Established during the 1900s, the Gonstead System of Chiropractic is considered by many as the gold standard in hands-on spinal adjusting and one of the most effective chiropractic techniques available.

Its success is attributed to the lengthy training a Gonstead Doctor needs to complete. In addition to completing a five-year University Degree and Masters in Chiropractic Sciences required for all chiropractors, a Gonstead Doctor needs to intern for an additional year or more, and is required to attend several seminars each year.

About Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead

Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead (1898-1978) utilized his background in mechanical engineering and expertise of the nervous system in order to develop a unique, thorough approach to analyzing each segment of the spine.

During the 1930s, the chiropractic profession was dominated by BJ Palmer (1882-1961), who used a method called Hole-In-One (HIO), which is also known as Upper Cervical via Toggle Recoil application. At the time, technical skills of a typical graduating chiropractor were considered somewhat crude and rudimentary. It was Gonstead who introduced a logical and bio-mechanically sound approach to the practice.

With his skill in solving mechanical problems, Gonstead started developing his own ideas on x-rays, subluxations, and adjusting bones. He may not have been aware of it at the time, but what he started eventually redefined the very nature of the chiropractic profession.

In the early 1960s, the Gonstead technique was adopted by the Palmer School of Chiropractic, restoring the profession to its full-spine roots.

Reasons to choose a Gonstead chiropractor

• The technique is thorough and specific. A Gonstead chiropractor will thoroughly assess and analyze your spine in order to determine the very cause of the problem. He or she will take the necessary steps to zero-in on which specific areas need to be adjusted, correcting subluxations using the most biomechanically advantageous methods that benefit the patient.
• Gonstead chiropractors are able to adjust any joints in the body. A Gonstead chiropractor knows exactly how each joint functions in the body. Because they completely understand the mechanics of each joint, they are able to identify and correct subluxations in areas outside the spine – in shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, and so on.
• Gonstead chiropractors take their own x-rays. X-rays have a crucial role in determining the best ways to correct subluxations. Gonstead Doctors ensure that patients are positioned as precisely as possible so the x-rays that are taken will reveal the complete story.
• Gonstead Doctors consider the body as a whole system. Practitioners of the Gonstead approach see how every part of the body responds to every adjustment. There are specific parts of the spine that can affect certain organs in our bodies, causing them to work faster or slower. Gonstead chiropractors take into consideration what to adjust and what not to adjust, in order to optimize your bodily functions. They also spend a lot of time outside of universities in order to gain better knowledge of how to correct subluxations in different parts of the body.