Clarence Gonstead was a mechanical engineer for Case Tractor Company in the early 1900’s. He received help from a South Dakota chiropractor for a painful condition he had, and had such wonderful results; he decided to become a chiropractor himself.

Dr. Gonstead started chiropractic school in Davenport, Iowa, and applied his mechanical engineering mind to the spine. He went to a mortuary science school every weekend and dissected spines. He dissected over 19,000 spines while going to chiropractic school. He also developed a method of analyzing x-rays based on mechanical engineering that is the most precise method of x-ray analysis in chiropractic.

The Gonstead system was developed in 1923 by Dr. Gonstead. The system uses visual examination, motion and static palpation, instrumentation and full-spine x-rays to determine, with accuracy and precision, where, what, when and how to adjust to obtain specific and consistent results.

Instead of a general “cracking of the back”, the Gonstead system is very precise in application and great care is taken to adjust only the bones necessary to achieve improvement.

Dr. Gonstead opened his practice in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, and treated over 1 million patients before he died. He was and stillremains the most successful chiropractor who ever lived. He had so many patients coming to see him that an airstrip was built for patients to fly to his clinic from all over the world.

Dr. Gonstead trained seven chiropractors in this technique and they were given letters of permission to teach his technique. One of these seven Gonstead technique masters was the late Dr. John Thatcher in St. Paul. Dr. Petterson trained under Dr. Thatcher for seven years learning the Gonstead technique before he opened his own practice in Hastings. Dr. Petterson now practices Gonstead and teaches this method to chiropractic students and interns who are motivated and willing to learn it.

The Gonstead system is unique because it is thorough, complete and specific in both analyzing and treating the spine. The Gonstead practitioner addresses your entire spine when evaluating for the presence of spinal misalignments producing nerve interference or irritation (Vertebral Subluxations) which cause ill health.