About Us
Empowering all Australian chiropractors, through professional advocacy, education, research and ethical practice, to provide best-practice care and patient outcomes.


About Us
Empowering all Australian chiropractors, through professional advocacy, education, research and ethical practice, to provide best-practice care and patient outcomes.

We are Chiropractic
Chiropractic Australia is the peak body for evidence-based Chiropractic.
Our Strategic Pillars
Forming the foundation of our 2021/2024 Strategic Plan, our four key pillars – Connect, Engage, Advance and Sustain – supports the future and the vision of Chiropractic Australia. Underpinning our robust governance structure, each of our inter-connected Strategic Pillars is aligned with the values that set the direction of how we serve our members as the the peak body for evidence-based chiropractic.

CONNECT
Chiropractic Australia aims to serve as a central hub for the chiropractic community to interact, collaborate and access clinically relevant information that reflects the needs of our members and our profession.

ENGAGE

ADVANCE

SUSTAIN
Our Values
Chiropractic Australia’s Strategic Pillars are built on a shared set of Values that serve as a guide and reference for the conduct of our organisation, and the people within it. These are our fundamental principles that permeate everything we do in serving our members and the broader chiropractic profession.

Acting
Ethically

Diversity & Inclusion

Promoting Excellence
We strive to embrace and embody a culture of excellence in everything we do at Chiropractic Australia, achieving this through active support, encouragement and recognition of the achievements of our people.

Being Accountable
Aiming to set an example of honesty, integrity and transparency, we are accountable to all our stakeholders – especially members – and we work to continually evaluate the myriad impacts of our organisation.

Integrating Evidence
As part of our mission to advance evidence-based practice, we are committed to integrating, supporting and promoting impactful musculoskeletal research that contributes to the body of knowledge behind the profession.
The foundation of Chiropractic Australia governance is our Constitution.

CONNECT
Chiropractic Australia aims to serve as a central hub for the chiropractic community to interact, collaborate and access clinically relevant information that reflects the needs of our members and our profession.

ENGAGE
Chiropractic Australia strives to provide a broad range of professional development opportunities, delivered both online and in person, to support ongoing, evidence-based education of chiropractic practitioners.

ADVANCE
Chiropractic Australia is committed to impactfully advocating for chiropractors and patients to ensure that the collective voice of our sector is heard and our profession is fairly and effectively represented.

SUSTAIN
Chiropractic Australia is dedicated to stewarding and safeguarding the sustainability of our sector through effective governance, innovative business practice and investment in impactful MSK research.
Our Values
In supporting our Members, Chiropractic Australia is guided by a core set of values:
Acting Ethically
Chiropractic Australia upholds the highest possible standard of moral behavior - both at an organisational and individual level - encompassing ethical business practices, values-based decision making and corporate governance & disclosure.
Diversity & Inclusion
As an organisation, we aim to reflect the diverse community we serve in cultivating an inclusive culture that highlights and respects the rich individual backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of our members and valued staff.
Promoting Excellence
We strive to embrace and embody a culture of excellence in everything we do at Chiropractic Australia, achieving this through active encouragement, support and recognition of the achievements and performance of our people.
Being Accountable
Aiming to set an example of honesty, transparency and integrity, Chiropractic Australia is accountable to all our stakeholders - especially members - and we work to continually evaluate the myriad impacts of our organisation.
Integrating Evidence
As part of our mission advance evidence-based practice, we are committed to integrating, supporting and contributing to impactful musculoskeletal research the comprises the body of knowledge behind the Chiropractic profession.
Our Values – guided the set of shared values.

Our Values
Strategic Pillars – 2021/2024 Strategic direction informed by members – members survey, interviews, polling when building our strategic (Steal from memnet) to inform the direction of your peak body

CONNECT

CONNNE
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Save on Indemnity
Insurance
Chiropractic Australia Members are eligible to benefit from discounted rates on professional indemnity insurance from our strategic partner and preferred service provider – Aon Insurance; a name trusted by chiropractors and health professionals for over 20 years.
Member-only Communications
Stay up-to-date and informed with full access to Chiropractic Australia’s suite of members only communications; including our monthly newsletter (Chiro Connect), regular profession-related updates, COVID-19 alerts, and quarterly digital magazine (CA News).
Discounted Pricing
on GEN-C
The GEN-C online learning platform delivers high-quality professional development programs to assist clinicians in improving patient care and clinical outcomes, and CA members can gain access this outstanding CPD resource at a heavily discounted price (save xyx%?).
Powerful Member
Dashboard
As a key feature of our website and enhanced membership offering, CA Members have complete access to a personalised Member Dashboard; allowing you to easily customise your account details, track your CPD pathway, list jobs and classifieds, and much more.

