For Narelle, managing her body and staying pain-free has been a lifelong journey.
Born with spina bifida occulta, she has spent years learning how to work with her body, maintain its function and navigate the challenges that come with it.
So when persistent pain developed in her right hip two years ago, she wasn’t new to finding ways to keep moving.
She simply didn’t expect it to become such a long and frustrating journey.
“I’ve always had to work on the physiology and neurology of my body,” Narelle explains. “There are many layers when you’ve been born with something like this.”
Two years of searching for answers
Narelle had been travelling well and had even started exploring yoga when she decided to see an osteopath to help free up movement in her naturally tight right hip.
Unfortunately, something went wrong.
What followed was two years of trying to get her hip back to where it needed to be.
Chiropractic care, massage therapy, exercise physiology, Pilates, an MRI and prolotherapy all became part of her journey.
Some approaches helped, and Narelle began to experience glimpses of pain-free days.
But she couldn’t quite get to the freedom she was looking for.
Then her husband spotted an article about Cluzie Clinic in a local magazine.
“I thought, ‘I’ll give it a go.’”
The missing piece
Narelle eventually booked in to see Claire at Cluzie Clinic and began ANF Therapy.
She has had around five sessions — and noticed a difference almost immediately.
“The relief from the pain started pretty much after the first session.”
But it was after her second treatment that she experienced a moment that stopped her in her tracks.
“I was walking somewhere and I thought, Oh, I think this is actually how a normal body is supposed to feel.”
For someone who has spent her entire life learning to manage her body, that was a profound realisation.
From managing pain to understanding her body
Narelle describes ANF Therapy as “the final key for the lock”.
Rather than viewing the therapy as something that replaces the other work she’s doing, she sees it as a powerful complement to her Pilates and her broader approach to wellness.
One of the biggest changes has been the relief she feels through her hip, particularly when standing for periods of time.
And she’s noticing changes in how her body responds to movement.
Narelle is currently progressing through classical Pilates, working to retrain the muscles around her spine and, importantly, retrain the neurological pathways that control movement.
“I’ve literally got to retrain neural pathways. My brain will sit there and go, ‘I’ve got no idea what I’m supposed to be doing here!’”
She says ANF Therapy has helped support that process.
“It just helps the muscles activate and do what they’re supposed to do quicker than just doing the Pilates.”
A new goal: getting back on the court
For Narelle, this isn’t simply about standing in the kitchen without pain.
It’s about what comes next.
Her ultimate goal is to get back to being active and, one day soon, join the team at Cluzie Clinic on the pickleball court.
For now, she’s concentrating on building stability, strength and confidence in her body.
And there’s a sense of excitement in her voice when she talks about what’s possible.
“I feel like, between the Pilates and the ANF, I’m really starting to understand what a normally functioning body is supposed to be like.”
Then she laughs.
“I’m a bit like a kid in a lolly shop. It’s like, ‘Oh, this is so cool. This is how I was supposed to feel!’”
Could ANF Therapy be the missing piece in your journey?
Narelle’s story is a reminder that pain isn’t always the result of a single injury — and finding relief isn’t necessarily about finding one magic solution.
Sometimes it’s about understanding the whole picture and finding the right tools to complement what you’re already doing.
Whether you’re dealing with an old injury, persistent pain or simply feel like your body isn’t functioning the way you’d like it to, ANF Therapy offers a different approach worth exploring.
Your body may have been compensating for years. What if it doesn’t have to anymore?
Discover ANF Therapy at Cluzie Clinic, Buderim, and find out whether it could become the missing piece in your own journey towards moving, feeling and living better.
