What Does a Chiropractor Do?
Written by Dr Alex Freeman, Chiropractor — Freeman Chiropractic, Victoria Park
Key Takeaways
Chiropractors are university-trained, AHPRA-registered practitioners who assess and manage conditions affecting the spine, joints, muscles, and nervous system
A chiropractic appointment always begins with a thorough assessment — care is only recommended when clinically appropriate
At Freeman Chiropractic, we use manual adjustments drawing on evidence-informed techniques including Diversified, Gonstead, and Syntropy-style approaches
Chiropractic care is most commonly sought for back pain, neck pain, headaches, and joint complaints
Chiropractors can work alongside your GP and other health practitioners as part of your broader care
If you've landed on this page, you're probably somewhere between curious and genuinely considering booking an appointment — but you want to know what you're actually walking into. That's a reasonable thing to want to know before you go.
Here's a straightforward answer.
The short version
A chiropractor assesses and manages conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system — that's your spine, joints, and the muscles and nerves connected to them. Chiropractors are university-trained (five years minimum in Australia) and registered with AHPRA, the same regulatory body that oversees medical practitioners and physiotherapists.
At Freeman Chiropractic, we see patients presenting with a wide range of complaints — lower back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, shoulder and hip problems, and more. The starting point is always an assessment, not treatment. We look at what's going on, explain what we're finding, and then discuss whether chiropractic care is appropriate for your situation.
What happens at your first appointment?
Your first visit is not a treatment session by default. It's an assessment.
We take a detailed health history — what brought you in, how long it's been going on, what makes it better or worse, your relevant medical background. That's followed by a physical examination: posture, range of motion, joint function, neurological checks where indicated.
From there, we give you our clinical impression. If chiropractic care is appropriate, we explain what we're recommending and why. If something else is going on that needs a different kind of attention — a GP referral, imaging, or another specialist — we'll tell you that clearly.
Nothing happens without your understanding and agreement.
What techniques do chiropractors use?
The adjustment — sometimes called spinal manipulation — is what most people associate with chiropractic. It's a controlled, specific movement applied to a joint that is not moving as it should. This is sometimes accompanied by an audible sound, which is normal and simply reflects a change in pressure within the joint.
At Freeman Chiropractic, we use manual chiropractic adjustments as the foundation of our care, drawing on evidence-informed techniques including Diversified, Gonstead, and Syntropy-style approaches. Diversified and Gonstead are two of the most widely researched and clinically established methods in chiropractic practice. Syntropy-informed care places additional emphasis on the relationship between the nervous system, posture, and how the body organises itself under load and stress.
The technique used — and how it's applied — depends on what the assessment finds and what's appropriate for you individually. Depending on the presentation, care may also include:
Soft tissue work targeting tight or restricted muscles
Mobilisation — gentler, repetitive joint movement without the high-velocity component
Dry needling
Rehabilitative exercises and movement advice
Postural and load management guidance
Not every patient receives the same approach. What we use depends on what we find.
What conditions do chiropractors commonly help with?
The presentations we see most frequently include:
Lower back pain — one of the most common reasons people seek chiropractic care, whether it's acute pain from lifting something awkwardly or a longer-standing pattern of stiffness and ache.
Neck pain and stiffness — including waking up with a locked or restricted neck, ongoing tightness from desk work or screen time, and reduced range of motion.
Headaches — particularly cervicogenic headaches, which originate from the neck and are often accompanied by neck stiffness or pain at the base of the skull.
Sciatic-type symptoms — pain, tingling, or numbness that travels into the buttock or down the leg, often related to lumbar or pelvic joint changes.
Shoulder, hip, and knee complaints — joints beyond the spine that may benefit from assessment and manual care alongside appropriate exercise.
Pregnancy-related musculoskeletal pain — pelvic girdle pain, lower back pain, and rib discomfort are common during pregnancy and something we see regularly at Freeman Chiropractic.
This is not an exhaustive list. If you're unsure whether what you're experiencing is something a chiropractor should look at, the most straightforward thing to do is book an assessment and find out.
Does chiropractic care hurt?
Most patients find chiropractic assessment and care comfortable. Some experience mild soreness in the day or two following an appointment, particularly after the first session — this is a normal response and typically settles quickly.
If at any point during a visit something feels uncomfortable or doesn't feel right to you, we want to know. We adjust our approach based on your feedback.
How is a chiropractor different from a physiotherapist or osteopath?
All three are university-trained, AHPRA-registered practitioners who work with musculoskeletal conditions. There is genuine overlap in scope and technique. In practice, the differences often come down to the training background, the specific techniques used, and the individual practitioner.
Chiropractors tend to place particular emphasis on spinal and joint function and the relationship between joint mechanics and the nervous system. But an honest answer is that the quality of the assessment and the clinical reasoning behind the care matters more than which profession is delivering it.
Is chiropractic care covered by private health insurance?
Most Australian private health funds cover chiropractic care under extras cover, though the rebate amount varies by fund and policy. Chiropractic is not currently covered by Medicare for most presentations. If you're eligible for a Chronic Disease Management plan through your GP, it's worth asking your GP whether chiropractic is included.
If you're in Victoria Park or the surrounding Perth suburbs and want to understand what's going on with your back, neck, or joints, the right starting point is a proper assessment. Book online or call the clinic — we'll give you a clear picture of what we're seeing and whether we can help.
Freeman Chiropractic is located at 249B Albany Highway, Victoria Park. Dr Alex Freeman and Dr Joel Maylor are both registered chiropractors with AHPRA.
