Should You Use Heat or Ice For Herniated Disc Pain in the Neck?

Is it better to use heat or ice for herniated disc pain? Is ice better than heat for neck pain? Which is used first, heat or ice, when treating pain from a slipped disk? Heat and ice can be used to treat the symptoms of pain associated with the muscle spasm from a cervical herniated disc. As a general rule, use ice for the first 24 hours after this injury and then use whichever feels better after that. Some people alternate using heat/ice or ice/heat and that is okay to do.