What Are We & What We Do

OUR TECHNIQUES

The Gonstead Method of Chiropractic

The Gonstead system of chiropractic is widely recognized throughout world as one of the best methods in diagnosing and adjusting the spine. The method focuses on adjusting the spine, pelvis, and extremities as precisely as possible. Unlike other methods of chiropractic, there are no random manipulations applied to various bones and joints – each adjustment is made using precise methodology. It is the Gonstead chiropractors’ inclination to master one area – rather than relying on multiple techniques and therapies – that puts them ahead of the pack.

OUR EXAMINATION

Typically, your first chiropractic session will involve an assessment of your general health and comprehensive medical history of your physical problems through consultation and analysing your overall health and medical history, the following analytical methods are used to accurately diagnose the root causes of the diseases, mainly spinal vertebral subluxations. And where relevant an attempt to find the source of your discomfort or pain.

Performs orthopaedic and neurological physical examinations

Orthopaedic examinations designed to detect health conditions relating to the spine, bones, joints, muscles and soft tissues, including ligaments and tendons. Among other things, an orthopaedic exam includes moving the joint and measuring its range of movement Neurological examinations designed to assess the function of your motor, sensory and cranial nerves (such as testing your reflexes and testing for numbness).

Muscle Testing

Muscle testing helps assess the body’s muscles and their connections to the brain through the nervous system. Testing is accomplished by applying moderate and precise force against an arm, leg or other body area of a patient who is simultaneously resisting in the opposite direction. This evaluation is particularly important for those with back, knee and hip pain, spinal problems, wrist and elbow dysfunction, headaches, and many other disorders.

Analysing Your X-Ray or MRI

X-ray films enable the doctor to visualize and evaluate the entire structure of your spine including posture, joint and disc problems, misalignment of the vertebrae, and ruling out any pathologies, or potential fractures that may be present or contributing to the patient's condition.

Visualization and Observation

A lot of information can be obtained by observing how you move and walk, as well as changes in the inclination, rotation of your head, shoulders, hips, knees, curves of the spine, muscle contraction, and subtle changes in the shape of your body. Visualization is a way to cross-reference all the other findings. Your chiropractor is an expert in looking for subtle changes in your posture and movement, which could indicate any problems.

Instrumentation

With the help of American-made instruments, detects uneven distributions of heat along the spine, which can be indicative of inflammation and nerve pressure. This instrument is guided down the length of your back and feels like two fingers gliding down each side of your spine. The exact location of the root cause of the disease, the subluxation of the vertebrae, is expertly located in your spine.

Static Palpation

This is simply the process of feeling (or palpating) your spine in a stationary or static position. Your chiropractor will feel for the presence of any potential swelling or edema, stiffness or tenderness in your spine, abnormal structural changes and stiffness in your back muscles and other tissues.

Motion Palpation

This process involves feeling the spine while moving and bending it at various angles. This enables the chiropractor to determine how easily or difficult each segment in your spine moves in different directions. It also detects mobility problems in the spinal vertebrae and pelvis.

Once this assessment has been carried out, it then integrates the findings of all above factors. Then you should be given a treatment plan. This describes the chiropractor’s diagnosis and outlines the suggested treatment. Initial assessments typically last between 15 and 30 minutes.

WHAT WE DO

After detailed examination, your chiropractor places you in specific positions to properly target to treat affected areas. Often, you’re positioned lying on your side, face down, seated or kneeling on a specially designed, padded chiropractic table or chair. Then chiropractor uses his hands to apply a controlled, gentle, specific and sudden force to the restricted spinal vertebrae, hips and limbs using chiropractic manual technique (A high velocity, short lever arm thrust applied to a vertebra/Joints) pushing it beyond its usual range of motion to precisely and specifically adjust the subluxations (When the spinal bones/vertebra move out of their normal position it is called a subluxation) of the spinal vertebra or other joints. The goal of this procedure, also known as spinal adjustment /manipulation, is to improve spinal motion, normal alignment and improve your body's physical function and mobility.

The patient will feel no pain during the procedure, because the actual adjustment can be done in a matter of seconds. During the chiropractic adjustment, you may hear some cracking or popping noises, which is normal. The noise comes from small pockets of gas being released from your joints. The popping sound is caused by what is known as Tribonucleation.

Manual Neuro-Muscle Testing & “Neuro-Muscle Recalibration”

Manual Neuro-Muscle Testing is a neurological-based muscle assessment and diagnosis used by PKH to Detect exactly which muscles are functionally weak and short and identify the root cause of your problems. It can help identify these abnormal muscle signaling patterns using specific and simple muscle strength and length testing procedures. Once these neurological inhibition spots are located, Results are plotted on a Myneural Kinetic Map.

When you’ve suffered an injury, your brain and body no longer communicate as they used to, and you develop neurological inhibition. This eventually leads to a sort of coping between the brain and the body where messages are sent and received but not as effectively or efficiently as they should be. This can lead to weakness, pain, imbalance, and dysfunctional motion, and athletes tend to see a decrease in their performance.

Once your myoneural kinetic assessment has been mapped out, innovative and specific “Neuro-Muscle Recalibration” using advanced principles in muscle neurology and neuroplasticity Strengthening and Lengthening treatment procedures are applied to your muscle nerve sensors while doing specific resistance exercises and practicing biofeedback breathing techniques to repair these muscle imbalances and abnormal muscle sensor communication pathways. The treatments are either manual or involve the use of an American – made instruments or exercise equipment. The beneficial effects are instantaneous and seen immediately.

The doctor and the patient will work together with the doctor providing muscle nerve sensor manipulation while the patient does resistive exercises and uses biofeedback breathing. The body responds to this approach in a combination of ways that trigger the brain/body communication pathway. This can create new and effective pathways or it can repair the original pathway and lead to restored movement and function.

The results obtained with “Neuro-Muscle Recalibration” procedures are often quite miraculous. Patients who have never realized relief from other therapies can achieve significant results after only one treatment. The pre and post testing that the doctor performs to ensure that the procedures are effective separates this technique from similar approaches. The patient is left knowing that something beneficial was accomplished after each and every treatment.

Treatment Duration

Pain Killer Hands do everything in our power to help our patients feel better as fast as possible with 3 treatment session as necessary. In general treatment sessions is 1 session per week for 3 weeks. We give every patient an estimate on how long his or her correction may take after the initial examination.

Every treatment sessions will likely only take around 15-30 minutes. Your first adjustment will take the longest and could be as much as a 45 minutes but each session after that will see an improvement in your health and a reduction in the amount of time it takes.

The more complicated or severe the injury, the longer time will take. Also older patient have more arthritis and less elasticity so they will usually respond more slowly than younger patients. And of course, the longer an injury has been inflamed, masked by medication, or left untreated, the lengthier the treatment is likely to be. Average treatment and recovery time without complication, is usually from 3 to 6 weeks.

We also give advice on how to avoid future problems by evaluating lifestyle activities, ergonomics, posture and diet. Proactive recommendations include exercises and stretches; ergonomic tools like back supports, couch, mattresses or pillows.

For many years, the Gonstead approach has been very popular with patients throughout the world, because of its safe, gentle, precise and specific procedure, in addition to its proven track record of providing long lasting and dramatic results after just a short period.