The Gonstead System of Chiropractic, Explained by Dr Gavin Gordon
I want to be honest with you about something: before I discovered the Gonstead System, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with my own results as a chiropractor. I was trained in general chiropractic technique, I was getting some good outcomes, but I was also getting inconsistent ones. Patients would improve, plateau, and then relapse. I wasn’t always sure whether the right level was being treated. It troubled me.
As a competitive athlete, I spent years seeking treatment for the kind of recurring back and neck problems that come with sustained training loads. What I encountered was mostly the same: generalised treatment applied broadly, limited explanation of what was actually found, and results that varied significantly from one practitioner to the next. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the Gonstead System that I understood what was missing.
The Gonstead System is not a variation of general chiropractic. It is a completely separate clinical framework built on a specific understanding of how spinal dysfunction occurs and how it should be corrected. Once I understood it, I committed to learning it at the highest level. Everything I do in practice is based on it.
What the Gonstead System Is
The Gonstead System was developed by Dr Clarence Gonstead, an American chiropractor who practised for over 55 years and saw more than 100 patients per day at his peak. Dr Gonstead’s approach was unusual for his time: he was deeply sceptical of generalised technique, insistent on precision, and committed to understanding why spinal adjustments worked or didn’t work.
Rather than developing a technique based on tradition or intuition, Dr Gonstead approached the spine as an engineer would: systematically, analytically, and with close attention to structural mechanics. His method identifies the specific vertebral segment that is subluxated, the precise direction of its misalignment, and delivers a correction only to that segment, in the direction required. Nothing else is touched.
The Five-Part Assessment
Every Gonstead assessment involves five components, used together to build a complete picture of what is happening in the spine:
1. Visualisation
I start by simply watching you, how you stand, how you walk, how you hold yourself when you sit. These observations reveal patterns of compensation, asymmetry, and structural imbalance that tell a story before I’ve touched the spine. Many patients are surprised by how much I notice in this phase.
2. Instrumentation
I use a handheld device called a Nervoscope, a bilateral skin thermometer that glides along either side of the spine, detecting temperature differentials between left and right. These differentials indicate areas where nerve irritation is present, something that can’t be reliably detected by touch or observation alone. The Nervoscope reading is reproducible and objective, which matters when you’re trying to identify specific problem levels rather than guessing.
3. Static Palpation
With you lying still, I use my hands to feel along the spine and surrounding soft tissue. I’m assessing for swelling, tissue density changes, joint tenderness, and the characteristic changes in tissue texture that accompany chronic subluxation. This gives me a sense of which segments are involved and how acutely they are affected.
4. Motion Palpation
Next I move your spine gently through its natural range of motion, segment by segment. I’m feeling for restriction, fixation, or altered movement at each level. A segment that should move freely but doesn’t is a candidate for adjustment. A segment that is hypermobile, moving more than it should, usually means the level above or below is the actual problem.
5. X-Ray Analysis
When clinically indicated, I take full-spine, weight-bearing X-rays using our EOS Digital X-ray system. EOS imaging provides a three-dimensional view of the entire spine in a standing position, meaning I see the spine as it actually loads and functions in real life. From these images, I can take precise measurements of vertebral position, disc space, and spinal curves, and determine the exact direction of subluxation at each level involved.
These measurements directly determine the direction of the adjustment. This is not guesswork. It’s geometry applied to the spine.
The Gonstead Adjustment
After completing the five-point analysis, I identify only the specific subluxated segment, the joint that is causing the problem, not the area of pain, which is often different. The adjustment is delivered to that segment, in the direction determined by the analysis.
A Gonstead adjustment is delivered by hand only, no instruments, no drop mechanisms, no activators. The contact is precise, the force is controlled, and there is no rotation of the spine. For disc-related conditions in particular, the absence of rotation is clinically important: rotational forces applied to an already compromised disc can make things worse. Gonstead avoids this by design.
The adjustment is fast but not forceful. The force is carefully calibrated to the patient in front of me, not to a generic protocol. Children, elderly patients, and patients in acute pain all receive adjustments that are adapted to their specific situation.
Who Gonstead Is For
In my experience, Gonstead is suitable for almost everyone, but it is particularly well-matched to patients who have had unsatisfying experiences with general chiropractic or other manual therapies. Patients who have been told that their problem “can’t be fixed,” or who have experienced short-term improvement followed by relapse, or who have never received a clear explanation of what is actually wrong, often find the Gonstead approach to be different in a way that matters to them.
It is also well-suited to patients with disc involvement, where rotational manipulation carries additional risk, and to patients who want specificity and transparency in their care.
A Note on Transparency
I explain my findings clearly at every visit. I will tell you what I found, what I believe is causing your problem, what I recommend, and why. If your problem is beyond the scope of what chiropractic can address, I will tell you that too, and refer you appropriately. I am not interested in long-term treatment plans that don’t produce results. My aim is to identify the problem, correct it efficiently, and then help you maintain your health with as little ongoing intervention as required.
If you have questions about the Gonstead System or whether it’s appropriate for your situation, I encourage you to call the clinic directly on (02) 9371 7774 or book an initial consultation at gordonchiropractic.com.au.
For a comprehensive resource on the Gonstead System, visit our dedicated site: gonsteadchiropractic.com.au.