"My rheumatologist is postulating prednisone tapering triggering an autoimmune response. Vicious circle. I went back up to 10 mg in July, now at 7 mg."

Can you explain what your rheumatologist means by this?

It seems like 7 mg of prednisone is a tough dose for many people. My personal belief is that 7 mg isn't enough prednisone to regulate inflammation. Prednisone replaces the cortisol that your adrenals should produce.

Approximately 5-7 mg of prednisone is the equivalent to the "physiological amount of cortisol" that your adrenals need to produce on a daily basis. Cortisol is an essential hormone that affects almost every organ and tissue in your body. It plays many important roles, including regulating inflammation.

My guess is there begins to be a shortfall of cortisol caused by prednisone induced adrenal insufficiency. This in turn results in the body's inability to regulate inflammation. We either increase our prednisone dose or face the consequences of adrenal insufficiency.

Yes ... it does become a vicious circle:

Not taking more prednisone causes unregulated inflammation and inflammatory pain.

Taking more prednisone continues to suppress adrenal function. This causes adrenal insufficiency which can be painful too.