Cardiff Pain & Performance Clinic

Cardiff Pain & Performance Clinic We are a team of Osteopaths and Chiropractors that erase pain & increase performance fast.

We use powerful neurological techniques to effect change in your nervous system instantly.

19/02/2026

Pain is informative.

If you put your hand in a fire, receptors in the skin send a signal to the brain. The brain processes that information and tells you to pull away. That response protects you.

Pain is a warning system. It alerts you to potential danger so you can respond.

Conditions like leprosy show us the other side of the equation. When pain sensation is lost, injuries can go unnoticed. Without that protective signal, there’s no automatic withdrawal, no awareness of tissue damage, and wounds can worsen without proper care.

Pain itself isn’t the enemy. It’s information.

The issue in chronic pain isn’t that the system exists, it’s that the alarm can become too sensitive.

Our job isn’t to silence the alarm completely.
It’s to help it respond appropriately again.

Rehab is like reintroducing spice to a meal, a little at a time so the system adapts.Too much, too soon can overwhelm th...
17/02/2026

Rehab is like reintroducing spice to a meal, a little at a time so the system adapts.

Too much, too soon can overwhelm the nervous system and trigger flare-ups. Too little doesn’t give the body enough stimulus to change.

The right approach is gradual exposure. Small, controlled doses of movement and load that allow the nervous system to learn what’s safe again.

Rehab isn’t about pushing through discomfort or avoiding it completely. It’s about finding the level the system can tolerate today, then slowly expanding from there.

Adaptation happens with consistency, not intensity.

Give the system time to adjust, and progress becomes sustainable.

16/02/2026

Getting out of chronic pain is difficult because you’re not just dealing with one problem. You’re working through layers of protection that have built up over time.

Pain often leads to fear. Fear leads to avoidance. Avoidance tells the nervous system that the body needs even more protection. Over time, that protection shows up as increased sensitivity, stiffness, and a reduced tolerance to movement.

These layers don’t disappear overnight. They were learned gradually, and they need to be unlearned the same way.

This is why there isn’t a quick fix for chronic pain. It’s not about forcing change or chasing relief. It’s about gently peeling back each layer by creating safety, restoring confidence in movement, and reducing threat to the nervous system.

Progress happens step by step.
When the system feels safe enough, the next layer can settle.

14/02/2026

One of the biggest reasons people don’t progress through rehab isn’t motivation.
It’s how rehab is structured.

Doing too much, too soon can flare the nervous system and reinforce pain.
Doing too little doesn’t give the body enough stimulus to adapt.

Progress happens in the middle.
You need the right intensity, applied consistently, and increased gradually over time.

Specificity matters too. Exercises should relate to the movements and demands of daily life. Random exercises don’t always translate into real-world change.

Frequency is another common issue. More isn’t always better. The nervous system needs time to adapt between sessions. Too much can increase sensitivity rather than build capacity.

Rehab works best when it’s progressive, specific, and dosed appropriately.

Not harder.
Not easier.
Just smarter.

13/02/2026

Most people living with chronic pain develop fear-avoidant behaviours, often without realising it.

When pain keeps returning, the brain starts to assume something must be wrong. Every sensation is questioned, every movement is assessed, and the body stays on high alert.

The key question becomes: does this sensation make the brain feel in danger?

When pain is met with fear, the nervous system interprets the signal as a threat. That response reinforces the pain loop. The brain becomes more protective, movement feels riskier, and sensitivity increases.

Fear doesn’t mean weakness.
It means the system is trying to keep you safe.

The challenge is that fear can misinterpret signals. Not every sensation is damage, but the nervous system doesn’t always know the difference when it’s sensitised.

Breaking the cycle starts with changing the response. Creating safety, building confidence in movement, and gradually showing the brain that not all sensations are dangerous.

Pain reduces when the system no longer feels under threat.

12/02/2026

And the winner is… 🎉

A huge thank you to everyone who entered our fishbowl prize draw and took the time to participate. We really appreciate the support and engagement from our community.

Congratulations to our lucky winner, who’s taking home a gift voucher to Six By Nico 🍽️✨
We hope you enjoy it.

Staying still to avoid pain is like holding your breath to avoid coughing.It might feel helpful in the moment, but it is...
11/02/2026

Staying still to avoid pain is like holding your breath to avoid coughing.

It might feel helpful in the moment, but it isn’t a long-term solution.

