Finding the sweet spot took me what felt like a jillion tries. It can change from day to day it seems!

On starting low, After my nerve repair I asked my surgeon if I could bike 5 minutes. He shook his head and said "hmmm, no". So I asked for 2 minutes and he said yes. It feels silly but i give myself permission to start at a level most people would find ridiculous. I give myself praise for 2 minutes, three minutes. If it feels like a bad idea or I flare the next day, I pull back and start again lower or find something else. I only tried one exercise every couple days so I could tell what was what. It helps when there is a problem. I can't do recumbent but I can do regular bike. Takes a while to figure all that out but eventually you find something that works. Next thing you know you're doing ten minutes. Then you've really got something to cheer about.

I think we are our own best gage of what we can or can't do. Our bodies have wisdom and will tell us what works or what doesn't. If there is not a clear medical contraindication to trying something super-low then why not?