Crouching over all day can lead to a bad back.
Dr. Clarence Gonstead was a chiropractic doctor renowned for his work habits. He practiced for 55 years and worked seven days a week. He saw over 1 million patients in his time. The reason he saw so many patients was because of his invention, the Gonstead system. This system uses a series of techniques to inspect the back and neck and diagnose its problems.
Visualization
Visualization is a technique that involves looking at the back and posture to find problems or abnormalities. The chiropractor may have you walk around the room with your shirt off to gauge how your gait affects your posture. He'll watch for slouching or any strange lumps in areas of your body. This is often the first step that he will use as it gives him a good feel for your problems. However, the order of the steps is usually decided by the chiropractor.
Static Palpation
When the doctor feels your back and neck with her fingertips, she is performing static palpation. This technique is used to detect swelling or edema in your muscles. Swelling occurs because of compressed joints. It also occurs when spinal joints malfunction. This will create a painful tightness in the muscles around the nerve or joint. During this technique, the patient sits motionless and as relaxed as possible. The doctor won't perform any chiropractic techniques during this time. She will take note of swelling problems during this procedure.
Motion Palpation
Motion palpation will catch problems that static palpation can't, such as spinal segment malfunction. The chiropractor will use motion palpation to see how the spine moves and catch spinal problems. The patient will lay flat on his stomach or stand straight up depending on the chiropractor's wishes. The doctor will then gently manipulate the spine of his patient in multiple directions. He will carefully feel for any problematic spinal movements. A well-trained chiropractor can catch these movements quickly.
Instrumentation
Dr. Gonstead invented an instrument called the Nervoscope. A chiropractor who uses the Gonstead techniques uses this device to help diagnose spine and back problems. The Nervoscope is a small heat-detecting device. Heat is created in the spine when it is inflamed or has too much pressure on the nerves. The Nervoscope is designed to detect this heat. It is a small instrument with two metal probes on each side. These probes sit on each side of the spine as the chiropractor slides it up and down the back.
X-Rays
After using the other techniques, the chiropractor can then use x-rays to help fully diagnose and treat your spinal problems. It is never used on pregnant women. The x-ray is used to help the doctor see the problematic spinal areas and gives him an idea of how they interact and of the proper adjustment options. It helps to clarify what the doctor has diagnosed and can even illustrate conditions he can't find using the other techniques, such as postural distortions and arthritis.
Adjustment Techniques
Each patient is placed in a problem-specific treatment table or chair. The cervical chair is used to treat specific vertebra with cervical spine problems. The knee-chest table is used to treat dislocations in the posterior. The lumbar table gives access to the entire back. All adjustments are quick, light and specific. Gonstead chiropractors don't apply major force to the entire back and neck but perform carefully calculated manipulations of specific vertebra in order to treat the problem areas quickly and efficiently.
Tags: back neck, during this, each side, entire back, other techniques, probes each