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Migraine is not a headache that happens to be severe. It is a disorder of how the nervous system handles incoming information, it is a complex brain and nervous system disorder with a range of complex manifestations that go well beyond headache.

Nigel Peek, MSc Chiro (SA) | DIANM, Chiropractic Orthopaedist | PGDip HealSc Pain & Pain Management — Dist. (Otago) | Peek Practice, Grey Lynn, Auckland Do you have persistent headaches or migraine? Recurring neck or back pain? Perhaps a sensitive gut as well? These may not be separate problems. At Peek Practice, the focus is on understanding what connects them — and what that means for how they are managed. Not All Pain Comes From Damage Most people assume pain means somethi

Nigel Peek, MSc Chiro (SA) | DIANM, Chiropractic Orthopaedist | PGDip HealSc Pain & Pain Management – Dist. (Otago) — Peek Practice, Grey Lynn, Auckland Pain is not a signal that travels from damaged tissue to a passive brain. That model — intuitive, persistent, and wrong — has been substantially revised over the last three decades. Understanding what replaced it changes how pain is assessed, explained, and treated. This is not a fringe position. It is the consensus view of c

The short answer Contemporary pain neuroscience tells is that pain is the brain's protective output — not a direct readout of tissue damage. The two are related, but they are not the same thing. You can have severe structural damage with no pain. You can have severe, disabling pain with no identifiable structural cause. In 2020, the International Association for the Study of Pain formally revised its definition to reflect this, acknowledging pain as an experience that can exi

There is a meaningful and poorly understood distinction between a chiropractor or physiotherapist trained to undergraduate level and a practitioner who has completed post-doctoral board certification in orthopaedic and neuromusculoskeletal medicine alongside postgraduate academic training in pain science. That distinction is not self-assigned. It is credential-specific, examination-based, and directly relevant to how complex presentations are assessed and managed. I hold the

Persistent musculoskeletal pain presents a complex clinical challenge, particularly when standard interventions fall short. At Peek Practice, we recognize the frustration of navigating chronic pain without lasting relief. Our approach to care is anchored in clinical evidence, recognising that persistent pain is a complex experience. This discussion outlines how advanced clinical training and a specific skill set provides a more effective framework to tackle these issues.nced

Chronic Back Pain, Neck Pain and Headaches – Our Specialty at Peek Practice Chronic pain is a major global health burden, affecting about 1 in 6 New Zealanders and 20.4% of U.S. adults, with higher prevalence in women, older adults, and those with lower socioeconomic status. Back pain, neck pain, and headache account for the most common and most disabling forms of persistent pain. Unlike many other human health problems, persistent pain remains poorly managed. Despite much em