Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead (1898-1978) was the "Miracle Man" of Chiropractic. His technique became the Gold Standard for the entire profession. With a background in mechanical engineering, he saw the human spine as an intricate engineering wonder and he studied it every chance he had. His work with thousands of spinal cases, his constant clinical studies of the spine, and his own innate knowledge of how the spine works, explains his ingenuity in finding, identifying and correcting subluxations no one else could.
The Gonstead system gives rise to a specific, definite approach, to every segment of the spinal column. The detailed analysis includes instrumentation, digital palpation, motion palpation, visualization, x-ray followed by adjusting the articulations of the spine by the hand.
One of the hallmark signs of a Gonstead practitioner is the sound of the spinal adjustment. Many times the manual art of chiropractic is difficult to master and as result, machines and instruments have flooded the profession in attempt to reproduce a comfortable yet properly executed adjustment. To the casual observer, they may only notice that they get better faster by seeing a Gonstead practitioner. To a keen observer, they would notice that they hear a deep clunk sound following a properly set bone instead of a crack or pop sound. The clunk is typically indicative of fully re-set bone.
The original Gonstead Clinic of Chiropractic is located in Wisconsin in the small town of Mount Horeb southwest of Madison. If you are in the area, feel free to stop by and visit one of the world’s largest chiropractic clinics. The impressive structure built in 1964 represents classic mid-century modern design and a true mecca of healing. At its pinnacle, the clinic would see between 400-600 patients a day. Since many of the patients had traveled great distances to see Dr. Gonstead, he often had to carry most of the patient load. As a result he would on average adjust 200 patients a day. To accomplish this, Dr. Gonstead put his patient’s well being above his own and worked from eight in the morning until three or four in the morning. His exhaustive work schedule went on like this for over twenty five years. As a true humanitarian he continued this pace of work and dedication until he died in 1978 at the age of 80. His legacy continues at the Gonstead Clinic today but to a lesser degree. Fundamental health-care changes, mainly because of insurance companies, have been significantly altered the landscape of chiropractic practices. Today, many suffering patients seek the chiropractic provider listed in their HMO or PPO network versus seeking the skills of a master chiropractor. Nevertheless, the Gonstead Clinic continues to attract patients from far and wide for especially difficult cases but the Gonstead legacy today relies on its vast network of Gonstead trained practitioners who are located all over the globe to provide the famed Gonstead chiropractic technique.
Dr. Matthew J. Amman is trained exclusively in the Gonstead system and had the unique opportunity to be a staff doctor at the Gonstead Clinic in 2004.
For those of you interested in knowing more about the Gonstead technique, please visit www.gonstead.com or www.gonsteadseminar.com
