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Your Pain Has A Cause. We Find It In Minutes - And You Feel The Difference In The Room

P-DTR is a neurological assessment and reset process that identifies the specific receptors your nervous system is using to generate pain – and corrects them at the source.

Specialist P-DTR treatment at Breakthrough Pain & Performance. Based in Shiremoor, Newcastle.

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WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE US

| 18 years clinical experience | 5-star Google reviews | Diagnostic first session | Free parking on site | Sessions available this week |

Does This Sound Familiar?

Pain that keeps returning despite treatment. Normal scan results that don’t explain what you’re feeling. Physio that helped temporarily but never fully resolved it. Pain that moves around or changes unpredictably. Tension or restriction that comes back within days of being released. A body that feels like it’s constantly guarding or bracing. Symptoms that started somewhere else entirely from where the original injury was. You’ve been told there’s nothing structurally wrong – but something clearly isn’t right.

Why P-DTR Is Different From Other Treatments

Most treatments focus on the area that hurts. They work on the muscles, mobilise the joints, reduce inflammation. This can help when the problem is genuinely in the treated area.

P-DTR recognises that symptoms often arise from dysfunction elsewhere. The area that hurts is where you feel the effect, not necessarily where the cause is located. A shoulder problem might be driven by receptors in the neck. A back problem might originate in the foot. A headache might involve the vestibular system.

By testing receptors throughout the body, P-DTR finds the true source of dysfunction. By correcting that source, it resolves symptoms that persist despite treatment focused on the painful area.
P-DTR is also different in that it proves results immediately. We do not tell you the treatment worked and ask you to wait and see. We retest after every correction. You feel the change in the room. Muscles that were weak become strong. Range that was restricted improves. Pain that was present reduces.

This immediate verification means you know quickly whether the approach is working for your problem.

What to Expect From P-DTR Treatment

Your session begins with a detailed history. We want to understand your symptoms, when they started, how they have progressed, what has been tried, and any relevant past events like injuries, surgeries or accidents.

We then conduct systematic testing. We assess muscle function throughout your body, looking for patterns of dysfunction. We challenge different receptor types to identify which are involved.
When we find a receptor fault, we correct it using gentle, specific inputs. The correction takes seconds. We retest immediately and you feel the change.

We continue this process throughout the session, addressing the various dysfunctions we identify. Some may directly relate to your main complaint. Others may be contributing factors or related patterns.

At the end of your session, we explain what we found and what we changed. We discuss whether further sessions are likely needed and what realistic expectations are for your situation.

What P-DTR Is

P-DTR stands for Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex. It was developed by Dr José Palomar, an orthopaedic surgeon who recognised that many musculoskeletal problems are not caused by tissue damage but by dysfunction in how the nervous system processes information from receptors throughout the body.

The central insight of P-DTR is that your brain makes decisions based on receptor input. It receives information from receptors in your muscles, tendons, joints, skin, eyes and vestibular system. Based on this information, it decides how to coordinate movement, how much tension to create and whether pain is needed.

When receptors function correctly, they send clear, accurate information. Your brain makes appropriate decisions. Movement is smooth, efficient and pain-free.

When receptors malfunction, they send unclear or inaccurate information. Your brain makes decisions based on faulty data. The result can be pain, muscle weakness, excessive tension, restricted movement, coordination problems or instability.

P-DTR provides precise methods to test which receptors are malfunctioning and to correct them. Rather than treating symptoms, it addresses the neurological cause of dysfunction.

Learn about Functional Neurology →

How P-DTR Works

P-DTR assessment uses manual muscle testing as a window into nervous system function. When a receptor is malfunctioning, it affects the muscles it relates to. By testing muscle strength and response, we can identify receptor dysfunction.

The assessment process works by challenging receptors while testing muscles. When we stimulate a receptor that is causing dysfunction, the muscle test changes. A strong muscle becomes weak, or a weak muscle becomes strong. This tells us exactly which receptor is the problem.

Once we identify the faulty receptor, we reset it using specific inputs. These inputs might be pressure, stretch, vibration, position or other stimuli that the receptor responds to. The correction takes seconds and is completely painless.

After the correction, we retest immediately. In most cases, the muscle test normalises. The receptor is now sending accurate information. Your brain no longer needs to create the protective or dysfunctional response.

This process of test, identify, correct, retest is fundamental to P-DTR. We do not guess what might be wrong. We test systematically. We do not assume the correction worked. We prove it with retesting.

Why Conventional Treatment Often Falls Short

Most treatment is applied to the area that hurts. That makes intuitive sense – but it misses a fundamental feature of how the nervous system works. The site of pain is where the brain is directing your attention. It is not necessarily where the problem originates. A shoulder that has been treated repeatedly without lasting result may be driven by receptor dysfunction in the neck, the thoracic spine, or even an old wrist injury. A knee that keeps guarding may be responding to an unresolved pattern from a foot or hip injury years earlier. When the driver isn’t identified and corrected, treatment at the painful site produces temporary relief at best. The pattern reasserts because the cause hasn’t changed.