CONNECT

ENGAGE

ADVANCE
Chiropractic Australia is committed to impactfully advocating for chiropractors and patients to ensure that the collective voice of our sector is heard and our profession is fairly and effectively represented.

SUSTAIN
Chiropractic Australia is dedicated to stewarding and safeguarding the sustainability of our sector through effective governance, innovative business practice and investment in impactful MSK research.

CONNECT

ENGAGE

ADVANCE
Chiropractic Australia is committed to impactfully advocating for chiropractors and patients to ensure that the collective voice of our sector is heard and our profession is fairly and effectively represented.

SUSTAIN
Chiropractic Australia is dedicated to stewarding and safeguarding the sustainability of our sector through effective governance, innovative business practice and investment in impactful MSK research.

Our Values
In supporting our Members, Chiropractic Australia is guided by a core set of value:
Acting Ethically
Diversity & Inclusion
Promotion Excellence
Being Accountable
Integrating Evidence
Chiropractic is a healthcare profession that focuses on the spine, the joints and the musculoskeletal aspects of the body and their connection with the nervous system.
Chiropractic is a drug free, surgery free system of healthcare primarily for the musculoskeletal systems (bones, joints, muscles and ligaments) and some of the neurological system (nerves and the spinal cord).
Chiropractors have a minimum of five years university education. In Australia the universities offering degrees in chiropractic are Macquarie (Sydney), Murdoch (Perth), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Melbourne) and Central Queensland (MacKay, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney).
In addition to their academic qualifications, chiropractors who want to work in Australia must be registered with the Chiropractic Board of Australia and fulfil strict requirements as stipulated by National Law administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including annual continuous professional development.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis of your problem your chiropractor needs as much information as possible. This will involve you completing a form when you arrive to describe your current condition and supply details of your medical history. The chiropractor will then perform a physical examination. It is possible that you may require further tests or x-rays, CT scans, MRI or ultrasound. The chiropractor should then have sufficient information to tell you what is wrong and whether they will be able to help you or if you require a referral to your GP or a specialist.
Typical conditions treated by a chiropractor are back and neck pain, sciatica, certain types of headaches, shoulder pain including frozen shoulder, elbow and wrist pain including tennis and golfer’s elbow, hip, knee and ankle/foot pain.
Chiropractors use a variety of techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility and function. The one system that most people associate with chiropractic is hand-delivered manipulation of the spine. Some chiropractors call this an ‘adjustment’. They may also use other techniques and/or modalities like heat, ice, massage, specific exercises, ultrasound and acupuncture. They may also give lifestyle, ergonomic and dietary advice.
Fourteen National Boards regulate registered health practitioners in Australia.
These boards are responsible for registering practitioners and students (except for in psychology, which has provisional psychologists), setting the standards that practitioners must meet, and managing complaints and concerns (notifications) about the health, conduct or performance of practitioners.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) works in partnership with the National Boards to implement the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law).
The core role of the National Boards and AHPRA is to protect the public. This Code of Conduct for chiropractors has been developed by the Chiropractic Board of Australia under section 39 of the National Law.
Chiropractic is a drug free, surgery free system of healthcare primarily for the musculoskeletal systems (bones, joints, muscles and ligaments) and some of the neurological system (nerves and the spinal cord).
Chiropractors have a minimum of five years university education. In Australia the universities offering degrees in chiropractic are Macquarie (Sydney), Murdoch (Perth), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Melbourne) and Central Queensland (MacKay, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney).
In addition to their academic qualifications, chiropractors who want to work in Australia must be registered with the Chiropractic Board of Australia and fulfil strict requirements as stipulated by National Law administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including annual continuous professional development.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis of your problem your chiropractor needs as much information as possible. This will involve you completing a form when you arrive to describe your current condition and supply details of your medical history. The chiropractor will then perform a physical examination. It is possible that you may require further tests or x-rays, CT scans, MRI or ultrasound. The chiropractor should then have sufficient information to tell you what is wrong and whether they will be able to help you or if you require a referral to your GP or a specialist.
Typical conditions treated by a chiropractor are back and neck pain, sciatica, certain types of headaches, shoulder pain including frozen shoulder, elbow and wrist pain including tennis and golfer’s elbow, hip, knee and ankle/foot pain.
