I often get asked, “When should you use ice and when should you use heat?”. You should use ice only for the first 48 hours after being injured. Ice for 15-20 minutes and after a couple of hours you can ice again. Make sure not to ice for more than 20 minutes or it can make things worse. After the first 48 hours it is okay to use heat for 15-20 minutes, but should be followed by ice for 15-20 minutes.