Chiropractors are not medical doctors, but they get a lot of training and need a graduate degree to practice. Chiropractors are nationally registered allied healthcare workers. They can form part of your allied healthcare team, alongside physiotherapists or occupational therapists. Chiropractors and other specific registered health professionals are allowed to use the title ‘Dr’ as a courtesy title.

Chiropractic care is safe when it is performed properly by a licensed and experienced chiropractor. It’s possible for a chiropractor to make sciatica worse if they are not properly trained or if they use too much force during treatment. Before choosing a chiropractor, be sure to confirm their qualifications and training for peace of mind.

Chiropractic is a natural, hands-on approach to healthcare centred around the function of the spine and nervous system. Chiropractic adjustment is a procedure in which trained specialists – chiropractors – use their hands or a small instrument to apply a controlled, sudden force to a spinal joint. The goal of this procedure, also known as spinal manipulation, is to improve spinal motion and improve your body’s physical function.

Chiropractors are primary contact practitioners, which means they can see patients without a referral from a GP. They focus on treating the spine by using their hands to examine and treat health conditions related to the bones, muscles, and joints. Chiropractors use therapies, such as chiropractic manipulation and massage, to treat and prevent musculoskeletal problems. Chiropractic adjustments are joint and spine manipulations that help ease body pain.

The adjustment in which the chiropractor pulls on your leg is called a long axis distraction adjustment. Low back pain can be a result of a hip issue due to the compensation from low back pain, so a chiropractor will adjust the hips as well. Different leg length could be a sign that there is something wrong with the hip joints. This adjustment is designed to gap the effected joint, in the direction the chiropractor pulls.

After careful examination and assessment, there are various reasons why a chiropractor may decide to crack your back. The main one is to move your spine beyond its everyday range of motion which in turn creates more space and freedom of movement. This will then provide a measure of instant relief from whatever discomfort or pain you were feeling previously.

In short, no! There is no age limit on chiropractic and more and more people are consulting chiropractors, especially in their later years. To deliver the safest, most effective, and highest quality care possible, chiropractic techniques are modified appropriately for each person at every age and stage of life.

While brief discomfort after an adjustment can occur, it is rare, and most people find having an adjustment very relaxing. With some adjustments you may sometimes feel or hear a popping sound from the spinal joints. This is simply caused by a change in pressure in the joint, as spinal movement is improved. Some chiropractors use a hand-held instrument to adjust the spine. Others use wedges or blocks to help realign part of the body. Whatever the technique, chiropractors use skill, not force or strength, to care for people with the highest degree of safety and effectiveness.

In Australia, chiropractors share a common tertiary education pathway with osteopaths and physiotherapists and chiropractic education involves undergraduate and/or masters-level university training over five years. All accredited chiropractic programs in Australia include units in basic and clinical sciences. Also included are units in physical therapy, physical rehabilitation, radiology, nutrition, paediatrics, geriatrics, public health, and evidence-based practice. As with other primary healthcare professions, chiropractic pre-professional training requires a significant proportion of the curricula to be clinical subjects related to evaluating and caring for patients. As part of professional training, final-year students must also complete a minimum of a one-year supervised clinical internship. All registered chiropractors must complete mandatory continuing education each year to maintain registration and practice as a non-pharmacological, non-surgical spine care and musculoskeletal-allied healthcare professional.