Palmer/Gonstead Technique in Novato

What is the Gonstead Technique?

The Gonstead Technique is a thorough, well-established hands-on chiropractic method. Developed by Dr. Clarence Gonstead in the mid-20th century, it starts from a simple premise — a chiropractic adjustment should be specific to the exact joint that needs it, not a broad treatment of the whole spine.

To get there, the Gonstead system uses five distinct assessment tools before any adjustment is made:

1. Visualization — Dr. Douglas DeSalvo observes your posture, gait, and spinal curves for asymmetry.
2. Static palpation — feeling each vertebral level for tenderness, swelling, and tissue changes.
3. Motion palpation — moving each segment to assess how freely it flexes, extends, and rotates.
4. Practitioner-led manual motion detection — hands-on assessment that identifies spinal dysfunction at a specific level.
5. X-ray analysis — when imaging will change your care, full-spine standing X-rays are reviewed to confirm the direction and degree of misalignment.

Only after completing this analysis does Dr. DeSalvo determine which joint to adjust — and the correction targets that level only, in the specific direction the data supports.

What to expect

Your first Gonstead visit is thorough. Plan for a complete health history, postural assessment, and the full five-part analysis. If imaging is warranted, those X-rays are taken and reviewed before your care plan is finalized.

Dr. DeSalvo will explain exactly what the analysis found — which joint, which nerve root is involved, and why targeted correction at that level makes sense for your situation. You’ll leave knowing what’s going on, not just having received an adjustment.

Follow-up visits are efficient. Dr. DeSalvo re-checks the relevant levels, confirms any changes since your last visit, and adjusts only what the current analysis supports. Patients often notice steady, cumulative improvement across the first several visits.

Who it helps

The Gonstead Technique tends to work especially well when the problem can be traced to one or two specific spinal levels. Patients who often see strong results include those dealing with:

• Back pain — especially lower back pain tied to a specific disc or joint level
• Sciatica — nerve pain that radiates into the leg from a compressed lumbar root
• Disc injury — bulging or herniated discs where joint-specific correction reduces pressure on the nerve
• Neck pain — cervical subluxations causing persistent pain, stiffness, or nerve referral into the arm
• Arm pain — numbness, tingling, or aching traced to an irritated nerve root in the neck

If you’ve had chiropractic care before and feel like the root cause was never quite found, or if previous treatments gave only temporary relief, the depth of a Gonstead analysis is often the missing piece. We’ll be straightforward about whether it’s the right fit for what we find.

Why choose DeSalvo Chiropractic

Dr. DeSalvo takes the time to do the analysis right — because a precise adjustment starts with a precise diagnosis. Patients from Novato and the surrounding Marin County communities choose our office because care here is specific, honest, and built around what the exam actually shows — not a one-size-fits-all routine.

If you’re ready to get to the bottom of what’s driving your spine pain, our New Patient Special makes it easy to get started, and you can book your exam online in under a minute.