Summary

This hands-on seminar combines two fundamental aspects of the Gonstead chiropractic system: Cervical  Chair - Advanced and Lumbar Basic. Designed for chiropractors looking to refine their adjusting skills, this  course introduces innovative, practical exercises that make learning engaging and effective. Participants  will gain expertise in seated cervical spine adjustments and lumbar spine push and pull moves, improving  speed, precision, and patient outcomes.  
 
The Cervical Chair - Advanced segment focuses on effortless, high-precision adjustments in a seated  position, emphasizing balance, relaxation, and leveraging dynamic exercises for technique mastery. The  Lumbar Basic portion covers step-by-step Gonstead lumbar adjusting methods, shifting the focus from  tension to relaxation for more effective and efficient patient care. 

13 CE hours - 11 CEs for Adjustive Technique, 1 CE for History/Exam, 1 CE Diagnostic Imaging

Price

DC - $425
Student - $195
Gonstead Club - $95

Schedule

Saturday, November 1, 2025, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
 
To register, scan the click the link. 

Learning Objectives

Cervical Chair
  • Perform seated cervical chair adjustments with minimal force using leverage and speed.
  • Improve lumbar push and pull adjustments for optimal patient care. 
  • Apply universal principles of effortless adjusting to enhance their current techniques.
  • Utilize take-home drills to develop speed, balance, and control. 
  • Master patient placement, doctor positioning, and stabilization techniques for effective adjustments.
Lumbar Basics
  • Greatly improve their Lumbar Spine adjusting skills: Push & Pull moves 
  • understand principles of effortless adjusting, that can be universally applied to your current adjusting technique 
  • Master Patient Placement & Doctor Position/Orientation for optimum leverage to adjust
  • Deliver your Lumbar adjustments in a dynamic smooth mechanism

Faculty

J. DAVID CURRIE, DC

A 1981 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, Dr. Currie has been in active practice in Fremont, California for more than 40 years and has a satellite office in Pleasant Hill. He is a Gonstead Diplomate & Fellow and Past President of Gonstead Clinical Studies Society. Dr. Currie is a Professor at Life Chiropractic College West and has taught the Gonstead work throughout the United States and internationally in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, China, UK, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Argentina, Australia, and Brazil.

Founder of the Gonstead Adjusting Academy

Location

Life Chiropractic College West
25001 Industrial Blvd.
Hayward, CA 94545
United States
+1 (510) 780-4508
Park by Student Entrance on Clawiter Road side of building, then look for signage directing you to the check-in area. 
See Campus Map for details. 

Travel

To register, click the link.

Program

Day 1

Hour 1: 9:00-10:00am 
Title: Introduction to Gonstead Cervical Chair Adjusting 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Beginning discussion about “why” to adjust using Gonstead Cervical Chair. Getting ready to adjust. Learning to make a contact so that “No one gets hurt” (how to protect the doctor’s hand. How to place the patient on the chair and position the Doctor for leverage. Emphasis will be on relaxing the doctor and learning the 3 Universal Fundamental Rules of Adjusting. Doctors will be encouraged to change their paradigm of consideration from taking a patient to “Tension”, and instead Guiding the vertebra to a point of joint isolation, keeping their contact hand gentle and relaxed. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair.
 
Hour 2: 10:00am-11:00am 
Title: The Basic Set-up; learning by “Exercises” 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Getting a feel for a series of guiding motions (called “Exercises”) to isolate the vertebra being adjusted to a position where it is on the “edge” of moving, while keeping the rest of the spine in a relative neutral position. Emphasis will be placed on learning to “feel” the vertebra getting adjusted to be isolated and the spine above and below remaining neutral. This hour will be spent on the VP area: C6, C7 and T1. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.
 
Hour 3: 11:00am-12:00pm  
Title: Practice and Repetition 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Practice and repetition of the “Exercises”, with variations for adjusting the middle to upper cervical segments (C2-C5) and T1/T2. Emphasis will be placed on learning to feel the translation of the segment being adjusted mostly in a P-A direction, with variations for lateral bending. Extra attention to coordinating the Stabilization Hand and Thrusting hands to deliver a precise adjustment. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.  
 
Hour 4: 12:00am-1:00pm  
Title: Adjusting Lamina and Transverse Process (T1-2) contacts. Motion Palpation of C2 to C/T spine. 
Topic/Categories: Examination Procedures/Diagnosis 
Content: Why and how to make the Lamina and/or Transverse Process contacts. Variations in line-of-drive for Lamina/TVP contacts compared to Spinous Process contacts. Variations for C2 and T1/T2. Practice and Repetition with various partners. Motion Palpation of the C/T spine through C2 for a listing. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.
 
Lunch: 1:00-2:00pm 
 
Hour 5: 2:00pm-3:00pm 
Title: Motion Palpation and Xray Analysis for a Listing
Topic/Categories: Diagnostic Imaging Interpretation
Content: Motion Palpation of the Cervical spine for a listing starting with the review of C/T junction. Then Gonstead Upper Cervical Spine Motion Palpation protocol for a listing, which includes C2, then Atlas and finally Occiput. Review of Gonstead X-ray Analysis for a cervical spine listing. Lecture, demonstration and practice motion palpation techniques using a plastic spine and attendee participation. Xray slides for visual understanding.
 
