Is it better to use ice or heat for knee pain?

DEPENDS ON CAUSE OF KNEE PAIN,WHETHER DEGENRATIVE ARTHRITIS,OR INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS,OR ANY SOFT TISSUE INVOLVEMENT LIGAMENTS,CAN BE DUE TO BURSITIS.TENDINITIS,MENISCALS TEAR,OR SOME TIMES DUE TO HEAMATOMA,.ALSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHETHER ACUTE KNEE PAIN ,SUB ACUTE KNEE PAIN,OR CHRONIC KNEE PAIN.WE CAN USE COLD PACK AS WELL AS MOIST HEAT,HOPE U GOT THE ANSWER....THANK U.
WARM REGARDS DR SUHAIL AHMAD MIR HEAD OF PHYSICAL THERAPY DEPT.
M.O.H.
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA..

I would rather suggest contrast bath.
Or you can use Ice and heat for7 times...
Plus trigger point therapy.

Whatever be the cause, heat application is useful in later stages ,i.e, after the inflammation has gone down.
Immediately after the injury, it would be fair if the joint is immobilised.
Cryotherapy (treatment with ice) is based on a physiological effect called 'Lewis hunting phenomenon'.
It explains an alternative decrease and increase in the diameter of the blood vessels, thereby altering the blood flow.
It will be useful in the initial stages as a first aid, if the patient is involved in any physical activity or if he in the midst of a game.

In my opinion, based on my experience, an injured knee or an acute pain caused by an inflamation (resulted from any diagnosed medical condition), it is definitely better to be treated with cold compresess.
In case of chronic medical conditions of the knee, and when we are talking about less active patients over60, then the hot compresess give better results.
The hot-cold therapy is also not to be ignored in certain cases.
     

It depends on the cause and symptoms of knee pain.
Whether to use Cold (Ice) or Heat packs

Ice therapy is beneficial for acute injuries if applied within first or two days of injuries. It will relieve pain and decrease swelling

IF IT "S JUST A KNEE PAIN THE INDICATED IS ICE.AGAIN DEPENDENTS WHAT IS THE REASON OF THAT PAIN.

FIRST DIAGNOSTIC,AND WE SHOD NOW WHAT TO DO,USE ICE OR HEAT.

The answer is quite specific to the nature of the injury however to put it briefly, a cold press is usually used in acute cases and more warmer modalities are used in chronic cases. However, treament using hot&cold procedures is also very largely individual and in some cases the best solution is to ask Simply for the preference of the client - the person usually knows what makes their knee feel better based on their experiences and sensation. I, for example, have chronic knee pain but always use cold packs after sports. 

In Infectious or inflammatory case- Heat should be avoided. 

In acute /sports injury- Use Ice Therapy. 

IT IS BETTER TO USE HEAT FOR KNEE PAIN THAN ICE BECAUSE HEAT REDUCES PAIN AND IMPROVES MOBILITY WITH PROVIDING SUPPORT BY KNEE SUPPORTER OR CRAPE BANDAGE.

Its depend on the cause of the pain 

if happens Due too sport injury we can use Ice in the first three days then use heat

In some cases we prefers to use hot agent modalities