There are two schools of thought on whether you should use the joint or rest a joint. My recommendation is, when that joint is acutely inflamed or very, very sore, sometimes bed rest or rest in general could be quite useful to let the inflammation settle down. If you’re going to move the joint which, in most cases, is a healthy thing to do, bear in mind that the body was designed to move, I would advise you not to overuse your body or overstress the joints. So going for a five mile walk, if you suffer arthritis, is probably not the best solution. But walking to the shops, a gentle walk, with regular rest periods, is an excellent way not to overstress the body, but to keep your body moving and to keep it mobile and to keep using the body.