Our Methods

There are many types of chiropractic care. Dr. DeLoe uses the Gonstead System to analyze—then realign and/or care for the spine. It's a gentle, effective technique that pinpoints problems and adjusts them accordingly.

‘find the subluxation
accept it where you find it
correct it and ...
leave it alone.’
- Dr. Gonstead -

Dr. Gonstead provided chiropractic solutions for 60+ years, his system of adjusting the spine is the most dynamic and practical known today.

In the early 1960s word was spreading throughout the world that there was a healer in a small farming community in Wisconsin —people of all ages and walks of life were flocking.

Who was this man and what was his method?
The man was Clarence S. Gonstead. He became a chiropractor in 1923 following a personal experience with chiropractic that had helped his body heal from a painful, crippling episode of rheumatoid arthritis.

With a background in mechanical engineering, he would come to apply the principles of this discipline to the evaluation of the spine. As part of a life-long study of the spine, he would often fly his private plane to Indianapolis to dissect, study, stain, photograph and then reconstruct cadaver spines at Lincoln Chiropractic College.

Based on his studies, he developed the "foundation principle" to explain how a fixation in one area of the spine created compensatory bio-mechanical changes and symptoms in another.

He was a pioneer in the Chiropractic profession, developing equipment and methods of analysis that used more than one criteria to verify the precise location of vertebral subluxation—a spinal bone that is fixated or stuck, resulting in nerve pressure that interferes with the innate ability of the body to maintain health.

It's important to a Gonstead practitioner to thoroughly examine the spine before adjusting it.

Why? To perform a specific adjustment, a chiropractor needs to evaluate and find the location of your subluxations (or misalignments)—these may be the cause of your health problems.

As a Gonstead practitioner, Dr. DeLoe uses the following thorough methods of analysis:

Case History: What kind of problems/pain are you experiencing and what have you done previously to remedy the situation. Macro traumas like: car accidents, falls, or other injuries are important for evaluating your spine and overall health.

X-Ray Analysis To further understand the condition of your spine, it's critical to x-ray your spine. We look for signs of pathology (disease) and fracture; evaluate your posture, the joints of the spine, the condition of the disc, subluxations and other conditions of the spine.

Static Palpation Your spine, when subluxated, will send warning signals to your body. Muscles may become tight or tender, tissues damaged from the subluxation or subluxations. To detect the warning signals, chiropractors use static palpation. This simply means that your chiropractor runs his/her fingers over (or palpates) your spine in a static (or stationary) position. Your chiropractor is looking for edema, swelling and tender or tight muscle fibers.

Instrumentation: We use an instrument similar to a thermometer (a Nervoscope, Temposcope or NCM) to measure body heat. Abnormal heat distribution is a sign of possible nerve dysfunction and/or joint swelling in that area of the spine. This instrument glides down the length of your back and feels like two fingers gliding down either side of your spinal column.


Motion Palpation Like static palpation, the chiropractor palpates your spine while bending your spine at different angles. The chiropractor determines range of motion, or, how easily or difficult each segment of your spine moves. For example, there may be problems if you can bend further to the left than to the right. Lack of motion is one of the factors in the vertebral subluxation complex.

the treatment
After a complete evaluation the Doctor is ready to perform adjustments to your spine. Using the above mentioned methods of assessment to pinpoint your problem(s), giving careful consideration to positioning, and relying on his expertise and experience, Dr. DeLoe can perform the proper adjustments to correct the subluxations—reducing and relieving pain and suffering in a safe, time-tested, results-oriented manner.