Chiropractors use a variety of techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility and function. The one system that most people associate with chiropractic is hand-delivered manipulation of the spine. Some chiropractors call this an ‘adjustment’. They may also use other techniques and/or modalities like heat, ice, massage, specific exercises, ultrasound and acupuncture. They may also give lifestyle, ergonomic and dietary advice.
This document has been produced primarily from the Chiropractic Board of Australia (CBA) guidelines and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)
It is not intended to replace legal advice and Chiropractic Australia recommends that if you are unsure about your legal obligations you should seek your own independent legal advice.
There is detailed information to be found on both the CBA and ACCC websites:
Chiropractic Board of Australia – Codes and Guidelines
Chiropractic Board of Australia – Statement on Advertising
ACCC – Advertising and Selling Guide
It is beholding on individual practitioners to be familiar with all the codes and guidelines that are relevant to practising in an honest, ethical and patient centred manner. Breaches of the codes and guidelines may potentially give rise to disciplinary action taken by the CBA.
OVERVIEW
The CBA’s sole responsibility is to protect the public, not practitioners.
The Board clearly states that the guidelines are not designed to explain how to advertise and state that it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts. They are designed to explain and provide general guidance on the obligations of advertisers under the National Law.
The guidelines are not prescriptive and in general rely on a common sense approach.
Importantly, the perspective taken in breaches of the advertising guidelines is that of the educated layman, not the chiropractor. For instance, a chiropractor may believe that ongoing care is beneficial to health but because this view is not yet supported by validated research, this cannot be claimed in an advertisement. As advocates of chiropractic care it is natural for us to wish to use advertisements to educate the public, but as far as advertising legislation is concerned, advertising is very different to public education. When chiropractors confuse the two they can inadvertently breach the guidelines.
The National Law controls advertising of all regulated health services, such that a person or business must not advertise a regulated health service in a way that:
1. Is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to be misleading or deceptive
The words ‘false’ and ‘misleading’ have a specific meaning at law. This is accepted to include lying, leading one to wrong conclusions, creating a false impression, leaving out or hiding important information and/or making false or inaccurate claims. The ACCC explains, ‘Patients can be physically, psychologically or financially affected by misleading conduct, and these effects can be long lasting. It is essential that patients be given honest, accurate and complete information in a form they can understand.’
Examples Of False Or Misleading Advertising Include:
- Mislead directly or by implication via use of emphasis, comparison, contrast or omission
- Provide partial information which could be misleading
- Use phases like ‘as low as’ or ‘lowest prices’ or similar, when advertising service fees or products in a misleading or deceptive way
- Imply that the regulated health service can be a substitute for public health vaccination or immunization
- Use words, letters or titles that may mislead or deceive a health consumer into thinking that the provider is more qualified or more competent than a holder of the same registration category (e.g. ‘specialising in XX’ when there is no specialist registration category for that profession). Chiropractors do not currently have the rights to claim specialties or endorsements that are specific areas of expertise approved by the health department. Use of words such as ‘specialises in’ may be misleading or deceptive as patients can interpret the advertisements as implying that the practitioner is more skilled or has greater experience than is the case . However chiropractors are permitted to use phrases such as “has a clinical interest in…”, “has substantial experience in…” or “working primarily in…”.
- Advertise the health benefits of a service when there is no proof that such benefits can be attained. ”False and misleading” statements not only include statements that are factually wrong but may also include claims that are “unable to be proven”. As an example, while there is some evidence to suggest that chiropractic care may be beneficial in the treatment of asthma, at present the weight of scientific evidence does not support this statement. So chiropractors who advertise that they can help asthmatics would probably be regarded as making a ‘false’ claim and, in doing it could be construed that that they are ‘misleading’ the public. Even if the chiropractor only meant to claim that chiropractic care could help improve the thoracic biomechanics of an asthma sufferer, failure to explicitly state this may be considered a breach of the guidelines.
- Compare different regulated health professions or practitioners, in the same profession or across professions, in a way that may mislead or deceive.
2. Offers a gift, discount or other inducement to attract a person to use the service unless the advertisement also states the terms and conditions of the offer
If the word “Free” is used it is generally considered to mean absolutely free and it is considered deceptive when costs are recouped through a price rise elsewhere. An example is an advertisement which offers ‘make one consultation appointment, get one free’, but raises the price of the first consultation to largely cover the cost of the second (free) appointment. This type of advertising could also be misleading or deceptive.
