The Gonstead Technique

Gonstead represents the ultimate standard in “hands on” spinal adjusting and remains the leader in Chiropractic Techniques. Adhering to the definition of true Chiropractic as defined by D. D. Palmer, the founder of Chiropractic, in 1895, Dr. Gonstead found there was no substitute or better method for analyzing or correcting spinal misalignments than with a skilled pair of hands. This remains true today.

Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead (1898-1978) began practice in Mt. Horab Wisconsin, a small farming community in south central Wisconsin. Dr. Gonstead’s reputation spread throughout the state, the country and ultimately around the world, as a multitude of patient’s health problems were corrected remarkably fast by his brand of chiropractic treatment. Hundreds of patients were seeking his care on a daily basis, and with his dedication to helping these patients, Dr. Gonstead worked from 8 A.M. to midnight six days a week plus Sunday mornings from 5 to 10 A.M. When Dr. Gonstead’s schedule was at the limit of his physical capacity, he knew the only solution to meet the public’s health needs on the scale the public was demanding, was to build an unparalleled Chiropractic treatment facility and staff it with Gonstead trained associates.

The new Gonstead Clinic of Chiropractic was the largest Chiropractic facility in the world. It was 22,000 square feet and it had a waiting room that would seat over 100 patients. It had 11 adjusting rooms, X-ray facilities and lab and a lower level to hold Chiropractic seminars for field doctors interested in learning what made Dr. Gonstead so great. Next to the clinic was a 78-room motel to accommodate the clinic’s patients who had come from far and wide. With the new clinic and larger staff the clinic treated 300-400 patients a day on a regular basis.

Dr. Gonstead’s success was in his way of manipulating the spine, his understanding of the process that caused nerves become pinched and his understanding of the working of the body. He understood that there is a connection that exists between the brain and all the other parts of the human and that is the nervous system. Signals pass from the brain and all the organs and tissues of the body on “electric wires” called nerves. These nerves pass down from the brain to the spinal column or the back bone, and exit between the spinal bones at 24 levels from the base of the skull to the tailbone, controlling all bodily functions. If the spaces between the spinal bones should become narrowed or cut off due to misalignment or “kink” in your backbone. This is called a subluxation, and the nerve signal is interrupted or reduced at that level of the spine. This causes a short circuit in the signal and this in turn causes a loose of function or degeneration in the specific muscle or organ. The Gonstead Chiropractic approach is to locate these misalignments in the spinal column, adjust the subluxated vertebra and eliminate the nerve pressure. Thus restoring health to the patient.

The Gonstead Clinic is still in operation in Mt. Horab and they still see hundreds of patients every day. It is under the direction of a new team of younger doctors who carry on the legacy of Dr. Gonstead. This new generation of Gonstead practitioners is the future of Chiropractic.