Most people have different ideas of what a chiropractor actually does, so if you’re confused, we get it. To know if you need a chiropractor instead of a physiotherapist or massage therapist you need to know the differences.

Physiotherapy

If you’ve rolled your ankle or have specific ‘extremity’ problems in your arms or legs then a physiotherapist, with hands-on care and exercise rehab, is probably for you. If you’d like a quality recommendation, send us an email and we’ll refer you to some great physiotherapists across Melbourne.

Registered Massage Therapist

Properly applied massage therapy can be great for rebuilding and maintaining healthy muscles. If you’ve got a specific muscle problem then a good registered massage therapist – one who will do a thorough assessment and provide specific recommendations for follow-up sessions – is what you’ll want.

Chiropractor

So then, what does a chiropractor do? Well, we correct spinal misalignment or structural distortions in your spine that compromise the health of your spine and nervous system which ultimately limits the health and function of your entire body. To achieve this we gently adjust your spine to remove interference from your nerve system allowing your body to repair, heal and function better. Your spine and nervous system is your body’s information super-highway, so when it’s not working 100% you body’s not working 100% (interference to your nervous system is like a bad modem, and no one likes slow internet).

So Who Should I See?

This is the important question. A lot of the time it’s very hard to answer on your own (even for us it’s not always immediately apparent), luckily we utilise sophisticated technology to determine where your problem is originating – spine/nervous system or muscles.

Here’s a list of some of the health problems that can improve under regular chiropractic care in our office:

• back pain
• neck pain
• headaches
• hip and leg pain
• shoulder and arm pain
• other spinal problems
• postural distortion
• digestive issues
• hormonal disorders
• sleep problems
• neurologic disorders
• autoimmune conditions
• balance and coordination problems
• depression
• anxiety
• hyperactivity disorders
• asthma and other respiratory issues
• allergies
• colic
• torticollis
• sciatica
• disc injuries
• heartburn
• seizure disorders
• whiplash
• lack of mobility
• high blood pressure
• premenstrual discomfort
• arthritis
• immune suppression
• multiple sclerosis
• infertility
• otitis media /middle ear infections
• pregnancy related problems/pain
• degenerative joint disease
• stress
• vertigo
• acid reflux

Now let’s be absolutely clear, chiropractic is NOT a cure for any disease, condition or symptom. But when your spine and nervous system work optimally, you’re ability to heal, recover and be healthy drastically improves. The above symptoms are examples of secondary conditions that can be caused by a handful of primary conditions – one of which is the structural distortions in your spine disrupting how your brain and body function and communicate.

Our job is to figure out if the secondary conditions that you’re currently suffering from are caused by primary problems located in your spine and nervous system. If they are, we can help; if they’re not we’ll let you know and refer you to the appropriate health care professional.

First thing we’ll do is determine if you’re in the right place by starting with a consultation – we don’t want to waste anyone’s time.

During this consultation we’ll learn more about you and your health goals and you’ll be able to meet the team and ask any questions you may have. If we feel we can help, we’ll recommend a comprehensive assessment to discover the cause of your issues (luckily these tests are completely non-invasive and can all be completed during your initial consultation.

If there’s one thing we’re annoyingly good at, it’s being thorough in everything we do. So if there’s a spinal misalignment or structural distortion in your spine and nervous system we’ll find it.

There are 5 steps to our comprehensive examination:

1. Bio-Structural Postural Assessment – They say posture is the window to your spine (…well, chiropractors say it) and since posture can indicate underlying distortions in your spine, this test allows us to determine how effectively your body is working under gravity and coping with the daily stresses of life.
2. Digitised Postural Report – Once we’ve assessed your postural distortions we’ll provide you with a fully digitised report of your posture.
3. Advanced Palpation Assessment – This hands-on analysis allows the chiropractor to evaluate the movement and position of your individual vertebrae.
4. Thermography Study – This computerised test measures how your autonomic nerves (the ones that control all your organs and important stuff like ‘being alive’) are functioning.
5. Structural Radiographs (if required) – This test measures for structural distortions in the spine, how long they’ve been present and provides us with information about how your body has adapted to these distortions.

Once we’ve done all this we have some homework to do! After reviewing all your results we’ll come back with specific recommendations, including:

• Exactly what’s going on in your spine
• What options you have moving forward
• How we can help you

Once we’ve answered all your questions and we have agreed on your unique plan of action, your care can commence.

If we believe we can help you based on your consultation and comprehensive assessment, we’ll prepare a detailed, customised roadmap to recovery.

This will take into account:

• Your own health goals and objectives
• The severity and longevity of your problem
• The results of your examination.

After working with thousands of people just like you over the years, we have become extremely adept at determining who we can and can’t help and how long it might take for results to show.

It’s important to also note that while some clients experience can almost instantaneous results, most start to notice significant changes within the first few weeks of care.

It may surprise you but around 46% of our new members come in NOT because of a specific problem, but because they heard we can help them to become even healthier and perform better.

The thing is, nerve interference in the spine can affect you in ways that you have absolutely no idea about, such as:

• low energy
• poor sleep quality or quantity
• difficulty concentrating
• brain fog
• mild shortness of breath
• poor digestion
• mild muscle weakness
• hormonal imbalances
• poor coordination and performance
• organ dysfunction

The only way to know if you have a nervous system dysfunction to blame is by testing.

Well, that will depend on three main factors:

1. Your goals and objectives – what are you trying to accomplish?
2. How severe your problem is – how much damage has occurred?
3. When did it start – is this a new or chronic problem?

Once we work these out, we can determine the optimal visit frequency for you. Since everyone responds to care differently, we’ll also check in regularly and perform comparative examinations to make sure you’re still on the right track to get the results you want.

Of course not! You can stop at any time you like.

Our goal is to deal with the primary problem affecting your health. Once we’ve taken a look and explained your results to you, we’ll provide you with a completely customised plan of action to help correct structural distortion and get you back to health (pun possibly intended).

During your corrective care we’ll perform Comparative Progress Exams to see what improvements have been made. Based on these results and your health goals you can then make your own choice about care going forward.

If, after talking to your chiropractor, you both decide that our comprehensive assessment would be worthwhile, the cost for all testing (including digital spinal x-rays if required) is $70.

The next step is to book a Report of Findings visit so we can walk you through all the results from your assessment. If we can help you, you’ll be able to receive your first adjustment – this will help us see how your body responds and adapts which in turn allows us to provide more specific recommendations.

The Report of Findings visit is $70 and if you receive an adjustment our normal fee of $75 applies.

Can I Claim Visits Against My Health Insurance?

If you have extras cover on your health insurance that include chiropractic, then yes! To find out how much you can claim simply contact your Private Health Insurance provider to find out the specifics of your plan.