The terms and conditions should be in plain English, readily understandable, accurate and not in themselves misleading about the conditions and limitations of the offered service.
3. Uses testimonials about the service or business
A person must not advertise a regulated health service, or a business in a way that uses testimonials or purported testimonials about the service or business. This is a simple mandate.
All forms of testimonials, including those advertised via Facebook, print, radio, TV, or websites are prohibited under the CBA’s guidelines. This includes self-testimonials such as life stories about the chiropractor relating to some health benefit they may have received by undergoing chiropractic treatment,
Testimonials also include patients posting comments about a practitioner on the practitioner’s business website.
Health practitioners should therefore not encourage patients to leave testimonials on websites under the practitioner’s control, and should remove any testimonials that are posted there, once they become aware of the situation.
Practitioners are responsible for regularly reviewing their social media content to make sure it complies with their obligations under the National Law.
Patients can share views through their personal social media or on information sharing websites or other online mechanisms. For example, consumer and patient information sharing websites that invite public feedback/reviews about experience of a regulated health practitioner, business and/or service are generally intended to help consumers make more informed decisions and are not considered advertising of a regulated health service. To clarify, practitioners are not responsible for removing (or trying to have removed) unsolicited testimonials published on a website or in social media over which they do not have control.
4. Creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment
A person must not advertise a regulated health service, or business, in a way that creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment. In most cases it is impossible to have a clinical certainty of outcome, therefore practitioners should not predict or promise outcomes of treatment.
This can be considered to be taking advantage of the vulnerability of health consumers in their search for a cure or remedy. The claims of beneficial treatment can range from unsubstantiated scientific claims, indicating that the treatment is infallible, unfailing or magical through to miracle cures.
Statements that a practitioner has an exclusive or unique skill or remedy, or that a product is ‘exclusive’ or contains a ‘secret ingredient’ that will benefit the patient would also contravene the National Law.
Advertising may contravene the National Law when it creates an unreasonable expectation (such as by exaggerating or by omitting or providing incomplete or biased information) of recovery time after providing a regulated health service or fails to disclose the health risks associated with a treatment.
Also advertising that contains inappropriate or unnecessary information or material that is likely to make a person believe their health or wellbeing may suffer from not taking or undertaking the health service may also contravene the National Law.
5. Directly or indirectly encourages the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services.
A person must not advertise a regulated health service, or business, in a way that directly or indirectly encourages the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services. This is not in the public interest.
Advertising may contravene the National Law when it encourages a person to improve their physical appearance together with the use of phrases such as ‘don’t delay’, ‘achieve the look you want’ and ‘looking better and feeling more confident’. In the context of chiropractic this may include radiographic evidence of changes in scoliotic curves or posture.
Other examples under this regulation would providing a patient with an unsolicited appointment time.
Using prizes, bonuses, bulk purchases, bulk discounts or other endorsements to encourage the unnecessary consumption of health services that are unrelated to clinical need or therapeutic benefit.
Similarly promotional techniques that are likely to encourage consumers to use health services regardless of clinical need or therapeutic benefit, such as offers or discounts, online/internet deals, vouchers, and/or coupons may also breach the National Law.
Advertising time-limited offers, which influence a consumer to make decisions under the pressure of time and money rather than about their health care needs; without an option to exit the arrangement could also encourage unnecessary use of health services.
Whether or not a treatment is judged to be ‘unnecessary’ or ‘indiscriminate’ is based on the appropriate clinical justification for the treatment. For example, at present, quality research does not support the notion that ongoing wellness care programs yield long term health benefits and as such chiropractors should not make such claims in their advertising.
What Happens In A Breach?
A breach of advertising requirements is a criminal offence. A court may impose a penalty up to $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a body corporate.
Useful Information In Advertising
The ACCC has provided tips on how to avoid misleading advertising:
- Sell your professional services on their merits.
- Be honest about what you say and do commercially.
- Ask yourself who the audience is and what the advertisement is likely to say or mean to them.
- It is the viewpoint of a layperson with little or no knowledge of the professional service you are selling that should be considered.
Providing factual information in advertising helps consumers make informed decisions. A wide range of facts can be
