Did you know that there are over one hundred different chiropractic techniques? Most of the public assumes that all chiropractors do the same techniques with all patients. I think if you could sum up what most individuals think of when they think of what a chiropractor does it would be, “snap, crackle, pop.” Most people think that all chiropractic techniques involve the twisting and turning of a patient’s body until the typical “popping” sound is heard. While those sounds are typically heard as a byproduct of most chiropractic techniques, the sounds are not necessary for you to experience excellent results from your trip to the chiropractor.
The (vast) majority of the various techniques deliver a force, by hand, to the different areas of the spine. There are also many techniques that utilize instruments to deliver this force. Some techniques only focus on the upper cervical spine and yet other techniques have a focus that is mostly on the pelvis. There are also some techniques that utilize very little force to produce their results. Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), also referred to as Network Chiropractic, is one such technique.
While all chiropractic techniques are used to correct subluxations (a misalignment of a vertebra that is affecting the function of the nerves), NSA sees this correction as a secondary affect and not its main purpose. NSA views subluxation as an effect of a much broader concern.
Our minds create patterns of stress and tension in the fascia and muscle that not only distorts the posture but creates something referred to as adverse mechanical cord tension (AMCT). AMCT was first purposed by neurosurgeon Alf Breig back in 1978. Dr. Breig described AMCT as, “A condition of the spinal cord and its soft tissues produced by various factors which can traction, elongate, or compress the spinal cord.” In easier terms, when the mind (through stress, emotions, fear) creates patterns of tension/contraction in the fascia and muscles, this can (and will) distort the proper positioning of the spine which can lead to traction, elongation and compression of the spinal cord throughout the length of the spinal column. This in turn can create deleterious affects to the proper functioning of the spinal nerves and therefore the functioning of the entire body.
The insidious nature of nerve interference is that it often produces no pain until such a point that the issue has been in existence long enough to begin creating more permanent damage. Meanwhile, the loss of proper function of the nerves is reducing the bodies’ ability to live at its fullest potential. NSA’s purpose is to analyze and detect these subliminal patterns of constricture and help the individual to discover and alter these patterns therefore freeing up the nervous system and allowing the body function at its highest level. NSA does all of this with very gentle and specific contacts (mostly in the neck and sacral regions) to cue the body to “reset” muscle tone and the positioning of the spine and body. No “snap, crackle, pop” is necessary.
~ Dr. Michael Nichols