The Gonstead System
of Chiropractic
Dr Clarence S
Gonstead developed his system the Gonstead System over many years. He used
results and repetition to guide the systems development.
A key principle he
put forward and developed was the 'level foundation' principle which is
paralleled in the engineering industry. It revolves around the fact that the
pelvis (Ilium and sacrum) forms a ring structure that supports the spinal
column. This 'foundation' if unlevel or tilted away from a 'normal' position
sets the vertebral column into a compensatory deviation. This is to try and
return the eyes to a horizontal plane because this is a normal compensation
that is required for ambulation and erect posture.
The pelvis
The pelvic girdle
consists of the left and right Ilium. They are joined at the front (pubic
symphysis) by a flexible joint called a diastasis joint. The rear of both Ilium
is separated by the sacrum which is an inverted triangular bone and is joined
to each Ilium by a diarthrosis joint called the Sacroiliac joint or SI for
short.
The SI joint put
simply has an L-shape and the bottom part of the joint allows mostly a pivoting
movement where the top part allows a small amount of gliding and has a ridged
surface. The whole joint is held together by ligaments. It provides a low
friction environment that can withstand a great amount of load. While the
motion of this joint was document as early as the mid 1800's it was not readily
accepted until the early 1900's.
Because the SI
joint allows for motion and has a ridged surface held together by strong
ligaments any disruption to its position can impede motion. Since it is a ring
structure any restriction in normal position will therefore affect the whole
pelvic girdle.
The concept of the
level foundation suggests that there will be a need to compensate for any
restriction or change in the normal position or motion of the pelvis. This
compensation can be evident in the opposite SI joint, the pubic symphysis or
the vertebral column supported by the pelvic.
With a short leg
the pelvis will lean to the short leg side and the compensation for that can be
in the pelvis or just the vertebral column. However, the low side SI joint will
be loaded differently to the high side.
How this impacts
the SI joint motion is controversial. Some practitioners challenge the idea
that the pelvis can be restricted. As a result, views vary and practitioners
use diverse approaches to help patients.
Chiropractors have
a long history of using 'spinographs' (full spine standing X-rays) to confirm
any foundational changes. Spinographs reveal corresponding compensations
elsewhere in the spine when a distortion is in the pelvis.
It must be said
that the motion of the SI joints cannot be assessed by standard X-rays. So
Chiropractors compare relative motion of each SI joint to decipher any
positional abnormality that corresponds to the motion change. Chiropractors
adjust restricted SI joints to return normal positioning and therefore normal
motion.
This is a very
useful non-invasive approach in the effective care of patients with Sacroiliac
dysfunction and other associated symptoms.