When pain shows up, the nervous system often responds by restricting movement to feel safe. That protection makes sense short term. But over time, avoiding movement teaches the brain that movement itself is dangerous.

Just like holding your breath increases tension and discomfort, staying still can increase stiffness, sensitivity, and fear around movement.

The goal isn’t to push through pain or ignore it.
It’s to reintroduce movement gradually, in ways that feel safe and controlled, so the nervous system can relearn trust.

Movement isn’t the enemy.
Avoidance is only a temporary strategy.

Progress comes from gentle exposure, not complete restriction.

10/02/2026

Just because an injury no longer hurts doesn’t mean it no longer matters.

When an area is injured, the brain learns to protect it. Even after the pain settles, the nervous system often keeps subtle protective patterns in place. These can show up as changes in movement, muscle activation, posture, or joint loading.

Over time, those protective patterns can create reflex-based and biomechanical changes elsewhere in the body. Other areas start to compensate, working harder to keep the original injury safe.

This is why old injuries can quietly influence new pain.

Proper rehabilitation isn’t just about getting rid of symptoms. It’s about restoring trust in the injured area so the brain no longer feels the need to protect it.

Ignoring past injuries because the pain is gone can leave those protective patterns unresolved. Addressing them helps prevent future flare-ups and keeps the whole system moving more efficiently.

Pain fading is the first step.
Rebuilding function is what makes it last.

05/02/2026

Working with the nervous system isn’t like pulling out a tooth and expecting the problem to instantly disappear.

Neurological patterns develop over time. Pain, tension, and movement habits are learned through repetition, protection, and past experiences. Because of that, they don’t change in a single moment.

Improvement comes from consistent input that teaches the nervous system something new. Small, repeated experiences that show the body it’s safe to move, load, and relax again.

Quick relief can happen.
Lasting change takes time.

Our goal isn’t to remove a problem.
It’s to retrain a system.

That’s how progress holds up long after symptoms settle.

04/02/2026

The spine doesn’t work in isolated parts.
It works as a system.

The neck and lower back tend to move together, while the rib cage and mid-back often move in the opposite direction. This creates balance and efficiency through the spine.

Think of it like three cogs working together.
When all three move freely, the system runs smoothly.

But when the mid-back or ribs become stiff, the neck and lower back often have to work harder to compensate. Over time, that extra workload can show up as pain, tension, or repeated flare-ups in areas that seem unrelated.

This is why it’s common to see neck and low back symptoms appear together, even though the real driver may be in the middle of the system.

Treating one area in isolation can miss the bigger picture.
Addressing how the spine moves as a whole helps reduce compensation and restore balance.

It’s rarely about one joint.
It’s about how the system shares the load.

When the body is unwell, the nervous system is under more stress. Energy drops, recovery slows, and sensitivity often in...
03/02/2026

When the body is unwell, the nervous system is under more stress. Energy drops, recovery slows, and sensitivity often increases. This is when the system is more likely to fall back into old protective patterns.

Support during illness doesn’t mean pushing harder.
It means adjusting care, reducing load, and helping the body stay regulated while it recovers.

Pausing everything completely can sometimes allow progress to stall or regress, especially in chronic conditions where consistency helps retrain the system.

The goal during illness isn’t to make gains.
It’s to maintain momentum, reduce strain, and support the nervous system until capacity returns.

Healing doesn’t stop when you’re unwell.
It just changes pace.

31/01/2026

If someone walked into our clinic with low back pain, this is what we’d encourage them to do outside the clinic to maximise the results inside it.

First, support the area locally. Applying heat to the lower back helps improve circulation and settle inflammation. We generally advise avoiding regular use of ibuprofen and ice, as they can slow the natural healing response when relied on long term.

Next, focus on the basics. Quality sleep, good nutrition, staying hydrated, and reducing sugar all help lower overall pain sensitivity. A stressed or under-fuelled nervous system will amplify pain signals.

Managing stress is just as important. High stress keeps the brain in a heightened state of alert, which increases guarding and reactivity throughout the body.

Finally, be mindful of how much attention is given to the pain. Constantly talking about it or worrying about it reinforces pain circuits in the brain. Fear leads to avoidance, avoidance feels like safety, and over time movement itself can start to feel threatening.

Supporting the nervous system outside the clinic allows the work inside the clinic to be far more effective.

Small, consistent habits create lasting change.

Address

2c Waungron Road
Cardiff
CF52JJ

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm

Website

http://www.cardiffpainandperformance.com/

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