Lower back pain is the leading cause of disability in Melbourne, affecting around one in six people at any given time. It disrupts sleep, limits movement, and can make even ordinary tasks feel difficult.
Whether your pain came on suddenly or has built up over the years, the cause matters. At My Chiropractic Place, our Melbourne chiropractors look beyond the symptom to find what’s actually driving your lower back pain and address that directly.
Chiropractors help to restore proper alignment and movement to your spine, relieving pressure on your nervous system. Correction of misalignments called subluxations in your spine results in positive outcomes for both acute and chronic low back pain.
Once under control, your chiropractor can help you with preventative strategies by addressing your lifestyle and environment. Your chiropractor will also be able to help identify any rare pathologies that could be causing your back pain and make a referral where appropriate.
At My Chiropractic Place, we use the Gonstead Chiropractic technique to identify the specific vertebral level contributing to your pain. It’s one of the most thorough and precise chiropractic assessment systems available, and it means your care is based on your spine, not a generalised approach.
More than 85% of low back pain is considered “non-specific”, meaning there is no known serious underlying disease. In other words, the pain you are feeling is coming from the function of your spine and the supporting anatomy around your spine, such as muscles, joints and nerves. Subluxations often cause this. In the minority of cases, low back pain can be caused by pathology such as cancer, fracture, extremely herniated discs, spinal stenosis or infection.
Many people aren’t sure what happens at a chiropractic appointment, especially for their first one. Here’s exactly what you can expect at My Chiropractic Place.
Your chiropractor will take a thorough history of your pain, your lifestyle, and your health goals. Nothing is rushed.
A Gonstead five-point evaluation examines your posture, spinal movement, and the specific areas under stress.
Your chiropractor will explain clearly what they found, what it means, and what your options are.
If it’s appropriate on the day, your first adjustment will take place at this visit.
There are no pre-paid chiropractic care plans here. After your findings are explained, you decide what kind of care, if any, you’d like to continue with. Some patients want relief from their immediate pain and nothing more. Others choose to address the underlying cause more thoroughly. That’s entirely your decision, and there’s no pressure either way.
With a combined 49 years of clinical experience between Dr Nam Nguyen and Dr David Addie, you’ll be assessed by chiropractors who have seen a wide range of presentations and who will be straightforward with you about what they find.
Lower back pain rarely arrives alone. It often involves related conditions that benefit from the same careful, specific approach. At My Chiropractic Place, we commonly assess patients presenting with:
If your situation requires another healthcare provider — a GP, physiotherapist, or specialist — we’ll let you know and help coordinate that referral.
Research consistently shows that chiropractors rate among the highest of all healthcare practitioners in patient satisfaction. It reflects the quality of communication, the time taken to understand each person’s situation, and the practical outcomes that good chiropractic care can support.
At My Chiropractic Place, patients can reach us directly — we deliberately keep our books manageable so you’re not waiting weeks for an appointment or dealing with a call centre when you need to get in touch.
Several peer-reviewed studies have examined the cost-effectiveness of chiropractic versus traditional medical management for lower back pain. The findings are consistent.
One large study found that patients whose primary care physician was a chiropractor had 60% fewer hospital admissions, 59% fewer hospital days, 62% fewer outpatient surgeries and procedures, and 85% fewer pharmaceutical costs — compared to patients managed through conventional medical care.
As the cost of healthcare continues to rise, conservative care that addresses the cause of pain — rather than managing symptoms indefinitely — represents real long-term value.
My Chiropractic Place accepts most major Australian health funds, with on-the-spot claiming available at both our Richmond and Caroline Springs clinics.
Both chiropractic and medical care have a role to play in managing lower back pain. Understanding the differences helps you make an informed decision about your care.
For most people with lower back pain, these approaches aren’t mutually exclusive. Where appropriate, we work alongside GPs and other healthcare providers to support your overall care.
In most cases, chiropractic care should be used as a first line of defence for back pain, since side effects are low and treatment methods are natural for your body. Traditional medical approaches using drugs and surgery have their place; however, they should only be used in a small percentage of cases, considering the nature of most low back pain. Studies have shown that in most cases, long-term patient outcomes are no better with invasive surgical procedures compared to conservative care with chiropractic, meaning that avoiding the high cost.
It is important to realise that chiropractic is not a “cure” for low back pain. In reality, your body does all the healing; chiropractors help ensure proper alignment of your spine and freedom of your nervous system, which maximises your body’s ability to heal itself.
As always, true wellness and health come from a combination of many lifestyle choices. Our chiropractor will be able to help you form effective lifestyle habits to reduce further episodes of back pain.
There's no single answer — it depends on how long the problem has been present, its severity, and how your body responds. After your initial assessment, your chiropractor will outline what they found and give you a realistic picture of what to expect. You're never locked into a set number of visits.
Disc-related lower back pain — including conditions like a disc bulge pressing on the sciatic nerve — is one of the more common presentations we see. A Gonstead assessment identifies the specific spinal level involved. Your chiropractor will advise clearly whether chiropractic care is appropriate for your situation, or whether co-management or referral is the better path.
Acute lower back pain comes on suddenly and typically lasts less than six weeks. Chronic lower back pain persists for twelve weeks or longer. Both can be assessed and supported through chiropractic care, though the approach and expected timeframe will differ. The underlying spinal cause often exists in both.
Yes, we do accept Medicare Care Plans for chiropractic care from your GP. For first-time patients with a Care Plan, there is a $50 gap payable upon the initial consultation, and a $20 gap payable on subsequent Care Plan consultations.
Chiropractic care is often associated with back pain, but many patients first come to us because of headaches. A significant proportion of recurring headaches — particularly those that start at the base of the skull or radiate from the neck — are linked to tension and restricted movement in the upper cervical spine. This is sometimes called a cervicogenic headache. Through Gonstead spinal assessment, it's often possible to identify whether a spinal component is contributing to your headaches. Chiropractic may not be the right fit for every headache type — and if there's any clinical reason to refer you elsewhere, we'll tell you.
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