If you have chronic pain in your neck or back, you know how miserable it feels day-to-day. Perhaps your options have whittled down to pain killers, anti-inflammatories, physical therapy or surgery. Some people are trying a new-age type of chiropractic relief called Network Spinal Analysis or NSA.
"It's different, but the results speak for themselves," said chiropractor Tyler Lewis.
There is no cracking or aggressive movement involved in NSA. Lewis and business partner Amy Gunderson focus on gentle, precise touch to your spine and the connective tissues around it.
"I honestly was at a point where I was willing to try anything," said Madeline Kiefer, who calls NSA a lifesaver.
"Two months after my last Ironman race, I came down with rhabdomyolysis," said the 28-year-old Grapevine native. She was hospitalized for five days after over-exerting herself.
"Rhabdomyolysis is extremely painful," recalled Kiefer who started NSA treatments at Self Unbound in Dallas six months ago.
"Initially when I first did it, it was something where I just felt light touches on my back," said Kiefer. "In my head all I could think is 'how is this ever going to change anything or do anything?'"
Gunderson said a simple connection can be life-changing.
"We bring the brain's awareness to tension in the body and allow the body to naturally release it," said Gunderson. "The better communication between your brain to any part of your body, the more you can heal."
Your nervous system controls breathing, thought, emotions, movement- virtually everything. Any tension stored in your body creates stress on the nervous system. By unwinding tension through NSA, you're giving energy back to the nervous system, and the body starts to heal itself.
"Honestly if you'd have told me that this is what's going to help me six months ago, I would've thought that's crazy," admitted Kiefer.
But Lewis said NSA is heavily documented, steeped in science and has been around since 1987. It's even touted by celebrities like Tony Robbins.
"Any knots or anything uncomfortable that I had in my back is gone," said Kiefer who is back to running up to four miles at a time, pain free.
But how can this low force create such major shifts?
"Those are questions that I don't know that I can answer," said Kiefer. I can tell you how I feel, and I can tell you that I haven't had a case of rhabdomyolysis since [starting NSA treatments]. I feel completely different."
Finally, after years of trying everything from deep tissue massage to medicine, different is working.
Click here for more information on NSA chiropractic care.