What is Gonstead Care?
The Gonstead System was developed upon the original principles of Chiropractic: finding the CAUSE of your health problems. Dr. Tim has dedicated himself to many years of specifically analyzing the spine as a whole, with emphasis on the function of the nervous system. No two spines are alike, therefore the Gonstead System allows him to conduct a very specific analysis of each person’s spine and nervous system. The dedication to specificity is the reason why the Gonstead System has been set as the gold standard for “Hands On” adjusting. Dr. Tim utilizes visualization, motion palpation, static palpation, instrumentation, X-ray analysis, and patient history to determine subluxated areas of the spine. There is no substitute or better method for analyzing and correcting spinal subluxations than with a pair of skilled chiropractic hands. There are only a handful of chiropractors in the state of Michigan who are pure Gonstead doctors.
“The most important part of getting people well is to take your time, give them the utmost of your ability as a chiropractor, find the correct subluxation. Accept it. Correct it. Leave it alone.”
- Dr. Clarence Gonstead
Who Was Dr. Gonstead?
Dr. Clarence Gonstead graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in 1923. He was one of 800 students that graduated that year, and they came to be known as the "crusader class". Although it was Dr. D.D Palmer who created Chiropractic, and his son Dr. BJ Palmer who developed chiropractic, Dr. Gonstead, armed with a background in engineering and endless hours of dissecting wet and dry spines, would change the chiropractic profession forever.
Dr. Gonstead was one of the first to prove that movement occurred between the sacrum and both ilia. These three bones incorporate what is known as the pelvic girdle and are the foundation of the human spine. He understood, just as an engineer would, that if there is shifting and imbalance in the foundation, it would cause problems above. With this knowledge, he was the first to develop an analysis of the pelvis and how it caused changes to the entire spine above. In order to confirm, Dr. Gonstead created the A-P and lateral full spine x-ray procedure as well as analysis. This is one of many contributions he gave to the chiropractic profession.
Due to the worldwide fame for his phenomenal results, Dr. Gonstead had to build a clinic that could provide service to many patients a day, without decreasing the quality care. So, in 1964 he built the world's largest chiropractic clinic. The 22,000 square foot clinic was equipped with state of art equipment, 11 adjusting rooms and a 106 seat waiting room. He worked 16 hour days and would see hundreds of patients a week. In order to house those from other countries and fellow chiropractors visiting, he built a 78 room motel next to the clinic. He continued to love and serve patients and educate other chiropractors on the Gonstead system until his death in 1978.