provided in effective advertising, such as:
- Office details including:
- Contact details
- Office hours
- Availability of after-hours services
- Accessibility (such as wheelchair access)
- Languages
- Emergency contact details
- Fees
- Fees charged with price information
- Provider status with Medicare, TAC, Worksafe, WorkCover, DVA, etc
- Other insurance plan arrangements and instalment fee plans
- Qualifications and experience:
- Names of schools and training programs graduated from and the qualifications received
- Chiropractors cannot advertise specialist qualifications and currently cannot hold endorsed specialist titles
- What positions, currently or in the past, the practitioners have held
- Whether the practitioner is accredited by a public board or agency or other body
- Whether the practice is accredited and by whom
- Clinical interests
- Photos or drawings of the practitioner or their office
- Public health information that helps consumers to improve their health (this information should be based on reputable evidence wherever possible)
Advertising Qualifications Or Memberships
Advertising qualifications or memberships may be a useful way to provide the public with information about the experience and expertise of health practitioners.
However, it may be misleading or deceptive if the advertisement implies that the practitioner has more skill or experience than is the case.
Including professional qualifications in an advertisement that also promotes the use or supply of therapeutic goods may be interpreted as a professional endorsement. “Professional endorsement of therapeutic goods by individual practitioners is prohibited under the Therapeutic Goods advertising code.”
Use Of Titles In Advertising
The National Law regulates the use of certain titles. Misuse of a protected title is an offence under the National Law.
If practitioners choose to adopt the title ‘Dr’ they must clearly state that they are not a medical practitioner and qualify the title i.e. “Dr Jane Doe, Chiropractor”
It may also be misleading to use symbols, words or descriptions associated with titles.
Use Of Scientific Information In Advertising
To not mislead or create false impressions, caution should be taken when using scientific information in advertising.
When a practitioner chooses to include scientific information in advertising, the information should:
- Be presented in a manner that is accurate, balanced and not misleading
- Use terminology that is understood readily by the target audience
- Identify clearly the relevant researchers, sponsors and the academic publication in which the results appear
- Be from a reputable (e.g. peer reviewed) and verifiable source.
Definitions Of Advertising
Advertising (includes but is not limited to) all forms of printed and electronic media that promotes a regulated health service and includes any public communication using:
- Television
- Radio
- Motion pictures
- Newspapers
- Billboards
- Books
- Public and professional lists
- Pictorial representations
- Designs
- Mobile communications or other displays
- Internet
- Social
Excludes:
- Materials issued to patients during consultations
- When this material is designed to provide the person with clinical or technical information when the person is given adequate opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the material. The information should not be interpreted as promoting that practitioner’s services
- Material issued by a person or organisation for the purpose of public health information
- Which confer no promotional benefits on the practitioners involved
- Comments made by a patient/consumer about a practice or a practitioner where:
- The comments are made on a social media site or account or patient/consumer information sharing site or account which is not used to advertise a regulated health service
- That site or account is not owned, operated or controlled by the practice or practitioner referred to in the comments.
Chiropractic Australia recommends that practitioners read the CBA guidelines and seek professional legal advice to clarify any areas of concern about their obligations under the National Law.
Chiropractic is a drug free, surgery free system of healthcare primarily for the musculoskeletal systems (bones, joints, muscles and ligaments) and some of the neurological system (nerves and the spinal cord).
Chiropractors have a minimum of five years university education. In Australia the universities offering degrees in chiropractic are Macquarie (Sydney), Murdoch (Perth), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Melbourne) and Central Queensland (MacKay, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney).
In addition to their academic qualifications, chiropractors who want to work in Australia must be registered with the Chiropractic Board of Australia and fulfil strict requirements as stipulated by National Law administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including annual continuous professional development.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis of your problem your chiropractor needs as much information as possible. This will involve you completing a form when you arrive to describe your current condition and supply details of your medical history. The chiropractor will then perform a physical examination. It is possible that you may require further tests or x-rays, CT scans, MRI or ultrasound. The chiropractor should then have sufficient information to tell you what is wrong and whether they will be able to help you or if you require a referral to your GP or a specialist.
Typical conditions treated by a chiropractor are back and neck pain, sciatica, certain types of headaches, shoulder pain including frozen shoulder, elbow and wrist pain including tennis and golfer’s elbow, hip, knee and ankle/foot pain.
