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.

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.

29/01/2026

The nervous system learns through experience.

When an area has been painful for a long time, the brain builds a bank of memories that associate certain movements with threat. Even if the tissue has healed, the memory of danger can remain.

That’s why simply pushing through pain rarely works.
Lasting change comes from creating new, positive movement experiences.

Gentle, controlled exercises performed in small, steady doses give the nervous system a different message.

This movement is safe.
This load is tolerable.
Nothing bad happens.
This is what graded exposure really means.

Not forcing. Not avoiding.
But gradually expanding what the body feels comfortable with.

Each pain-free or manageable repetition becomes a new memory.
Over time, those memories start to outweigh the old ones, and hypersensitive areas begin to calm down.

Desensitisation isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing the right amount, consistently, until the nervous system no longer sees movement as a threat.

That’s how confidence returns.
And that’s how movement becomes safe again

28/01/2026

We see a lot online about “fixing” anterior pelvic tilt.

The idea that it’s something broken, dangerous, or automatically the cause of pain just isn’t accurate.

Anterior pelvic tilt is a normal human variation. Just like having flat feet, high arches, or rounded shoulders, it’s simply one of many ways bodies organise themselves to move and stay upright.

Plenty of people have an anterior pelvic tilt and no pain at all.

Pain doesn’t come from a shape.
It comes from sensitivity, load, and how the nervous system is responding to movement and stress.

Trying to force the pelvis into a “perfect” position often creates more tension and guarding rather than less. The body adapts its posture based on strength, breathing, stress, and perceived safety, not because it needs correcting.

Our focus isn’t on fixing posture.
It’s on restoring movement, capacity, and confidence so the body can organise itself naturally again.

The goal isn’t to look perfect.
It’s to move well and feel safe doing so

27/01/2026

Constantly scanning your body for pain can keep your nervous system in a state of threat.

When you repeatedly check how something feels, the brain increases attention to that area. More attention amplifies sensory signals, even if the tissue itself isn’t getting worse.

Over time, the nervous system becomes hyper-vigilant. Normal sensations start to feel significant. Neutral signals start to feel uncomfortable.

This is why in chronic pain, less monitoring often leads to less symptoms.

Not because the problem is imaginary.
But because attention shapes experience.

Healing isn’t about ignoring the body.
It’s about teaching the nervous system when it no longer needs to stay on high alert.

Relief is not the same as resolution.Feeling better is a great sign. It usually means the nervous system has calmed down...
26/01/2026

Relief is not the same as resolution.

Feeling better is a great sign. It usually means the nervous system has calmed down and the body is no longer in a heightened state of threat.

But in chronic problems, early relief doesn’t always mean the underlying pattern has fully changed. It often means we’ve reduced sensitivity, inflammation, or tension enough for symptoms to settle.

Resolution is different. Resolution is when the body has rebuilt enough capacity, strength, and tolerance to handle normal life again without the symptoms returning.

Relief is the quiet phase.
Resolution is the stable phase.

One feels good in the moment.
The other holds up over time.

Our goal isn’t just to help you feel better today.
It’s to help you stay better in the long term.

23/01/2026

We’re often taught to see pain as the enemy.

Something to fight, ignore, or silence.

But pain isn’t trying to harm you.

It’s trying to protect you.
Pain is the body’s warning system.

A signal from the nervous system that something feels threatened, overloaded, or unsafe. Just like a smoke alarm, it doesn’t mean the house is on fire, it means something needs attention.

When we treat pain as the enemy, we focus on shutting it down.

When we treat pain as information, we start asking better questions.

What is the body protecting?
What has the nervous system learned to fear?

What needs support, not force?
Healing isn’t about defeating pain.

It’s about listening to it, understanding it, and teaching the body that it’s safe to move again.

Pain isn’t the problem.
It’s the messenger.

22/01/2026

One of the most important parts of recovery is learning how to manage your activity levels.

