Dr Neil Cuninghame

Dr Neil Cuninghame Helping you break free from pain and live fully again. Empowering patients and practitioners with expert pain insights.

Chiropractor and pain management specialist | Speaker & educator | Husband, father, athlete. I am a Chiropractor with a special interest in pain, chronic pain specifically, and how the nervous system plays a role in our function and outcomes

Sometimes all you need is some fresh air, a good ride with your mates, coffee, and chocolate croissants 🙌🏻🤗 Thanks & 💪...
10/12/2025

Sometimes all you need is some fresh air, a good ride with your mates, coffee, and chocolate croissants 🙌🏻🤗 Thanks & 💪🏻

Pain is your brain’s way of protecting you, but sometimes it becomes too protective.
This is known as central sensitizat...
02/12/2025

Pain is your brain’s way of protecting you, but sometimes it becomes too protective.
This is known as central sensitization, your nervous system gets “stuck” in high alert mode.
Through education, reassurance, and movement, that sensitivity can settle.

Pain lives in the body, but it’s influenced by the mind.
When we’re anxious or uncertain, the brain turns up the volume ...
27/11/2025

Pain lives in the body, but it’s influenced by the mind.
When we’re anxious or uncertain, the brain turns up the volume on pain to keep us safe.
Understanding what pain really means helps turn that volume back down.
Through pain neuroscience education we can decrease pain-related fear and improve function.

26/11/2025

Fear keeps pain alive. Here’s how it happens:

1️⃣ Pain occurs → 2️⃣ You anticipate danger → 3️⃣ You avoid movement → 4️⃣ The nervous system sensitizes → 5️⃣ Pain feels worse.

This is called the fear-avoidance cycle. Over time, it can quietly limit your life, confidence, and ability to move freely.

The way out: evidence of safety. By moving safely in a controlled, progressive way, your nervous system learns that movement is safe. Small, repeated steps lead to measurable change.

Tip: Identify one movement you’ve been avoiding and safely attempt a tiny part of it today. Every small success is progress.

Your brain’s main job is to protect you, and pain is one of its most powerful tools.
When you “push through,” the brain ...
24/11/2025

Your brain’s main job is to protect you, and pain is one of its most powerful tools.
When you “push through,” the brain often interprets that as more threat.
But when you move safely and gradually, you give it evidence that you’re okay, and it can start to ease its protective response.
The goal isn’t to fight pain. It’s to retrain it.

Pain is the brain’s way of saying, “I don’t feel safe.”
Instead of fighting it, focus on calming the system, through und...
19/11/2025

Pain is the brain’s way of saying, “I don’t feel safe.”
Instead of fighting it, focus on calming the system, through understanding, reassurance, and gentle movement.
Safety teaches the brain it no longer needs to shout so loud.

18/11/2025

Pain comes from stillness, not slouching…

All that obsessing over perfect posture is mostly useless.
Evidence shows weak links between posture and pain.
The real problem? People stop moving and their nervous system becomes hypervigilant.

Posture has little correlation with chronic pain.
Movement, confidence, and education are far more important.

Here are a few tips to help reduce that nervous system sensitivity:
✅ Change positions frequently.
✅ Stop blaming your chair, blame inactivity.
✅ Move in ways that feel safe, not “perfect.”

Recovery is rarely a straight line. Some days will feel easier than others, and that’s okay.
Each small step helps your ...
17/11/2025

Recovery is rarely a straight line.
Some days will feel easier than others, and that’s okay.
Each small step helps your nervous system learn safety, resilience, and calm.
Remember, you’re not broken, you’re rebuilding balance.

14/11/2025

Stretching helps the brain, not the muscle fibres.

Muscle length doesn’t actually change much, but perception of stretch does. Studies show temporary gains are due to nervous system modulation, not muscle lengthening.

The nervous system learns it’s safe, and that’s what reduces tension.

Try this:
👉 Focus on breathing during stretches, exhale into comfort, not strain.
👉 Use stretching as a reset, not a fix.
👉 Pair it with strength. Mobility + control = resilience.

Those nighttime leg pains can be worrying, especially when your child wakes up crying and can’t explain what’s wrong.
Bu...
10/11/2025

Those nighttime leg pains can be worrying, especially when your child wakes up crying and can’t explain what’s wrong.
But in most cases, this pattern fits something called growing pains, a common, harmless, and temporary part of childhood.

What we know (and what research says):
* Growing pains affect 25–40% of healthy children, most often between ages 4 and 8.
* They usually occur in the legs, calves, thighs, shins, or behind the knees, and on both sides.
* The pain typically appears in the late afternoon or at night and is gone by morning.
* Studies show no link to growth plates or injury, the name is misleading.
* They’re thought to come from muscle fatigue, rapid activity, and a sensitive nervous system.

How to help your child:
* Gentle massage of the legs often relieves pain quickly.
* Warm compress or bath before bed relaxes muscles.
* Light stretching of calves and thighs can reduce recurrence.
* Comfort and reassurance calm the nervous system, being present really helps.
* Encourage daily play and movement, but let them rest if sore.
* Maintain a regular bedtime routine, tiredness can heighten pain perception.

When to check in with a doctor:
If pain:
* Occurs in one leg only.
* Persists into the morning.
* Is accompanied by swelling, redness, or a limp.
* Or your child has fever or fatigue.
These could signal something other than growing pains and are worth assessing.

The bottom line:
Growing pains are real, but they’re not dangerous.
They’re a reflection of an active, developing body and a sensitive nervous system that sometimes feels things a little louder than usual.
With reassurance, warmth, and gentle care, they pass.

06/11/2025

Ever felt like those childhood growing pains are back, only now you’re in your 40s?
You’re not imagining it. And you’re definitely not alone.

In kids, “growing pains” aren’t actually caused by growth. Studies show they’re more about muscle fatigue, overuse, and a sensitive nervous system, the kind that ramps up after busy days or bursts of activity.

As adults, we can experience that same type of deep, dull ache, especially in the legs, knees, or hips and when our nervous system becomes more sensitive due to:
• Changes in activity levels (doing more or doing less)
• Poor sleep or increased stress
• Hormonal changes, especially during perimenopause and menopause

Research shows that lower oestrogen levels can affect joint lubrication and collagen turnover, slow muscle recovery, and influence how our brain processes pain.

That’s why those old, familiar aches often show up again around this stage of life.

The key is to keep moving, but to do it smartly. Gentle strength training, walking, stretching, good sleep, and stress management all help calm an over-alert nervous system.

Your body isn’t regressing, it’s just readjusting. And that’s something we can absolutely work with.

If these “growing pains” are becoming part of your daily routine, let’s take a closer look together. There’s almost always a reason, and a way forward.

Pain often makes us fear movement, but avoidance teaches the brain that movement is dangerous.
Research shows that movem...
03/11/2025

Pain often makes us fear movement, but avoidance teaches the brain that movement is dangerous.
Research shows that movement, combined with education, reduces pain intensity and fear.
Through graded exposure (slow, safe reintroduction of activity) you can rewire your system to feel safe again.

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Hillcrest
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Tuesday 07:30 - 16:30
Wednesday 07:30 - 16:30
Thursday 07:30 - 16:30
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