Put very simply, the deconditioning model is based on a model of illness whereby a person contracts a viral infection, does not recover, and because activity exacerbates symptoms they then avoid activity and enter a vicious circle of fear of activity and progressive inactivity, which leads to leads to progressive deconditioning
@charles shepherd By 'does not recover' do you mean that according to this theory the virus persists for long enough that the person becomes deconditioned? Or that the virus persists chronically and is part of the symptom exacerbation the patient supposedly fears?