No Ice, No Hot and Cold Water contrast therapy, No aggressive therapy, all these are known to be bad and can cause spreads or flares and lose any chance of remission.
Ideally you should have pain medication before starting any physio, as Morgan says you need desensitiaztion program, gentle massage, gentle manipulation, once the pain starts to rise it is essential to stop and wait for it to subside. You need a series of gentle exercises that you can do at home, when I was having therapy they were extremely aggressive but within an hour of getting home my hand was completely seized up again.