Most People Don’t Need Surgery. They Need This Instead | Dr Cuan Wayne Coetzee

This episode of Performance People explores the science behind movement, recovery, and why small, consistent changes can completely alter how your body functions.

Dr Cuan Wayne Coetzee is a chiropractor and movement expert focused on helping people overcome chronic pain through movement, neuroscience, and behavioural change. His work centres on neural re-education (NRE) using simple, novel movement patterns to retrain the brain and restore function. He is also the author of, Why Movement is Medicine.

Dr Cuan Wayne Coetzee breaks down:

* Why movement is medicine

* How novelty rewires the brain in chronic pain

* The truth about posture (and why “perfect” posture doesn’t exist)

* Why recovery is the most overlooked performance lever

* How to build simple daily habits that actually stick

TAKEAWAYS

* There is no single “bad posture”, only positions you can’t move out of

* Chronic pain is often a brain problem as much as a body problem

* Small, consistent inputs beat extreme interventions

* Recovery isn’t passive - it’s a system you have to build

* Most people don’t need more information, they need simpler habits

The Performance People podcast, in partnership with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.

00:00 Creating novelty to change the brain

00:23 Welcome to Performance People with Dr Kieran Kutzer

01:11 The story behind Why Movement Is Medicine

03:01 Is sitting really the new smoking?

04:34 Movement snacks and breaking up desk posture

06:18 Neuroplasticity, chronic pain and neural re-education

07:50 Surgery vs movement: when each has its place

10:01 Why recovery matters as much as training

14:46 The MoveMed Eight: key movement patterns for spinal health

20:49 Stress, breathwork, zone 2 training and the LENDS recovery model

#MovementIsMedicine

#ChronicPain

#SpinalHealth

#Recovery

#PerformancePeople

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Connect with Performance People

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The views and opinions expressed on Performance People are those of the guests and hosts, and do not necessarily represent the views of ainslie + ainslie, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, or any affiliated organisations.

This podcast is produced by Gameface Limited and is intended for general information and entertainment purposes only.

© Gameface Limited 2026. All rights reserved.

Connect with Performance People

Hit subscribe today for the latest.

🎧 Spotify/Apple Music

http://www.performancepeoplepodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/performance.people/

________________________________

The views and opinions expressed on Performance People are those of the guests and hosts, and do not necessarily represent the views of ainslie + ainslie, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, or any affiliated organisations.

This podcast is produced by Gameface Limited and is intended for general information and entertainment purposes only.

© Gameface Limited 2026. All rights reserved.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.