A portion of a patient's lifestyle has often caused the pain, and it is that portion of their lifestyle that has to change. It takes about 36 hours for many soft-tissue injuries to reach their maximum soreness, so it's often difficult to know when you're overdoing it. Swimming is one of the few safe alternative exercises. Applying ice after lengthy activities is very important. For me, ice directly contacting the skin seems best.
Some patients like to keep water frozen in a plastic soda bottle.
Others use a bag of frozen vegetables, but I did not think that method was cold enough. It's best to keep the injury cool as long as possible for up to 48 hours after the injury, depending on the severity of the injury. It has been recommended to apply ice every evening immediately after daily activities. Applying ice until the skin turns black and blue could cause frostbite. Some sources say apply ice for 15 minutes, but that may be too long unless the ice is insulated from the skin by plastic or a towel, or unless the ice is being moved around and not concentrated on a single area.