Conversations with Lars Gunnar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lars Gunnar.

Hi Lars, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I believe a world can exist where people have the tools and knowledge to access physical, mental and emotional freedom. Everything I do, write, and speak on is meant to advance this mission. I began private practice in 2016 in Pasadena, California where I founded Vital Form Chiropractic. I am a graduate of San Diego State University (B.S.) where I studied Kinesiology and did neuroscience research. I then went to Southern California University of Health Sciences and earned my doctorate. I am a Gonstead trained chiropractor which is a specialty that about 500 doctors in the world are proficient in – my mission is to fix what other people can’t. I am the former Gonstead Club president during university and I continue to teach chiropractic students nationwide through workshops, seminars and clinical internships. Along with the Gonstead technique, I have advanced training in sports and extremity injuries, prenatal care, pediatric development, functional medicine and scoliosis care. I am a speaker, lecturer and have my own podcast – Vital Conversations. I recently have joined the Vertical chiropractic collective and we will be launching the first Gonstead chiropractic office and teaching facility in Franklin Tennessee.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road was smooth until the unknown came into my line of sight. During high school, the focus was sports, getting into college, and maintaining friendships, not having a sense of health or mortality. This flipped overnight when an injury brought my immortality hubris crashing down. I took a pretty good hit and “felt something go” in my back. I couldn’t stand, sit, or walk without being aware of pain going down my leg. Intense pressure made me nauseas and running was out of the question. I went to everyone and tried everything – physical therapists, chiropractors, surgeons, acupuncture, massage and to no avail; the pain kept getting worse. By now, I was getting electric shocks in both my feet, the spine pressure made it impossible to sit or stand longer than a few minutes at a time, and the only thing doctors and “specialists” would say to me is – your spine looks healthy, it will go away. It didn’t. After a few months, my 17 years old, once athletic body was becoming unrecognizable and I felt I was running out of options. Then a family friend recommended I go see their chiropractor. I had seen a few before without any results so I was not convinced this would be any different. Somehow this person relayed to me it would be different and I had nothing to lose – he was right. I showed up to his office and everything about it was different: the detail and time he took to find the problem, x-rays, explaining things, and the treatment. It was night and day. He explained to me that I injured a very specific part of my spine in a very specific way and we needed to fix it. He did a specific correction and by the time I stood up, I was 50-60% better. This was after months of different treatments, different answers and no changes. I looked up at this doctor and said “I have no idea what you do, but I think I need to learn how to do this”. I saw him 2-3 more times and I was running and playing sports again with virtually no pain. I was changed. My brain was changed, my body was changed, and there was no way I could unsee or un-feel what happened. I went on to study everything I could about the human body, neuroscience and healing. I ended up in chiropractic school and finding exactly what that chiropractor practiced – The Gonstead method. This drove me to learn and soak up as much as I could from him and anyone else who would teach me about this system. Then I could save people exactly like me from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual suffering.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Within chiropractic, I practice the Gonstead system. It is a system of analysis and correction for spine and extremity injuries meant to do the least amount possible to gain the most in bringing patients back to health. We want to be as gentle and specific as possible in helping people get back to their highest selves. This is why we are able to see everyone from a few hours old to 100 years old. We correct low back pain and sciatica and can also help with menstrual cramps and migraines. With this philosophy, we are not just trying to move joints for the sake of moving them – we are correcting specific bones in the spine knowing we are restoring the connection of the body to the brain. I also help women throughout their pregnancy to help make delivery easier for mom and baby, correct sports injuries, scoliosis and more.

I also am a teacher and lecturer for chiropractic students teaching this method. I teach workshops, seminars and our new office will be also a teaching facility that will have clinical internships available.

I have several projects I am working on – podcast, book, online courses and all are driven by my mission: I believe in a world where people have the tools and the knowledge to find freedom in their health and life.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I believe I have been fortunate to meet incredibly selfless, brilliant and giving people. These mentors have helped to teach me how to be an effective doctor, listener, how to run a business, create positive relationships and continually demand excellence of myself.

I believe one of the major qualities that has driven my success is my curiosity. I am consistently learning about neuroscience. The art of healing, biomechanics, biochemistry and how best I can develop my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual adaptability. This puts me in the position to show up my best self in doctoring, in my personal relationships, being a father and showing up my best self with my partner.

This curiosity drives my doctoring with an intensity – I am driven to help the people that have been everywhere and do not have hope. I want to fix/correct the problems that people have that no one has an answer for. I have been in that position and never want anyone to stay in that place of suffering and that is what drives my curiosity and intensity to learn and serve others.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.verticalchiropractic.com/collective
• Instagram: instagram.com/drlarsgunnar
• Other: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vital-conversations-w-dr-lars-gunnar/id1543980410