When people start to feel better, it’s natural to want to do everything again all at once. But the nervous system and the tissues often aren’t ready for sudden spikes in load, even if the pain has reduced.

Healing works best when activity is increased gradually. A little more each day allows the body to adapt, rebuild capacity, and stay within a safe window of tolerance.

Doing too much too soon can overload healing tissue and trigger an acute inflammatory flare up, which can feel like you’ve gone backwards even when you were making good progress.

Progress isn’t about big jumps.
It’s about consistency, pacing, and respecting the signals your body gives you.

The goal is steady expansion, not boom and bust cycles.

Slow, controlled increases in activity build resilience.
Sudden bursts often rebuild symptoms.

21/01/2026

We often see patients come into the clinic and show us the exact movement that triggers their pain.

And while that’s helpful for assessment, repeatedly provoking the same movement can sometimes keep the nervous system in a heightened state of threat.

There are usually a few broad reasons why a movement hurts.

Sometimes it’s a structural issue that genuinely needs medical or surgical input.
Sometimes it’s active inflammation, where the tissue needs support, heat, and time rather than masking symptoms with anti-inflammatories.
And very often, it’s sensitised nerve endings, where the brain has learned to associate that movement with danger, even if the tissue itself has healed.

In that case, the problem isn’t the movement itself.
It’s the level of threat the nervous system has attached to it.

Our job is to figure out which category you fall into and guide the body accordingly.

That might mean temporarily avoiding or modifying the painful movement, not because movement is bad, but because constantly re-triggering pain can reinforce the alarm system.

The goal isn’t to stop moving.
The goal is to reduce threat first, restore safety, then gradually reintroduce movement in a way the nervous system can tolerate.

Because healing happens faster when the body feels safe enough to let go.

When we injure ourselves, the nervous system doesn’t just react once and move on.It adapts.It builds layers of protectio...
20/01/2026

When we injure ourselves, the nervous system doesn’t just react once and move on.
It adapts.

It builds layers of protection over time. Muscles tighten, movement patterns change, breathing alters, posture shifts. Not because the body is broken, but because the brain is trying to keep you safe.

The longer a problem exists, the more layers of compensation can form. Each layer does a job. It reduces threat, limits exposure, and allows you to keep functioning. That’s why simply chasing the painful area often doesn’t lead to lasting change.

Real resolution happens when we respect the order the body created.
As one layer settles and feels safe enough to let go, the next layer underneath becomes clearer.

This is why progress isn’t always linear. It’s why symptoms can move, change, or reveal themselves differently as healing unfolds. And it’s why taking a nervous system-led approach matters.

Our role isn’t to force change.
It’s to guide the body through each layer, restore trust, and allow normal movement to return naturally.

Because lasting change doesn’t come from skipping steps.
It comes from addressing each layer, in the right order, at the right time.

19/01/2026

Some people aren’t ready for exercise yet, and that’s not a failure.

If there’s an acute injury, or the nervous system is still protecting old areas from previous injuries, loading the body too soon can increase compensation rather than build strength.

Our job isn’t to push people past their limits.

It’s to calm the system, desensitise the areas that are over-protecting, and restore trust in movement.

When the nervous system feels safe again, exercise stops being a threat and starts becoming a tool.

Getting you to the start line is just as important as the training itself.

17/01/2026

Graded exposure works best when it’s introduced at a level the nervous system can tolerate.

The goal isn’t to push through fear or force the body to adapt.

When an exercise feels overwhelming, the nervous system shifts into protection. Muscles tense, movement becomes guarded, and learning slows down.

Real progress happens when movement feels safe enough to explore. Starting at a comfortable level allows the brain to update its expectations and build confidence. From there, exposure can be gently increased as the system learns that it’s capable.

This is how trust is rebuilt. Step by step, without triggering alarm.

Graded exposure isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right amount, at the right time, so the nervous system stays calm and responsive.

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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