Ryan Madson took a scheduled day off his throwing program Thursday. The right-hander will resume tomorrow from flat ground, but not from 120 feet as in the past.

Madson said he’ll throw from 90 feet, but don’t call it a setback. It’s more of a temporary adjustment.

“It’ll prevent any excess inflammation in that spot,” he said. “That’s a big difference from 90 to 120, for some reason. It (Madson’s right elbow) doesn’t like that.”

The 120-foot distance is something of a standard distance for pitchers coming back from injuries, the final hurdle to clear. Madson acknowledged that throwing from 120 feet would allow him to build more strength and stretch his arm out more than throwing from 90 feet.

But if the goal is to get him back pitching off a mound (60 feet, 6 inches away from home plate), the extra 30 feet are negligible and not worth the pain. Madson said he hasn’t been able to throw beyond 80 percent strength from 120 feet without incurring pain in his surgically repaired right elbow, and he has a better chance of making progress if he sticks to 90 feet.

“When you go to 120 feet, you have to throw it 90 miles per hour to get it downhill,” he said.