randomly divided the participants into three groups (n = 10) under an active recovery on land, floating in the cold water (10°C), and passive recovery for 12 min. The levels of serum CK and CRP were collected immediately, 24 h, and 48 h after the exercise protocol. Findings: The results showed a significant decrease in CK and CRP after training in cold‑water immersion method comparing to the other methods (P < 0.05). In addition, the level of CRP was significantly less than passive recovery 48 h postexercise recovery (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The finding of this study shows that if recovery in cold water was used immediately after exercise, much better results are obtained in future periods. This means that immersion method in cold water probably leads to decreased signs of muscle soreness and inflammatory responses in male football players.