The Gonstead Method
There are many different types of chiropractors, we’re definitely not all the same! Gonstead chiropractors make up around 1% of graduated chiropractors and we like to take a different approach to analysing/assessing and working out what’s going on in your body. Gonstead chiropractors like to use a series of investigations/clues to help solve this mystery. These include taking a thorough history, using a heat detecting instrument, moving and comparing joint motion, feeling the texture and quality of surrounding tissues, visualisation of posture and gait and x-ray evaluation, where appropriate.
The results of these findings are correlated to create a picture of the problem to help solve the mystery of where the primary culprit is located. Because we take the time to locate the specific problem, the correction requires minimal intervention in the most comfortable and neutral position as possible. The goal of the Gonstead chiropractor is to get the patient back on the road to health as quickly as possible, with the least intervention necessary. The Gonstead chiropractic motto is find it, fix it and leave it alone!
Gonstead chiropractic was originally created by Dr Clarence Gonstead who had a background in mechanical engineering. He saw the human spine as an intricate engineering wonder and applied these principles to create a system of chiropractic that identified and corrected specific subluxations, which are joints in the spine that are misaligned and causing nerve irritation. Once the cause of the nerve irritation is relieved, the communication between brain and body is restored and improved function can resume.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on what the problem is but you are likely to feel immediately better after your first adjustment but you may also experience some extra swelling or feel a little “adjustment sore” after your first visit. This will settle over the first few days and you will be given some advice how to minimise discomfort. Each visit will build on the last to have you back to your optimum as soon as possible.
Not all adjustments produce a sound but when they do it is the result of nitrogen gas rushing in to fill a partial vacuum that is caused when the joint is separated slightly. It is much the same when people “crack their knuckles “ or when a champagne cork pops.
A chiropractic adjustment is the art of using a specific force in a precise direction, applied to a specific joint that is subluxated, “locked up,” or not moving properly. The purpose of this procedure is to eliminate interference to the nervous system, improving spinal motion and function.
No. Since a chiropractic adjustment is a specific force, applied in a specific direction to a specific joint, it is virtually impossible to adjust oneself correctly and accurately. It is possible to turn or bend or twist in certain ways to create a “popping” sound that sometimes accompanies a chiropractic adjustment. Unfortunately, this type of joint manipulation is usually counterproductive, often making an already unstable spine even more unstable, and can sometimes be dangerous. Adjusting the spine is not for amateurs!
Australian chiropractors are five year university trained, and are government registered and government regulated health professionals. Chiropractors are also required to undergo annual formal continuing education to maintain their registration with the Chiropractic Registration Board and to stay current on the latest research and adjustment techniques.
Xrays reveal the internal structure of your spine. They allow the chiropractor to see the “blueprints” of your structure, like seeing plans to your house before making any alterations.
They enable the chiropractor to see if there are underlying disease processes in the spine or evidence of trauma. They can reveal areas of wear and tear and patterns that your body has developed to compensate for longer term issues. They also allow the chiropractor to see any congenital anomalies which are irregularities that you are born with that impact the diagnosis and method of care given. Often, congenital anomalies in the spine cannot be assessed by feel, they need to be seen.
Always ice.
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to an injury. This is characterised by pain, swelling and HEAT. When injured, the body part is already hot and is trying to get heat out. This is why the application of ice can be beneficial to help the inflammation resolve quicker and naturally.
We find that people who have been using heat for low back or neck pain have perpetuated their problem. Often the painful episode would have resolved quicker if they had done nothing as compared to heating it up each day. Heat increases the swelling around the joint, often making it more difficult to treat. Your chiropractor will recommend an appropriate icing technique for your issue should you need it.
Your body reacts to a joint injury or subluxation by installing some muscle tension or muscle spasm to stabilise the injured area. This is a natural, protective reaction. Muscles have a nerve supply and require a signal from their nerves in order to contract. A muscular problem indicates irritation to the nervous system and we look to correct the cause of that. Once the nerve irritation is corrected, we find the muscle spasm subsides and once settled, you can have a massage without extra soft tissue aggravation. Often, we have massage therapists send us patients that aren’t responding to their therapy as they would expect. They recognise that this is because the muscle is protecting an underlying issue that needs to be addressed first. Once the underlying subluxation is corrected, the patients are then able to return to their massage therapists for an even better result.
Pain of any kind, at any age, is a sign that something isn’t right. Pain is the way your body signals that a limit has been reached or an injury has occurred.
Your body injures itself daily and its own innate healing ability can repair the damage quite quickly and often within a day or 2.
People who perform physical activities, to which they are not accustomed, can ache for a day or so afterwards. If pain does not resolve in the first day or if pain episodes re-occur, then it is possible that there is enough damage to the collagen fibres of the joint that it has been allowed to subluxate or mis-align. Once this has been corrected, the body will recover quicker with its own innate healing ability.
If a subluxation does not exist and you do not need an adjustment, then we can refer you to another provider. Chiropractors are trained primary health care practitioners, and if it is clear that your problem is best treated somewhere else, we will refer accordingly.
Many conditions can respond to Chiropractic adjustments, but that does not mean that all conditions always do respond. We work collaboratively with a number of wonderful, highly skilled and results based health professionals in Geelong to which we can refer if clinically indicated.
This is a difficult question to answer because there are many factors that influence the correct response. Your age, gender, weight, lifestyle, work, severity of the injury or issue, previous episodes of the problem, previous injuries, the amount of wear and tear, underlying diseases or conditions, your personal health goals etc…..
All of these contribute to the amount and timing of treatments necessary for your spinal health. Too many or too few adjustments will have a negative impact on your progress. The more you improve, the less often we need to see you. With that in mind we do expect to see positive change within 3-5 visits and our goal is to get you better in as little time as possible with as few treatments as necessary.
Exercise is an important part of your recovery and stability for long term spinal health, however, in the initial stages of treatment, it’s a good idea to avoid anything too strenuous and stick to low impact activities like gentle walking. There maybe be certain exercises or activities that may aggravate your problem and may need to be modified to achieve a more positive health outcome.
13. Do chiropractors treat joints other than spinal joints like hands and feet, knees and shoulders?
Yes, some chiropractors treat extremity joints (hands, elbows, shoulders, feet, ankles and knees) but most do not. Robyn, at Precision Chiropractic, has achieved her Gonstead extremity certification and most certainly treats extremity joints.
The same principles of trauma causing misalignment and pain apply to all of the moveable joints in the body and not just the spine.
Pain in the extremity joints, such as the shoulder and hip can originate from the spine, so it is important to consider the spine first. If the cause of an extremity problem cannot be traced to the spine, then it is necessary to look at that extremity joint.
