Most chiropractors learn one technique in school and call it good. Gonstead is different. It is the most thoroughly diagnostic approach in chiropractic care — and most doctors who get certified in it never go back to anything else.
If you've been to a chiropractor before and walked out feeling pretty good for a day or two, then watched the problem creep right back, you're not alone. That's what happens when the wrong segment gets adjusted, or when the doctor adjusts everything in sight hoping something sticks.
Gonstead chiropractic was developed by Dr. Clarence Gonstead in the 1930s and refined over decades into the most precise diagnostic system in the profession. Where most chiropractic care is reactive — you hurt, they crack — Gonstead is forensic. We don't adjust until we know exactly what we're adjusting and why.
That's the difference, in one sentence. Dr. Pittman has practiced Gonstead exclusively for years, trained on elite athletes and government officials in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and brought the method home to Lake Travis in 2016.
Every Gonstead exam follows the same five-step process. No shortcuts. No skipping steps. This is how we know what's actually causing your pain.
Before we touch you, we watch. How you walk into the room. How you stand at rest. Whether your shoulders sit level, whether your hips are even, whether you favor one leg. Asymmetry tells us where to look.
The Nervoscope is a hand-held instrument we glide along your spine. It reads heat differentials. Inflammation gives off heat. Heat tells us which specific segment is currently aggravated. It's our second confirmation — not a guess.
Hands-on examination while you're still. Dr. Pittman feels for swelling, tension, scar tissue, and tissue changes that point us to the level. After years of practice this becomes diagnostic, not just descriptive.
Hands-on examination while you move. A spinal segment that won't move properly — that's locked or restricted — is a segment causing problems. Motion palpation tells us not just which level, but in which direction the restriction lies.
Full-spine X-rays read with Gonstead listings — not just "looks fine." We measure angles, line up vertebrae, identify degenerative changes, and confirm what the first four pillars have been telling us. This is the level of detail most chiropractors skip.
When we find the actual segment causing the problem and adjust only that, the body responds faster. Most acute cases are out of pain in 3–6 visits. Most chronic cases see real change inside 8–12.
When the right level is adjusted for the right reason, the adjustment holds. You stop coming back every week because the problem keeps returning.
If your problem isn't actually chiropractic, we'll tell you. Some things need orthopedic referral. Some need neurology. We'll send you to the right doctor instead of taking your money.
Full-spine X-rays catch things that hurt-where-it-hurts approaches miss. The neck can cause back pain. The pelvis can cause shoulder pain. We see the whole structure.
Probably yes if any of these sound familiar:
Possibly not the right fit if:
We'd rather be honest about the fit up front than disappoint you.
The full five-pillar workup. X-rays included if needed. Dr. Pittman walks through what he found and tells you straight whether we can help. Regularly $250.