How long do you ice an injury?

10-15 minutes: Be careful. Direct application of ice to skin can and does cause frostbite.

10 min: While exposure to cold can ease pain and swelling, ice packs can also stop blood flow if left on the skin too long. Ice packs should not stay on the skin longer than 10 min, and if the only cold compress available in the house is a bag of frozen vegetables, be sure to wrap it in a towel. Diabetics need to be even more careful and use for less time.

ICE: I learned to ice the first 24 hours and apply heat after that. The ice should be applied off and on so as not to give yourself frostbite or cold injury. The reason for ice first is to reduce bleeding into tissue and swelling. Heat later brings more blood to the area to encourage repair of tissue.