Gonstead Chiropractic
LOCATE, CORRECT, IMPROVE
At Walters Chiropractic Clinic you will be cared for with the Gonstead technique of chiropractic.
Gonstead Chiropractic
Whether you are patient or a student of Chiropractic, the Gonstead System of Chiropractic epitomises the definition of real chiropractic care.
Gonstead Chiropractic has a single definition of purpose; locating and correcting vertebral subluxations for the improvement of nerve function.
Dr Clarence Gonstead developed the Gonstead Technique well over 50 years ago and it has stood the test of time, becoming the most widely practised method of Chiropractic in the world.
When proper nerve function is restored, pain disappears and maximum health is achieved.
WHAT IS GONSTEAD CHIROPRACTIC?
The Gonstead Chiropractor utilises a unique and refined art of skeletal analysis to detect any harmful misalignments and then specifically corrects the misalignment, thereby restoring proper nerve function and health.
The brain and the nervous system control every muscle and organ in the body. In fact every single cell in your body is controlled and monitored by your nervous system and the slightest interference to this communication can cause health problems and pain.
When proper nerve function is restored, pain disappears, headaches are gone, stomach and intestinal problems are healed…maximum health is achieved.
Gonstead Chiropractors will tell you immediately if your health situation is a chiropractic case. If interference to your nervous system is found, correction of the misaligned bone with a gentle hands-on approach, the trademark of the Gonstead practitioner, will be performed. By specifically correcting only the bones that have misaligned, Gonstead Chiropractors use a safe and biomechanically accurate approach. This is what sets Gonstead apart from all other chiropractic approaches.
Many years of intensive study and practice are required to accomplish and master the Gonstead technique of adjusting. However, when the art of the Gonstead adjustment is correctly applied, prompt and predictable results ensue.
Gonstead Chiropractors will find your problem and determine if it is a Chiropractic case. They will fix your problem and allow the body to heal without pressuring you into a predetermined number of future office visits. Your Gonstead Chiropractor will fix your problem and then leave it alone.
All functions of the body are totally controlled by the nervous system. This system consists of the brain, spinal cord, nerve roots and all of the nerves in your body. The brain is protected by the skull and the spinal cord is protected by the 24 bones, or vertebrae, of the spinal column.
Any of these bones can lose their normal function and alignment through trauma or injury. This can interfere with the nervous system, causing pain or ill health, and is defined as the Vertebral Subluxation Complex, or simply Subluxation.
Many years of intensive study and practice are required to accomplish and master the Gonstead technique of adjusting.
THE GONSTEAD METHOD OF ANALYSIS
The Chiropractor's aim is to correct the subluxation, so that your body can function normally and begin its natural healing process. Your Gonstead practitioner uses the following methods of analysis to evaluate your spine.
Your Health History
Your Gonstead Chiropractor is interested in what kind of problems or discomfort you are experiencing. There are many factors that cause spinal problems – falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries and incorrect lifting. Sometimes posture, emotional stress or lifestyle habits such as improper exercise, sleep and diet will contribute.
Your Chiropractor will ask questions regarding the location and characteristics of your problem, and what activates will typically relieve or aggravate it. This important information will help to evaluate your condition and overall health.
Visualisation
Your Chiropractor can gain a lot of information from observing your spine. The curves of the spine, the levels of your head, shoulders and hips, give an indication of your spinal health. Often the way in which you walk, or move your body will give a clue as to the location of the subluxation.
Instrumentation
Your Gonstead Chiropractor may use an instrument which measures skin temperature on either side of the spine. Abnormal heat distribution is a sign of possible nerve dysfunction. This evidence helps your Chiropractor determine the presence of the subluxation and to monitor the improvement once treatment has commenced.
Static Palpation
This is a method of feeling your spine and surrounding tissues for problems, including local tenderness or swelling. Your Chiropractor also feels for the presence of tight or tender muscle fibres while your spine is in a stationary and relaxed position.
Motion Palpation
Reduction of normal movement between two segments in the spine is a sign of possible problems. Your Gonstead Chiropractor compares the motion between individual spinal segments – while moving your spine in different directions. Reduced movement between segments will help locate the subluxation.
X-Ray Analysis
Your Chiropractor looks at your weight bearing X-rays for signs of pathology (or disease) and fracture. The condition of the discs, the joints of the spine and any abnormalities that you were born with are also evaluated from the X-ray. Your posture, as it appears on the X-ray, provides important information about how your body is reacting to the natural forces of gravity. Your Gonstead Chiropractor can accurately measure the segments of your spine to provide a three dimensional picture of the misalignment.
Once your X-ray findings are taken into account, your Chiropractor can combine these important factors, with your examination results, to determine which specific adjustment is necessary to correct your subluxation.
With the Gonstead System, your adjustment is safe and effective, restoring proper function to your spine and nervous system. Your body can now begin its natural healing process, operating at its full potential.
THE GONSTEAD ADJUSTMENT
Every Gonstead adjustment is very specific and is delivered by hand in a safe and effective manner, restoring proper function to your spine and nervous system.
After complete evaluation, your chiropractor will have a thorough understanding of your problem and its location. It is then possible to provide a specific, accurate and precise adjustment to correct the subluxation. The focus is to adjust subluxated segments only, as these are the cause of the problem. Other areas that feel tender are often tissues that are compensating and may not require an adjustment.
A Gonstead adjustment is a specific force, delivered by hand only. This provides individual control over the adjustment so it can be varied to suit any situation and any person.
With the Gonstead System, your adjustment is safe and effective, restoring proper function to your spine and nervous system. Your body can now begin its natural healing process, operating at its full potential.
It is important to have your spine checked regularly and not left until you experience pain or other symptoms. This will help maintain correct spinal function and optimum health. There are times when your Gonstead Chiropractor may decide that an adjustment is not required, but this can only be determined by a thorough spinal examination.
Your Body… Your Health…
With the Vertebral subluxation, your joints, muscles, nerves and organs may be affected. This is the result of impaired spinal function with inflammation, lack of mobility and interference to normal nerve activity. A wide variety of bodily symptoms such as pain, numbness and tingling can follow, as well as problems with internal organs such as your lungs, stomach and bowel.
Skilled and Experienced Chiropractors
A great deal of skill is required to perform a Gonstead adjustment. Your Chiropractor has spent many years developing this level of experience, including five years of tertiary study. The Gonstead Chiropractic Society exists to provide ongoing post graduate tuition, technical support and research to Chiropractors dedicated to advancing their proficiency in the Gonstead System.
We believe that the more you understand how your body works, the faster you will respond to care. Talk to your Gonstead Chiropractor about your body and your health.