Should I use ice or ibuprofen?

You have pain and swelling. Which one should you use? Or both?

You have probably taken Advil or Aleve, two anti-inflammatory medications. A problem with oral medications like this is that is has to be digested, go throughout your body in the blood stream, and finally some gets to the injured part where you want pain relief. Sometimes it may even take a couple days to build up in your system to take effect. You also may have heard about problems with these medicines causing bleeding of the stomach or intestine in some people. The good news is that they are inexpensive, generally safe (especially in the short term), and can work for up to several hours once in your system.

Ice can be used as an anti-inflammatory, too. Generally placed right over the painful area, it can cool the local tissue and help swelling quickly. Cooled nerves function slower and don’t transmit pain as well. Ice is generally safe to use as long as you don’t leave it on too long and get frostbite or if you have some vascular problems.

So which should you use? The safe bet is to start with ice. If this works well enough, stick with it. If your pain becomes intolerable between hourly icing sessions or at night, it makes sense to add an over-the-counter medication of your choice to your pain control and swelling therapy program.