Chiropractors use a variety of techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility and function. The one system that most people associate with chiropractic is hand-delivered manipulation of the spine. Some chiropractors call this an ‘adjustment’. They may also use other techniques and/or modalities like heat, ice, massage, specific exercises, ultrasound and acupuncture. They may also give lifestyle, ergonomic and dietary advice.
In order to become a registered health professional in Australia, chiropractors are required to undertake an extensive programme of professional and academic training, and in order to maintain their registration, it is a requirement that chiropractors undertake continued professional development (CPD) training on an annual basis.
An Australian chiropractor will have completed five years of training at a university on an approved and accredited degree course. This five years may consist of a five-year Bachelor of Chiropractic, or it may consist of a three-year Bachelor degree followed by a two-year post-graduate Masters degree. It is also possible to practise in Australia if a chiropractor has completed an programme of study overseas that has been accredited by the Council of Chiropractic Education Australasia (CCEA), whose role it is to assess the quality of chiropractic education and training in this country, as well as to evaluate the knowledge and skills of chiropractors trained outside of Australia and New Zealand who apply to practise here.
At present, four Australian universities offer chiropractic degree programmes: RMIT University (VIC); Macquarie University (NSW); Murdoch University (WA); and Central Queensland University (QLD).
Chiropractic training has at its heart practitioners being taught to assess and diagnose spinal and musculoskeletal problems, and learning therapeutic approaches to these problems. Practitioners are instructed in the key elements of chiropractic diagnostic and manipulative skills, such as spinal adjustments and other joint and soft-tissue manipulation. This specialised training takes place alongside studies in anatomy, neuroanatomy, physiology, microbiology, histology and pathology. As the culmination of their chiropractic studies, student practitioners in the final years of their training also undertake the practical treatment and care of patients under the supervision of a registered practitioner.
A further essential focus of chiropractic training is that practitioners are taught to assess and manage patients from a wellness perspective, meaning that chiropractic training also focuses on understanding the ways in which patient lifestyle (e.g. exercise, posture, diet, etc.) can have an effect on well-being.
Chiropractic is a drug free, surgery free system of healthcare primarily for the musculoskeletal systems (bones, joints, muscles and ligaments) and some of the neurological system (nerves and the spinal cord).
Chiropractors have a minimum of five years university education. In Australia the universities offering degrees in chiropractic are Macquarie (Sydney), Murdoch (Perth), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Melbourne) and Central Queensland (MacKay, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney).
In addition to their academic qualifications, chiropractors who want to work in Australia must be registered with the Chiropractic Board of Australia and fulfil strict requirements as stipulated by National Law administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including annual continuous professional development.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis of your problem your chiropractor needs as much information as possible. This will involve you completing a form when you arrive to describe your current condition and supply details of your medical history. The chiropractor will then perform a physical examination. It is possible that you may require further tests or x-rays, CT scans, MRI or ultrasound. The chiropractor should then have sufficient information to tell you what is wrong and whether they will be able to help you or if you require a referral to your GP or a specialist.
Typical conditions treated by a chiropractor are back and neck pain, sciatica, certain types of headaches, shoulder pain including frozen shoulder, elbow and wrist pain including tennis and golfer’s elbow, hip, knee and ankle/foot pain.
Chiropractors use a variety of techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility and function. The one system that most people associate with chiropractic is hand-delivered manipulation of the spine. Some chiropractors call this an ‘adjustment’. They may also use other techniques and/or modalities like heat, ice, massage, specific exercises, ultrasound and acupuncture. They may also give lifestyle, ergonomic and dietary advice.
Choosing Wisely is a global initiative that brings the community together to improve the quality of healthcare through considering tests, treatments, and procedures where evidence shows they provide no benefit or, in some cases, lead to harm.
As the catalyst for public discussion, Choosing Wisely Australia is encouraging clinicians and consumers to start a conversation about what care is truly needed – identifying which practices are helpful and which are not.
With the complexity of tests, treatments, and procedures available to modern medicine, the challenge is that not all add value. Some are rendered redundant as others take their place. Unnecessary practices are a diversion away from effective care. They often lead to more frequent and invasive investigations that can expose the consumer to undue risk of harm, emotional stress, or financial cost.
The sharing of information among peers is a key to reducing these problematic practices that have become ingrained in the system. Importantly, it sets the scene for wider community involvement. We invite you to seek more information below: