Gonstead Technique in Chesterfield

Who Was Dr. Clarence Gonstead?

The Gonstead Technique carries the name of the chiropractor who spent a lifetime refining it. Clarence Gonstead trained as an engineer before he ever studied chiropractic, and that mechanical mindset shaped everything that followed. After chiropractic care helped him recover from a serious illness as a young man, he enrolled at Palmer College and graduated in 1923 — but he never stopped thinking like an engineer.

He came to see the spine the way an engineer sees a structure: a framework that has to stay level and balanced over its foundation to work properly. From that insight came the “foundation principle” at the heart of his method — the idea that a single misaligned segment can throw the whole frame out of balance, so the goal is to find and correct that specific level rather than adjust the entire spine.

Gonstead built his clinic in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, and over the following decades treated an extraordinary number of patients, drawing people from far beyond the small town. That depth of hands-on experience is why the system he developed remains one of the most respected and rigorously taught methods in chiropractic today — and it’s the same disciplined approach Dr. Noonan brings to every exam.

The 5 Components of the Gonstead System

What makes Gonstead so thorough is that it never relies on a single finding. Before Dr. Noonan adjusts anything, five independent assessments have to agree on which joint is the real problem — each one cross-checking the others, so a correction is only made when the full picture lines up.

• Visualization — A trained look at how you stand, move, and hold yourself. Subtle shifts in posture and gait are the first clue to where the spine isn’t balanced.
• Instrumentation — A handheld Nervoscope is glided alongside the spine to detect uneven heat. Temperature differences from side to side signal inflammation and nerve irritation at a specific level — an objective reading, not guesswork.
• Static palpation — Feeling the spine while you stay still, checking each vertebra for tenderness, swelling, tissue changes, and position.
• Motion palpation — Gently moving each segment to see how freely it bends and rotates, revealing joints that are stuck or moving too much.
• X-ray analysis — When imaging will genuinely change your care, full-spine X-rays confirm alignment, disc health, and the exact direction of a misalignment, and rule out anything that would make adjusting inappropriate.

Only when these five agree does Dr. Noonan adjust — and only the level they point to.

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. Noonan 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. Noonan 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 their recommended care plan.

What sets us apart

What truly sets Dr. Noonan apart from other offices is her unique, thorough, complete, and specific analysis and treatment of the spine through the Gonstead System. Because of her whole-body approach to healing from the inside out, she also incorporates acupuncture into care at Full Circle Health when it’s a good fit.

If you’re truly looking to heal from the inside out, chiropractic and/or acupuncture could be the missing piece you’ve been looking for. Your life doesn’t get better by chance — it gets better by change. Let Full Circle Health be that change for you and your family. Call the office at (314) 682-6600 to schedule an appointment today!

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

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 Full Circle Health

Dr. Emily Noonan takes the time to do the analysis right — because a precise adjustment starts with a precise diagnosis. Patients from the greater St. Louis area 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 page makes it easy to get started, and you can book your exam online in under a minute.