Sharply reducing activity after an episode of pain is a natural response. If it persists, however, strength and joint range decline together, and the same stimulus comes to feel more painful — a self-reinforcing loop.

Rehabilitation specialists describe this as avoidance learning: restricting movement in anticipation of pain narrows the range of load the body can tolerate.

Regularity before intensity

The recommended approach is not to raise intensity but to secure regularity. Short sessions repeated at the same time each day are said to aid recovery more than concentrated weekend effort.

Combining walking, light resistance work and range-of-motion movements is the usual suggestion. Where pain worsens, the principle is to lower intensity rather than stop entirely.

Cautions

Sudden pain, pain that worsens at night, and pain accompanied by weight loss or fever are treated as signals that another cause must be checked. In those cases medical assessment comes before exercise.

This paper notes that the right approach varies with individual condition and underlying illness, and that consulting a clinician before starting is the safer course.