Hour 6: 3:00pm-4:00pm 
Title: Atlas Adjusting
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Atlas adjusting using the thumb contact on the Atlas transverse process. Learning how to make a contact and guide the Atlas laterally to position to deliver the thrust. Emphasis will be on learning to develop the “feel” of isolating the Atlas laterally so the spine stays neutral below the Atlas for the ease and precision of adjusting the Atlas. Modifications for Anterior or Posterior (ASRA/ASRP) misalignments of Atlas. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration, comprehension and understanding. 
 
Hour 7: 4:00pm-5:00pm 
Title: Occiput Adjusting 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Demonstration and practice for both Anterior and Posterior Occiput adjustments. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair and a plastic model of the spine will be used for demonstration, comprehension and understanding. Gonstead Occipital Condyle blocks will be used for Anterior Occiput demonstration and practice by attendees. Emphasis will be placed on adjusting the Occiput precisely using both the thumb and thenar contact for Posterior listings and the Pisiform for Anterior Occiput adjustments.
 
Hour 8: 5:00pm-6:00pm 
Title: Drills to develop Cervical Chair technique 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Demonstration and practice drills: 1) Speed Drill; 2) Spine and Towel Drill; 3) Stabilization Hand Drill; Cervical Chair Speeder Board. Practice and repetition to develop speed and power so the doctor understands that speed, leverage and power are the different elements of their Cervical Chair thrust. Work will be done on the Cervical Chair, a plastic spine and towel will be used to coordinate the thrusting and stabilization hands. Emphasis will be placed on learning to accomplish complex motor movements with both hands coordinated together. Specially designed Cervical Chair speeder boards will be used to further develop the coordination of the doctor’s two hands so they work independently of each other to complement the adjustment.

Day 2 

Hour 1: 9:00-10:00am 
Title:  Introduction to Gonstead Lumbar Push Side Posture adjusting
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: A brief discussion to review basic concepts and Fundamentals of Adjusting and how they relate to Side Posture Adjusting. Introduce the concept of learning to adjust by “exercises” versus “set-ups”. Principles of adjusting are: 1) Relaxation, Balance and Timing; 2) Adjusting Pre-load and Ramping; 3) Posture/Positioning, Center line and Balance. The first exercise will be Patient Placement and Doctor Position so that the doctor will be in position to effortlessly deliver a Push adjustment. Spinous Contacts will be used (PR/PL, PRS/PLS), not mamillary contact or special listings. Work will be done on a pelvic bench table and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.
 
Hour 2: 10:00am-11:00am 
Title: Lumbar Push Moves for Basic Spinous and Mamillary Contacts 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: A continuation of the first hour with repetition and introduction of the Mamillary contact adjustments (PRI-M/PLI-M). Doctors will learn how to keep their contact hand near the area of their abdomen and why the adjustment begins with an inferior ward direction (due to lumbar facets) but ultimately along the disc plane. The concept of “torque” will be introduced for correction of the lateral wedge. Emphasis will be placed on Pelvis Stabilization, Lumbar Pre-Stress and a Ramping mechanism to deliver the thrust. Work will be done on a pelvic bench table and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.
 
Hour 3: 11:00am-12:00pm 
Title: Lumbar Pull Moves Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: Discussion of the advantages of the Pull move relative to the Push move. Demonstration and practice using the finger contacts on a lumbar spinous process contact (PR/PL and PRS/PLS). Exercise for Leg Stabilization so the doctor is clear of the objective for the “kick” move. Demonstration and practice for using the finger contact to push (rather than pull) the vertebra posterior to anterior. Demonstration and practice for adjusting a lower lumbar compared to an upper lumbar vertebra with the finger contact. Work will be done on a pelvic bench table and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.
 
Hour 4: 12:00pm-1:00pm 
Title: Lumbar Pull Moves (continued) 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: A continuation of Lumbar Pull moves with repetition and introduction of the Mamillary Contact adjustments (PRI-M/PLI-M). Doctors will learn how to make the Finger contacts for Mamillary Listings and how to keep their contact hand at the level of their abdomen for best leverage and orient themselves to the patient for a lower lumbar and an upper lumbar vertebra. Doctors will learn how to “torque” with their fingers for both the spinous process and mamillary contacts. Emphasis will be placed on the timing of their Leg (tibia and foot) Stabilization and the Finger Push, Lumbar Pre-Stress and a ramping mechanism to deliver the thrust. Work will be done on a pelvic bench table and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding. 
 
Hour 5: 1:00pm-2:00pm 
Title: Adjusting the Lumbar Spine Special Listings 
Topic/Categories: Adjustive Technique 
Content: A continuation of the Lumbar Push and Pull moves with repetition with introduction of the Special Listings (PRS-M/PLS-M and PRI-Sp/PLI-Sp). Doctors will learn how to adapt their line of drive and torque as appropriate for the Lumbar Special Listings. Work will be done on a pelvic bench table and a plastic spine will be used for demonstration and comprehension/understanding.

Credits

Life Chiropractic College West has received programmatic accreditation through the Council on Chiropractic Education and institutional/regional accreditation through WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

See below for a list of credits that may be available for this seminar. 

*The following State and Province boards do not require an application when a program is sponsored by a college accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE): CO, CT, DE, DC, ID, IL, IA, MD, MA, MI, MT, NE, NH, NJ, OR, RI, SC, UT, VT, VA, WA, WY, BC, NB, ON, QC. Life Chiropractic College West cannot guarantee that these licensing board(s) will accept any session of this offering. Life West urges licensees to familiarize themselves with the laws governing continuing education in the jurisdictions where they hold licensure.

To register, click the link.