Clarke County Chiropractic

How did this Chiropractor with crippled, gnarled hands...

build the LARGEST chiropractic clinic in the world?

In the early 1960's word was spreading throughout the world that there was a healer in a small farming community in Wisconsin to whom people of all ages, and walks of like, were flocking. Who was this man and what was his method?

The man was Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead. He became a chiropractor in 1923 following a personal experience with chiropractic that had helped his body heal from a painful, crippling episode of rheumatoid arthritis. With a background in mechanical engineering, he would come to apply the principles of this discipline to the evaluation of the spine. As part of a life long study of the spine, he would often fly his private plane to Indianapolis to dissect, study, stain, photograph and then reconstruct cadaver spines at Lincoln Chiropractic College.

Based on his studies, he developed the "foundation principle" to explain how a fixation in one area of the spine created compensatory bio-mechanical changes and symptoms in another. He was a pioneer in the chiropractic profession, developing equipment and a method of anaylsis that used more than one criteria to verify the precise location of vertebral subluxation (a subluxation is a spinal bone that is fixated or "stuck" resulting in nerve pressure and interfering with the innate ability of the body to maintain health.)

Dr. Gonstead attended Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, IA. He practiced in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. While practicing he built the largest chiropractic practice to date. During his lifetime he saw over one million patients from all over the world. He built a motel next to his clinic to house the patients while they were being seen at the Gonstead Clinic.

Dr. Gonstead was dedicated to the profession. He developed seminars to teach other chiropractors his methods of specifically addressing the spine. Doctors are taught to use the five criteria to conduct a thorough analysis of your spine to detect the presence of subluxations (spinal misalignnments producing interference to the nerve system and cause health problems).

Gonstead Analysis (5 Steps):

Visualization - The Gonstead doctor looks for subtle changes in posture, movement and gait.
Static palpation - The doctor feels for any swelling, tenderness, or abnormal texture or tightness in the muscles and soft tissues.
Motion palpation - The doctor guides the patient through their able range of motion while feeling how each individual joint is movin.
Instrumentation - A hand held thermocouple instrument is used to measure unequal head distribution along the spine. Excessive localized head can indicate inflammation and nerve irritation.
X-ray - X-rays are taken weight bearing and are used to look for any disease process, fracture, posture, biomechanics, joint and disc integrity and vertebral misalignment.

Gonstead Adjustment:

After this thorough analysis, if it is determined that you have a subluxation, the doctor will prescribe specific adjustments. The Gonstead approach is the gold standard for specificity and safety in chiropractic. Only the problem area is adjusted in only the direction needed. These adjustments are precise, effective, gentle and painless. Many who have had negative experiences with other adjusting techniques respond quite favorably to the Gonstead system of chiropractic.

Dr. David Blum of Clarke County Chiropractic is dedicated to offer the best in Chiropractic care to all ages of patients. He has seen patients from newborn to 90 plus years old.

Dr. Blum has spent much time learning and practicing the Gonstead System of chiropractic. He attends multiple Gonstead seminars and has used that knowledge to help many patients. Often patients have been elsewhere and not been able to get relief from other practitioners.

Many Americans today are health and body conscious. We want to look and feel our best by taking care of our bodies -- exercising, getting regular dental and eye exams, and by getting enough sleep. In doing so, we ignore the focal point of where much of the pain associated with our daily activities originates -- our spine.

To find out more about Gonstead chiropractic, or to find a qualified Gonstead chiropractor in your area go to Gonstead.com.

Top