There has been varying advice over the years regarding the use of heat and ice for injuries and pain. There is very little evidence to say that either do anything more than provide help with the sensation of pain. Rubbing heat and cold creams on do a similar thing in distracting the brain and helping block out the feeling of pain. This is a bit like turning the radio up in your car so you can’t hear a knocking noise.
However this can be useful in the management of pain, as neither heat or ice are likely to cause any damage and if used sensibly then they can still provide some welcome relief. It can mainly be down to personal preference, you will often find you react move favourably to one or the other or even alternating between the two.
There is little evidence to say that ice does anything to reduce swelling and inflammation of a soft tissue injury/joint. The main reason for this is that the ice will have minimal effect at the depth of the injury. There is some weak evidence to say that ice can be useful on very acute injuries or post surgical swelling but again it is unlikely that anything is happening below the surface.
If you do want to use heat/ice as a treatment then make sure you keep the skin well protected by wrapping in a towel/cloth and apply a few times a day for about fifteen minutes.