Heat or cold on dislocated shoulder?

Cold for 1 week: Cold for the first 7 days of injury. After 7 days, you can decide to use heat or cold, whatever feels better. You can find more info here: http://sportsmedicine.About.Com/cs/rehab/a/heatorcold.Htm.

Cold: Ice would help inflammation and reduce swelling. Heat generally is for loosening up tissue. If you dislocated you want to be tight and stable not loose.

Cold: Ice is generally used in the "acute" setting after an injury to reduce inflammation by restricting blood flow to the area. The "acute" timeline is not truly defined but acute can be considered upto a week after injury. Afterwards both cold and heat can be used. Rememeber ice it down after irritation from injury or activity. Heat it up to initiate circulation and healing or before exercise/therapy.