How Long Should You Ice Your Shoulder After Surgery?

As long as you need to.

Ice is wonderful. We recommend icing your shoulder down 4 to 5 times a day right after the operation because it’s a pain control measure. We’re trying to mitigate the pain you feel after this operation as much as possible without using narcotics that have a lot of side effects and problems. So ice is a wonderful way to do that.

You want ice for about 15 to 20 minutes, 4 to 5 times a day, for the first week or two, especially right before you go to bed. Then after that, just dial it in and see how much you need it. It’s not going to help you heal faster, but maybe in some ways it will, because if you have less pain, you have a more positive mindset, and you’re less stressed. A less stressed human being, just like the positive energy that flows through you.

We just know from our data that people who are in positive mindsets recover faster. So the less pain you have after surgery, the less stress you’ll be. The less stress you have, the less pain you have. And it kind of goes in this cycle of pain and stress. So I sit down as much as you need to, as long as you need to.