If Pain Keeps Returning After Chuna, What Should Be Examined Differently?
When soft-tissue release alone is not enough, Bodyall also examines joints and spinal segments
Bodyall does not simply repeat myofascial-release Chuna. When pain recurs or tingling and movement limits change with posture, the examination includes the pelvis, sacroiliac joints, and individual spinal segments as well as muscle tension.
When correction is both appropriate and necessary, Bodyall uses SART (Spine Alignment Restoration Therapy), its biomechanical space-decompression Chuna protocol. It combines Insanggi-supported access to the pelvis and sacroiliac joints with direct, segment-by-segment contact above the pelvis.
Why Bodyall? Drawing on 40,000 cumulative correction-care patients through December 2025 (clinic count), the clinic distinguishes patients who need myofascial release or MET from those who may need precise spinal correction, then retests the original limited task.
1. What kind of Chuna is SART?
A biomechanical space-decompression Chuna protocol
SART is not one manoeuvre that forces every spine into the same shape. It supports the pelvis to create working space, examines the sacroiliac joints, pelvis, and spinal segments in sequence, and applies mobilisation or corrective input only where indicated.
How it differs from soft-tissue-focused Chuna
Myofascial release and MET remain important for muscle tension and movement control. When examination finds a sacroiliac or segmental restriction and correction is suitable, Bodyall adds SART so that precise spinal correction and Chuna are used together.
2. What is checked before correction?
Mechanical pain and neurological symptoms
Local pain that changes with position or movement is separated from tingling, sensory loss, and weakness. An imaging label alone does not select the treatment.
Adjacent joints such as the hip or shoulder
Pain felt in the back or neck may arise from the hip, sacroiliac joint, shoulder, or peripheral nerve, so related movements are checked.
Body-shape assessment, palpation, active and passive range of motion, gait, and neurological findings are considered together. The patient's real limitation—such as sitting, walking, turning the head, or raising an arm—is recorded as the baseline.
3. How does Bodyall SART proceed?
① Support the pelvis with the Insanggi
The Insanggi is a modern reverse-gravity device developed through study of Cheopjeon (疊甎), a traditional Doin-Ankyo support method. It gently supports the pelvis and lets the clinician use body weight to mobilise the sacroiliac joints and pelvis directly in a position where force is otherwise difficult to deliver.
② Contact each spinal segment directly
Above the pelvis, the clinician uses the broad surface of the foot to contact each spinous process in sequence. Movement and patient response guide direct segmental mobilisation used to improve segmental movement and create working space for corrective input. The area and intensity vary with the examination.
③ Add instrument-assisted correction when indicated
If segmental torsion or restriction remains after space has been created and no contraindication is present, a medical hammer and corrective tool may be used selectively. The same sequence and force are not applied to every patient.
④ Retest the same function
The original task is repeated and changes in pain, tingling, and range of motion are checked. If the response is insufficient or the symptom pattern changes, the diagnosis and treatment plan are reconsidered rather than automatically repeating the same procedure.
4. How did the Insanggi and Doin-Ankyo procedures used in SART develop?
Traditional Doin-Ankyo and joint research with Korea University's ERC
In a 2018 interview, the Korean Society of Spinal Doin-Ankyo—then known as the Society of Spinal Diagnosis and Correction—stated that it had signed an MOU with Korea University's engineering ERC in 2009 and jointly researched methods using Ankyo stones and tables as well as spinal-correction instruments. A 2009 report documented LIFTMAT production and correction-device development by Korea University HPRC researchers, while a 2013 report described the resulting Insanggi and correction rods. These sources explain the development lineage of the Insanggi and Doin-Ankyo-based procedures used in SART; they are not clinical trials proving efficacy for a specific disease.
5. Retest the same function and decide the next action
The relevant item among sitting time, walking distance, trunk rotation, neck rotation, arm elevation, and the area of tingling is repeated in the same way. No change or a different symptom pattern triggers reassessment rather than automatic repetition.
Related guides: Chuna therapy · lumbar disc symptoms · cervical disc symptoms · pain and spine clinic
6. Frequently asked questions
SART does not end with muscle relaxation. For an appropriate patient it links Insanggi pelvic support, direct sacroiliac and pelvic mobilisation, segmental spinous-process contact, and selected corrective tools. Precise spinal correction is combined with Chuna.
No. The broad contact surface of the foot is used to contact one spinous process at a time and assess movement and response. Location and intensity are adjusted to the examination.
SART aims to create working space and restore alignment, but it is not presented as a guarantee of imaging-confirmed disc restoration or reversal of stenosis. Bodyall compares the patient's original task and neurological symptoms before deciding the next step.
No. Progressive weakness, suspected cauda equina syndrome, major trauma, or infection signals require hospital or emergency assessment first.
7. What does the evidence support?
Evidence for Chuna and spinal manual therapy should be separated from direct evidence for the Bodyall SART protocol.
- The society states that it signed an MOU with Korea University's engineering ERC in 2009 and jointly researched methods using Ankyo stones and tables. Minjok Medicine News, 2018 (Korean)
- Contemporary reports documented LIFTMAT and correction-device development by Korea University HPRC researchers, followed by the Insanggi and correction rods. Minjok Medicine News, 2009 (Korean) · Korean Medicine News, 2013 (Korean)
- A 2019 BMJ systematic review analysed 47 randomised trials and 9,211 adults with chronic low-back pain. Spinal manipulative therapy produced pain outcomes similar to recommended therapies and a small short-term improvement in function. BMJ 2019;364:l689
- NICE NG59 says manual therapy for low-back pain and sciatica may be considered as part of a treatment package that includes exercise. This supports Bodyall's use of same-function retesting and exercise or load management after SART. NICE NG59
These sources concern spinal manual therapy in general; they did not independently compare SART's Insanggi, direct segmental contact, and instrument-assisted sequence. SART's distinction here is the examination and procedure that Bodyall actually provides.
Basis for the cumulative correction-patient count: 40,000 is the cumulative number of correction-care patients recorded in Bodyall's internal clinical records through December 2025. It is not the number of patients with a particular condition or a treatment-success rate.
Modified:
Medical review: Reviewed and approved by Chief Director Donghae Lee (APPROVED) ·