The goal is to decrease pain to allow increased motion. It is okay to alternate between ice and heat after day 3.

• General rules
• 15-20 minutes max
• Wait 40-60 minutes between applications
• Protect skin from burns
• Do not sleep with it
• Do gentle stretching after application
• When in doubt, ice first

Ice – Used for specific pain

• Use gel ice pack or frozen peas
• Put T-shirt or paper towel between pack & skin
• Do not use towel unless using wet towel (it is generally too thick to allow penetration
• Skin should be numb to the touch at the end of the application

Heat – Used for general soreness

• Use moist heat pack (rice packs are great)
• Protect skin with t-shirt or similar material
• Avoid skin burns by monitoring for hot spots