Shoulder Pain – Ice or Heat? (which is better for pain relief)

Updated February 21, 2025

If you’ve been struggling with shoulder pain, you might be wondering if it’s better to use ice for pain relief or if you should be using heat instead (or both).

The answer to that question really depends on two things:

– What’s causing your shoulder pain?

– What are you hoping to accomplish?

For example, if you have rotator cuff tendonitis, which typically involves more intense pain from a newer injury, you might favor ice.

And if you have rotator cuff tendinosis, which typically involves less intense pain that you’ve had for a longer period of time, you might favor heat.

At other times, it might be beneficial to use BOTH ice and heat in the same day.

Again, it really comes down to the cause of your shoulder pain, as well as what you hope the ice/heat will do for you.

In this video, I’ll explain how to determine which will work best for you, including how to determine if you should be using both heat and ice.

I hope it helps you reduce your shoulder pain!

– Luke Gordon, DPT

***Need an ice bag for home use? Click here to purchase one I like on Amazon!

***Need a heating pad instead? Click here for a great option!