As university-trained allied health professionals, chiropractors treat a wide range of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions, including:

• Back and neck pain (both sudden and long-standing)

• Sports injuries — sprains, strains, and tendon injuries (tendinopathies)

• Shoulder pain, including rotator cuff issues and AC joint problems (the joint at the top of your shoulder)

• Knee pain, including patellofemoral pain (pain around the kneecap) and ITB syndrome (tightness along the outer thigh, from hip to knee)

• Hip and groin pain, including impingement (when structures in the hip joint rub or pinch during certain movements)

• Ankle sprains and Achilles tendon problems

• Headaches and migraines

• Plantar fasciitis (pain in the heel or arch) and other foot pain

• Nerve-related pain, such as sciatica

• Postural and movement-related complaints

We also see plenty of patients who aren't currently injured — for injury prevention, performance work, and return-to-sport planning.

No. Chiropractors are primary contact practitioners, which means you can book directly without a referral from a GP or a specialist. In Australia, Chiropractors are registered with AHPRA and are considered first-contact health professionals.

Your first visit is primarily a thorough assessment — not just a treatment. We spend time listening to your full health history, understanding your goals (whether that is pain relief, return to sport, or simply moving better), and then conduct a physical examination.

This includes postural and movement screening, orthopaedic and neurological testing where appropriate, and in some cases referral for imaging (X-ray or MRI) if clinically indicated. We then explain our findings, give you an honest prognosis, and — with your input — outline a care plan.

This depends on the nature and duration of your complaint. While acute conditions may resole quicker, chronic or complex presentations may take longer. We provide a clear prognosis after your assessment.

We reassess your progress regularly. If you are not improving as expected, we will tell you — and refer you to the most appropriate provider.

The goal is to get you better, give you the tools to stay that way, and then step back. Maintenance or periodic check-ins are a personal choice, not a prescription.

Most people find chiropractic care comfortable and even relieving. Some techniques — particularly spinal manipulation — may cause a brief, momentary pressure or discomfort, but this is generally mild and short-lived.

After treatment, some patients experience mild soreness for 24–48 hours (similar to post-exercise soreness), especially after the first session. This is a normal tissue response and is not a sign that anything has gone wrong.

If anything causes you discomfort, tell your practitioner — we adapt our approach to suit your comfort level at all times.

Spinal manipulation (also called an adjustment) involves applying a controlled, precise force to a spinal joint to restore movement and reduce pain.

The audible "pop" or "crack" — known as a cavitation — itself has no therapeutic significance — beneficial effects come from the mechanical and neurological changes the manipulation produces, not from whether a sound occurs.

Importantly, spinal manipulation is just one of many tools. Not every patient needs it, and it's never used without your informed consent and thorough assessment first.

Chiropractic care has a strong safety record when delivered by a trained, registered practitioner. The most common side effects are mild and short-lived — some soreness, stiffness, or a mild headache after treatment, similar to how you might feel after a workout.

Serious complications are rare. This is an area that's been studied and debated extensively, and the best available evidence puts the absolute risk somewhere in the order of 1 in several million treatments — with researchers still not fully agreed on whether there's a direct cause-and-effect relationship at all, rather than the two events simply occurring near each other by coincidence.

Your best protection is a thorough assessment before any treatment begins. This is how we identify what are called contraindications — specific health conditions or warning signs that mean a particular technique isn't appropriate for you. We check for these with every patient, every time, and tailor our approach to your individual health profile as a result.

Many of our most valuable consultations are with individuals with no acute injury but want to identify and address vulnerabilities before they become problems. This might involve movement screening, load monitoring, biomechanical analysis, or addressing subtle asymmetries that commonly precede injury.

Prevention is always more efficient than treatment — both in time and cost. And it keeps you doing what you love.

In most cases, yes — and we actively encourage it. A fundamental shift in modern sports medicine is moving away from "rest and wait" toward active, load-managed rehabilitation. Complete rest is rarely the answer and often slows recovery.

We work with you to modify your training as needed, not eliminate it. Maintaining fitness, movement patterns, and sport-specific load during recovery leads to better outcomes and a smoother return to full performance.

Here are genuine green flags:

• Registered with AHPRA (mandatory in Australia)

• Asks questions about your history and conducts an assessment before treatment

• Refers you to other practitioners when appropriate

• Encourages your active participation in recovery

• Welcomes your questions and treats your preferences as important

Trust your instincts. A good Chiropractor will make you feel informed, empowered, and respected.

The same principles that keep athletes moving well — load management, functional rehabilitation, movement optimisation — are exactly what help older adults maintain independence, reduce fall risk, and manage age-related musculoskeletal changes.

We treat builders, nurses, teachers, retirees, and everyone in between. Your sport might be gardening or walking the dog. That matters just as much to us.

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is generally considered safe when performed by a trained practitioner. Low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, and sciatica are extremely common during pregnancy, and many women find manual therapy and specific exercise guidance very helpful for managing these symptoms.

Techniques are modified throughout pregnancy to accommodate the changing body — no prone lying in later trimesters, modified pressure and positioning, and an even greater emphasis on gentle mobilisation and soft tissue work over high-velocity manipulation.

Certain symptoms — often called "red flags" — need urgent medical attention rather than a chiropractic appointment. Seek emergency care or see your GP urgently if you experience:

• Loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the saddle area (inner thighs/groin), or significant weakness in both legs — these can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, a rare but serious compression of the nerves at the base of the spine that requires emergency treatment

• Chest pain, shortness of breath, or jaw pain — possible signs of a cardiac emergency

• A sudden, severe headache unlike any you've had before

• Unexplained fever, night sweats, or significant unintentional weight loss alongside your pain

• Rapidly worsening weakness or numbness

• A history of cancer with new or changing pain

• Pain following significant trauma, such as a fall or car accident, that could involve a fracture

We screen for all of these at every new patient consultation, and we take our role as a first-point-of-contact health profession seriously. When in doubt, we refer you on every time — that's not a failure of our care, it's part of it.

Comfortable, loose-fitting clothing is ideal — activewear or exercise gear works well. We need to assess movement and may need to examine the region of complaint, so clothing that allows access to the relevant area (shorts for lower limb, singlet or loose shirt for upper back and shoulder) is helpful.

Please bring any relevant imaging or reports you have (X-rays, MRI, ultrasound), any referral letters from your GP or specialist, and a list of any current medications if relevant to your condition.

Yes. Children and adolescents are increasingly presenting with growth-related conditions, as well as acute sports injuries.

Assessment and treatment is adapted appropriately for developing bodies; the forces used are significantly lighter than for adults. A parent or guardian is present throughout all appointments for minors.