What is Gonstead?

Dr. Amy and Dr. Katie utilize the Gonstead Method of Chiropractic. The Gonstead Method is a specific, scientifically sound chiropractic technique which allows the doctor of chiropractic to care for every patient, from the day-old infant, to the oldest geriatric patient and everyone in between. 

Dr. Amy Kolman has been teaching at the Gonstead Seminars of Chiropractic since 2010.  She has traveled around the United States and has been to Australia, Norway, Canada, Spain and Brazil to teach Gonstead Chiropractic there. She teaches in the technique class, which helps chiropractic students and doctors work on the art of a specific adjustment.  Dr. Amy has also been back to her chiropractic school, Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa, many times to give seminars to students in the Gonstead Club at school.

Dr. Amy strongly believes that the body will heal itself if there’s no interference.  Being able to give a specific adjustment takes the pressure off the pinched nerves and gives the body that chance to heal.

Dr. Amy has attended over 80 seminars.  Here you see a picture with Dr. Alex Cox, who is a mentor and inspiration to Dr. Amy.  He worked with Dr. Gonstead for years and has helped Dr. Amy be the best chiropractor she can be.

Whether you are new to chiropractic care or continuing chiropractic care, we are happy to answer any questions you may have. You can be assured that our doctors will listen to your health concerns and give you a thorough assessment and a plan to improve your health!

History

The Gonstead System of chiropractic care was developed by Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead of Mt Horeb, Wisconsin beginning in 1923. He refined his unique system over a 55-year period.

The Gonstead System focuses on being as specific as possible with the examination and treatment of the patient. The examination includes taking a detailed history, instrumentation, static palpation, motion palpation, neurological testing and often times, full spine x-rays taken in the standing, weight bearing position. Necessity of x-rays is determined during the functional examination. Treatment is done by administering a very specific hands-on manipulation called an adjustment.

By using his or her hands as adjusting tools, the Gonstead practitioner is better able to sense the relaxation of the patient and to control the direction and amplitude of the adjustment needed for each individual patient. No mechanical instrument can match the sensitivity of feel or timing of an applied force from a skilled chiropractor’s hands.

The goal of the Gonstead practitioner is to “do the least to achieve the most”. That is to say, the least amount of segments to be adjusted with the least amount of force the least amount of times. This is case specific to each patient. The Gonstead chiropractor does not treat every patient with the same manipulative procedure of twisting the neck and lower back from both the right and the left and the middle back from top to bottom.

Every patient is a unique case with specific subluxations and must not be given the same course of manipulation. That type of approach could potentially harm individuals with too much impact to the joints of the spinal column and result in neurological insult. The Gonstead chiropractor believes that chiropractic care is not scientific unless the adjustment is specific.

The Gonstead System has hundreds of years of combined clinical experience and has been tried and tested. Through the process of deductive science, the Gonstead chiropractor is confident that if subluxations are found during the functional examination, he or she has a specific protocol for treatment with an expected result. Furthermore, if a need for additional evaluation is found necessary, he or she will refer the patient to the appropriate doctor or therapist to ensure that the needs of each patient are properly met.

Dr. Amy and Dr. Katie use the Gonstead System of analyzing and adjusting the spine exclusively.

Learn more about Gonstead Chiropractic here: Why Gonstead? - Gonstead Seminar

Chiropractic

Chiropractic is the fastest growing natural health care profession in the world. It was discovered in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa, U.S.A. D.C.’s (Doctors of Chiropractic) specialize in locating and correcting a serious condition known as vertebral subluxation. A vertebral subluxation is a misalignment of one or more of the twenty four moveable bones of the spine. They are commonly caused by stresses and impacts to the body from poor posture, poor sleeping habits, slips and falls, vehicular accidents, sports impacts, strenuous exercise, work injuries, childhood falls, even the birth process.

Subluxations cause dangerous stress to the spinal chord and the delicate spinal nerves which exit the spine between the spinal bones. This causes irritation to the nerves and interferes with their ability to function properly. This nerve interference causes the body to lose its ability to function optimally and ill health eventually results. Though serious even in their early stages, subluxations are often not painful.

Athletes and Chiropractic

Pop quiz: Which one of the following athletes sees a chiropractor regularly?

Tigers Woods, Lance Armstrong or Emmit Smith…

Answer: You guessed it… all of them.

Tiger Woods has his chiropractor with him at every tour event. Lance Armstrong had his chiropractor with him at every race. Emmit Smith has stated many times that he would have had to quit playing football years earlier without regular chiropractic care.

Think about this: If you were a professional athlete, wouldn’t you do everything you could to keep healthy and perform at your best? Wouldn’t you take every measure to recover quickly from injuries and daily abuses that your body endures? That’s where chiropractic comes in.

Chiropractors are experts in joint function. By detecting and correcting fixation (loss of proper motion) in joints, chiropractors help athletes recover quickly from many injuries. Professional athletes do not want to simply cover up symptoms with drugs or suffer permanent scarring associated with unnecessary surgery. Neither should you.

The next time you have back or neck pain, roll your ankle, tweak a shoulder, or strain an elbow or knee, see a chiropractor such as Dr. Amy who is trained to specifically correct the alignment of your joints so you can heal faster, perform better, and stay active longer.