Case Study: One client arrived after years of recurring shoulder pain that had been treated with physio, massage, and two courses of injections. Each intervention provided temporary relief but the pattern always returned within weeks. Assessment identified receptor dysfunction in the cervical spine and an unresolved protective response from a previous wrist fracture. Once those drivers were corrected, the shoulder released and the pattern did not return. The cause had never been in the shoulder.

Important – P-DTR is a neurological assessment and correction process, not a replacement for medical diagnosis. Where symptoms suggest significant structural injury, nerve compression, or other pathology requiring medical investigation, we will advise you accordingly. Our role is to identify and correct neurological dysfunction – and to be clear about the boundaries of what that addresses.

Who This Is For

This Approach May Be Relevant If – Your pain keeps returning despite repeated treatment. Your scans are normal but you’re still experiencing significant symptoms. You’ve been told to manage it, rest it, or that nothing more can be done. The area that hurts has been treated extensively but nothing has held. Your symptoms move around or change unpredictably.

You notice tension or restriction that comes back within days of being released. You recovered from an injury but something has never quite felt right since.

Types of Receptors We Test and Correct

  • Muscle Spindles

Located within your muscles, these receptors detect length and rate of change. When they malfunction, your brain receives inaccurate information about muscle position. This can cause inappropriate tension, weakness or pain.

  • Golgi Tendon Organ

Located where muscles attach to tendons, these receptors detect tension. When they malfunction, your brain may inhibit muscle strength or create excessive guarding to protect against perceived overload.

  • Joint Receptors

Located throughout your joints, these receptors detect position, pressure and movement limits. When they malfunction, you may experience pain, instability or restricted range.

  • Cutaneous Receptors

Located in your skin, these receptors detect touch, pressure, stretch, temperature and vibration. When they malfunction, particularly around scars, they can drive pain and dysfunction in areas that seem unrelated.

  • Nociceptors

Receptors that detect potential tissue damage. When they become sensitised, they may signal pain when no damage is occurring.

  • Combinations

Often, multiple receptor types are involved in a pattern of dysfunction. P-DTR allows us to test complex combinations and address them systematically.

What P-DTR Can Treat

P-DTR can address any condition driven by receptor dysfunction. In practice, this includes a wide range of pain and movement problems.

Pain Conditions

Chronic pain, acute pain, back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot and ankle pain, headaches and migraines. When pain is driven by receptor dysfunction rather than tissue damage, P-DTR can identify and correct the cause.

Learn about pain treatment →

Movement Problems

Restricted range, muscle tightness, weakness, coordination problems, instability. These are all controlled by your nervous system and can be addressed when the underlying receptor dysfunction is identified.

Learn about restricted movement treatment →

Performance Issues

Strength deficits, asymmetries, plateaus, recurring niggles. Athletes often have neurological inefficiencies that limit performance. P-DTR can identify and correct them.

Learn about performance neurology →

Post-Injury and Post-Surgical

Injuries and surgeries disrupt receptors. Even after tissue healing, receptor dysfunction can persist. P-DTR can address residual dysfunction that is maintaining symptoms.

Learn about Post-Injury and Post-Surgical→

TESTIMONIALS

What Clients Say About P-DTR

“I was amazed at how precise the testing was. Sam identified exactly which receptor was causing my problem and fixed it in seconds. I felt the change immediately.”

– Client, Newcastle

“Years of shoulder pain and countless treatments. P-DTR found the actual cause and resolved it. I still find it hard to believe how quickly it worked.”

– Client, North Tyneside

“The fact that every change is tested and proven was what convinced me. I did not have to take anyone’s word for it. I felt it myself.”

– Client, Whitley Bay

Ready to Experience P-DTR

Breakthrough Pain & Performance offers P-DTR assessment and treatment in Shiremoor, Newcastle, working with people across the North East dealing with persistent pain that hasn't responded to physio, chiropractic, or other manual therapies. Diagnostic first sessions available with free parking on site.

Book Your Diagnostic First Session

If you’re unsure whether this can help you, these quick answers may help you feel more confident about your next step

Frequently Asked Questions

Can P-DTR help if my scans are normal?

Yes, and this is one of the most common presentations we see. Normal scans mean there is no significant structural damage – but the nervous system can still be generating pain through protective patterns that have nothing to do with tissue injury.

Physiotherapy typically works on tissue – muscles, joints, movement patterns. P-DTR works on the neurological receptors that are feeding incorrect information into the brain, causing it to generate pain or restrict movement as a protective response. The two approaches address different levels of the same problem.

Many people notice a shift within the first session – not because the problem is gone, but because the nervous system has received new information and begun to reorganise. Full resolution depends on how many layers are involved and how long the pattern has been established.

Yes, and often particularly effective for it. Chronic pain almost always has a significant neurological component – the nervous system has learned to produce pain as a default protective response. P-DTR works directly on that learned pattern.

No. You can book a diagnostic first session directly. The session includes a full assessment to identify what is driving your symptoms before any treatment begins.

Yes. Post-surgical pain that persists is often neurological rather than structural – the tissue has healed but the nervous system is still running the protective pattern it established around the original injury or surgical intervention.

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