There are over 20 different chiropractic techniques offered throughout Chiropractic Universities and Colleges in the US. At our office we practice the Gonstead Technique with a few modifications. All adjustments are “by hand only” and no instruments are used to adjust the spine. Technique and forces applied to the spine are tailored to the condition, needs and age of the patient. We have found manual adjusting to be the most effective approach to correcting spinal problems. Chiropractic adjustments using the Gonstead Technique are very precise and extremely safe.
Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead (1898-1978) began practicing chiropractic in 1923 in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, a small farming community of 1,200 residents in south central Wisconsin. He is credited with developing the Gonstead Chiropractic Analysis and Adjusting System. The Gonstead chiropractic examination includes a complete patient history, static palpation, motion palpation, instrumentation of the spinal column, orthopedic and neurological testing and x-ray analysis. The full spine x-ray analysis provides a specific biomechanical model which provides the treating chiropractor adjustment listings. Adjustment listings define the line of correction to be applied by the treating chiropractor. Specific adjustments are then administered to the patient according to a treatment schedule. Ideally, the need for correction decreases over time as the condition of the patient’s spine improves. Dr. Gonstead would always stress the following motto: “find the subluxation, fix it and leave it alone”.
Dr. Gonstead’s desire to help his patients is unparalleled as he practiced six days per week and Sunday mornings for 55 years. He had to work that much to accommodate the demand for his services. During that time he designed three clinics to meet the increasing demand. In 1964, Dr. Gonstead built the largest chiropractic facility in the world, his third and final design, a 22,000 square foot clinic with a waiting room to seat over 100 patients, 11 adjusting rooms, x-ray facilities and lab, and a lower level to hold Chiropractic seminars.Next to his new clinic, Dr. Gonstead added a 78 room, full-service motel to accommodate the clinic’s numerous long distance patients. Dr. Gonstead and his fellow staff members attended 300 to 400 patients on a daily basis. This huge following of patients led Dr. Gonstead to start the Gonstead Seminar of Chiropractic, helping to teach and develop even more Chiropractors in the art and philosophy of the Gonstead system of chiropractic treatment.
A many new discoveries in chiropractic and manual therapy have been made since the passing of Dr. Gonstead. A growing body of research has been confirming what Dr. Gonstead already knew about the function of the spine and the musculoskeletal system and beyond. Today most patients are evaluated without full spine x-rays. Imaging procedures including x-rays, ct scans and MRI scans are ordered based on the patients condition.