Friday, October 2, 2009

Profile - Curtis Gonstead

Curtis Gonstead, DC
Beloit, WI

Curtis (Curt) began practice in 1956 after graduating from Palmer School of Chiropractic at his dad's clinic in Monroe, WI. His father, Merton, was Clarence's younger brother. In the beginning, Curt and his father practiced the proto-typical Gonstead method. The only slight differences was that Merton used the ASS/ASIS/Anterior Superior Iliac Spine as a reference point in the pelvis and used a slightly different hand position for atlas adjusting because he lost the distal phalange of this right thumb in a farming accident. Merton preferred to use the ASS for adjusting the pelvis versus the PSS because he liked the mechanical advantage it provided.

In 1958 Merton and Curt changed everything with the discovery of "neutral adjusting" by Clay Thompson, DC and began incorporating drop tables/inertia tables into their technique. By 1962-1963, Merton and Curt stopped using the nervoscope and eventually called their specific approach Gonstead Inertia Specific Technique.

The Gonstead Clinic of Monroe was later moved to Beloit, WI. The new clinic was built in 1964. It was designed in a similar mid-century modern fashion as Clarence Gonstead's clinic in Mount Horeb but with only 7,000 sq feet. The architect was Taliesin's James Dresser of Frank Lloyd Wright fame.

The Gonstead Clinic in Beloit is now operated by Curt's son Eric and daughter Andrea.

- Matt Amman

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