No chiropractor performs the same treatment twice. Why? Everyone’s spine is a little bit different. There are 26 moving bones in the spine alone, capable of moving in seven different directions.
Couple that with the patient’s condition and health goals before they begin treatment. The probability of two patients needing the same adjustment is near zero, no matter how many patients a chiropractor sees.
In short, a chiropractic adjustment is all about customized treatment, but that doesn’t mean the chiropractor can’t follow a general approach. Since the inception of chiropractic medicine, there have been dozens of different techniques and philosophies developed by numerous professionals worldwide. At Nordik Chiropractic, we employ what’s called the Gonstead Method.
What is the Gonstead Method?
Many regard the Gonstead Method as the gold standard for hands-on spinal adjustment. As everyone knows in the medical world, every effective treatment starts with an accurate diagnosis.
The creator of this process – Dr. Clarence Gonstead – understood the need for comprehensive testing before treatment. Most of the conditions his patients experienced had complex, underlying causes instead of a single entity.
Keeping that in mind, he found that using multiple diagnostic criteria and correlating the results generated the most precise diagnosis, and this practice remains effective even today.
What Can the Gonstead Method Treat?
Before becoming a chiropractor, Dr. Gonstead trained and worked as a mechanical engineer—and he put that experience to good use. The biomechanical principles of physics make up the foundations of his chiropractic method.
When the pelvic girdle or the vertebrae that make up the spinal column are misaligned, the body can undergo dramatic changes that can be detrimental. Back pain, neck pain, hip pain, and headaches are just some of the symptoms of a tilted pelvic girdle or spine. These conditions come from the pressure buildup between bones and nerves extending from the spinal column to the rest of your body.
Misalignments can also result in the compression of nerves that run from the spinal area, creating a subluxation condition. The main goal of the Gonstead Method is to correct misalignments to provide pain management and restore motor function.
Our Process
At Nordik Chiropractic, we incorporate the Gonstead Method when evaluating cases. We use these six criteria to detect the presence of vertebral subluxation:
Health History Review
We use your health history—info on past and present symptoms, illnesses, and injuries—when evaluating your spine and overall health. After this, we use a tried and tested process that targets your condition’s underlying cause and formulates the best plan of action to improve your spine and nervous system’s structure and function.
Visualization
Our chiropractor will observe your posture, gait, body formation, and structure in this step. Often, issues can manifest in pronounced ways, but a more thorough analysis is often necessary to create the best treatment plan.
Instrumentation
The Gonstead Method requires a dual-probe instrument—in our case, a Nervoscope—to get bilateral temperature comparisons of the spine.
If we find abnormal heat distribution, that’s a sign of possible nerve compression or inflammation caused by joint swelling or nerve dysfunction. This information will help us evaluate potential vertebral misalignments.
X-Ray Analysis
To further discover the spine’s condition, it’s also necessary to observe its structure using an accurate visual assessment. That’s where X-ray comes in handy.
Our chiropractors will evaluate the spinal discs and joints’ condition and look for signs of fractures, diseases, and vertebral misalignments. It will also help them determine your posture and overall biometrics.
With an X-ray analysis, our chiropractors can better visualize each vertebrae’s positions so they can make the correct adjustments gently and effectively.
Static Palpation
When a spine is misaligned, it sends “warning signals” to the body. Tissues that surround the spine become inflamed, which can cause nerve irritation and muscle tightening.
We use static palpation to detect these signals—a technique where the professional runs their fingers across your spine in a stationary position. They will look for tight or tender muscles, swelling, edema, and other factors that might indicate a vertebral misalignment.
Motion Palpation
Like static palpation, our chiropractor will palpate your spine, but instead of keeping it stationary, they will bend and move it at varying angles. This process will help them determine your range of motion and the individual movements of each spinal segment.
For instance, there may be issues if you can bend further left than right. This lack of motion is one determining factor that indicates subluxation.
Get Treated at Nordik Chiropractic
Whether you want preventative therapy or alternative treatment for your condition, we have the answer. After conducting a complete evaluation with the methods above, our team will provide custom treatments for your specific needs.
At Nordik Chiropractic, we aim to solve the underlying cause of your ailment instead of merely abating your symptoms. For accurate and thorough adjustments, call us at (561) 658-1180 and book your appointment in Jupiter, FL, today.
Nordik Chiropractic
1001 W. Indiantown Rd #103
Jupiter, FL 33458
561-658-1180
Copyright © 2020. Nordik Chiropractic. All Rights Reserved.
