The Gonstead Technique: A History

As one of the first practitioners to take a scientific approach to chiropractic medicine, Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead became renowned worldwide over the course of his prestigious career, becoming one of the most respected chiropractors in his field.

At the height of his 55-year career, Gonstead was working from 8 a.m. to midnight or beyond, six or more days a week, treating hundreds of patients each day who came to him from around the world with an array of health problems born from spinal misalignments. And although it has been almost a century since The Gontstead Technique made its debut, the technique born from his research with cadaver spines is still considered to be among the best and most thorough approaches to chiropractics ever developed, one that both redefined the chiropractic industry and reconnected it to its roots.

Gonstead founded his technique upon the belief that when vertebrae bones are out of proper alignment, or the spaces between them becomes too narrow, they compromise the nerves that run through them, leading to countless health problems when those nerves attempt to communicate with the rest of the body at a diminished capacity. The body’s attempt to compensate for pain — or reduced range of motion — may spread to other nearby vertebrae, exacerbating the problem and masking its source. But with a thorough chiropractic analysis and precise adjustments to restore alignment of the entire spine, nerve function can return to normal, and pain and other health problems can diminish or disappear entirely. “Find the subluxation, correct it, and leave it alone,” Gonstead’s core concept states, suggesting that less is more and, while it is true that the principles behind his technique are deceptively simple, they are much more difficult not only to learn, but also to effectively put into practice.

Gonstead’s technique relies on five criterion to evaluate the spine and potential problems: visualization, instrumentation, static palpation, motion palpation, and X-ay analysis.

Through this five-step process, chiropractors can better determine the exact location of any problems, and can use that information to provide more precise and accurate treatments. Practitioners begin by observing the patient’s posture and movement to determine whether he or she is compensating for a problem, then use an instrument called a Nervoscope to identify areas of unevenly distributed heat — this might indicate inflammation or nerve pressure. Those two methods of analysis are followed by examinations while the patient is both stationary and in motion, using the hands to feel for swelling, tightness, and other unusual symptoms, as well as X-ray analysis, which allows the practitioner to evaluate posture, spinal column alignment, and disc integrity.

According to the experts who practice the technique, this multi-dimensional approach better ensures success, as it addresses the total misalignment rather than only a portion of the problem; a patient will, therefore, be less likely to see return of their pain or discomfort in the future because the original subluxation was missed during treatment.

And because this “big-picture,” individualized approach is so much more precise, it is ideal for both adults and children, providing the tools needed to address the differences in misalignments that might be found in either developing or fully developed spinal columns. But because the Gonstead Technique is specialized and precise, it requires its practitioners more, in terms of training and prior study. Beyond their mandatory eight years of medical education, Gonstead practitioners devote at least 200 hours of classroom and clinical work learning the technique, a level of commitment to excellence that was always part of Gonstead’s personal work.

Gonstead opened his first chiropractic clinic in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, in 1923, providing his small farming community with, what would ultimately become, the largest chiropractic clinic in the world. He initially began school to study mechanical engineering but, according to Matthew J. Amman, D.C, historian and archivist at the Gonstead Clinic of Chiropractic, it was Gonstead’s own life experiences that ultimately led him toward chiropractic medicine. During his college years, Gonstead developed rheumatoid arthritis with pain so severe and, ultimately, so debilitating he could barely walk, and was solely dependent on the university doctors to find a solution. After weeks without any noticeable results, Gonstead’s aunt called her own doctor, a chiropractor, whose work with Gonstead ultimately allowed him to walk again. For Gonstead, it was a life-defining moment and, after working for a time as an automotive engineer to pay for chiropractic school, his career began, a merging of the mechanics of engineering with the scientific and biological principles of chiropractic medicine. He worked extensively with cadavers to learn as much as possible about the spinal column, and used his knowledge to develop what is today one of the most respected techniques in the world.

Practitioners of the Gonstead technique are overseen by the Gonstead Clinical Studies Society, an organization devoted to improving the quality of chiropractic care while continuing to evaluate the scientific principles behind the Gonstead system and ensuring quality control among its practitioners.
For more information about the Gonstead technique, especially its role in contemporary chiropractic medicine, the GCSS has been instrumental in the publication of two recent books, Textbook of Clinical Chiropractic: A Specific Biomechanical Approach, which offers a ‘90s update of Dr. Gonstead’s work, and Pediatric Chiropractic, a 1998 book co-edited by former GCSS president, Dr. Claudia Anrig, and the first chiropractic textbook addressing chiropractic care in children.