Gonstead Chiropractor, Gold Coast
Ex-Rays
It includes both an A-P and lateral view of the spine. The film size is 14″ x 36″ and the patient is placed so that they can see from the ischia to the occiput. In addition to using less radiation than sectionals, full spine films provide accurate vertebral counts, provide full spinal contour representations for posture analysis with axial weight bearing, and illustrate problems that are not apparent with sectional films. As a chiropractor, we view patients holistically during the analysis and correction process based on full spinal X-rays.
Palpation
To pinpoint areas of involvement, Gonstead Chiropractic employs both static palpation and motion palpation. The objective of static palpation is to evaluate the patient’s contour, tone, texture, and temperature. Motion Palpation is used to determine the location of a subluxation.
Instrumentation
In traditional spine diagnostics, a dual probe instrument (Nervoscope or Delta-T) is used to locate inflammation areas by comparing bilateral temperatures. With instrumentation, subluxations can be detected if they are being corrected, and they can be determined when they have been corrected.
Visualisation
By looking at the patient carefully, we take into account all the information we can gather about them. The Gonstead System begins when the patient enters the clinic. It is useful to confirm your X-ray and palpation findings by observing differences in height between the ears, shoulders, hips, posture, and gait.
Case Management (Symptomatology)
Understanding a patient’s health problems helps us determine where a patient needs to be adjusted, despite never being used in a “cookbook” way. Symptoms can help us distinguish between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Autonomic Nervous Systems (Sympathetic and Parasympathetic).
By combining these modes of analysis and correlating the results, the Gonstead System identifies the most likely cause of the patient’s problem based on all the information available. As soon as Subluxations are identified, they are corrected effectively with the Gonstead technique.
As a result of the Gonstead System, doctors are able to diagnose and correct neurologic dysfunction caused by disc subluxations.
Dr. Gonstead postulated that when the Parallel Disc relationship is compromised by vertebral misalignment the pivot point of the nucleus pulposus is compressed and puts pressure against the surrounding annular fibers damaging them.
This tissue damage creates an inflammatory response causing the disc to expand, and it is this expansion that puts pressure on the nerves in a given intervertebral foramen resulting in neurological dysfunction.
The Gonstead system says for this reason that subluxations begin at the disc, it is important to understand the stages of degeneration so as to visualize what adjusting direction and force must be applied for correction.
Intervertebral discs provide both protection and support for the spine, preventing spinal stenosis and ensuring normal and healthy motion between vertebrae.
During the motion of a vertebral couple, the Nucleus Pulposus acts as a pivot point or “ball bearing,” containing fluids and nutrients. As a cross-section of a tree trunk reveals, the Annulus Fibrosis is the outermost layer of fibrocartilage and collengenous fibers, which anchor to the cartilaginous endplates of adjacent vertebral bodies.
In Dr. Gonstead’s Level Disc Theory, the vertebral bodies will assume their optimal relationships when the discs are anatomically and physiologically normal. If the vertical height of a vertebral pair is uniform 360o around with the vertebral bodies aligned, this is observed. As a result of this relationship, the spine has equal weight-bearing, adequate nutrient supply, and optimal movement and joint function.
