I know that sounds a little crazy but inflammation is actually good, in my case. I always get it if I've added some new exercises or stretches. It just lets me know I've stretched some injured tissues that aren't used to it. Sometimes after doing something new, the inflammation may take three or four days to calm down, and I've been at this for more than 18 months now.

I always let the inflammation calm down before I do anymore stretching for that area. I let my arms be the guide. You can't fight fire with fire. As the tissues start to heal and get more healthy, the inflammation calms down faster, usually in a day or two. I'm trying to undo 30 years of damage here so it's a very slow process.

I also started keeping a notepad at the beginning part of the year. If I do something new, I write it down. That way, later on in the day when the inflammation shows up, I can remember why. Otherwise, I tend to forget some of the new exercises I do and wonder why I'm in pain. If I don't have some inflammation at the end of the day, I don't feel like I worked at things hard enough.