How much does it cost to see a chiropractor?
If you’re feeling sore, or your everyday routine has taken a toll on your body, you may need to be readjusted by a healthcare professional.
On average, 300,000 Australians visit a chiropractor each week for lower back, neck and shoulder pains, headaches and other muscle and joint problems.
Here we breakdown the costs to see a chiropractor and how extras cover through private health insurance can help.
How much does it cost to see a chiropractor?
For an initial consultation of around 60 minutes, President of the Australian Chiropractors Association Dr Coxon said prices can vary between “$90 to $150” depending on the clinic.
For a standard consultation the prices vary between $60 to $80 depending on the length of the appointment, type of clinic and the expertise of the practitioner.
In Clinical Director and chiropractor at Movement Studio Melbourne Dr Graham Rock’s clinic in Melbourne, his patients are charged based on the length of their appointment.
“We either do a 15 minute appointment more suited to people in the recovery phase for $70 and a 30 minute appointment for $90,” he said.
“We also offer our services $20 cheaper for those on concession.”
Are chiropractic services covered by private health insurance?
Chiropractics is covered in some extras packages. You will need to check with your health insurance as it depends on your level of cover and there may be waiting periods that apply.
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor?
Anyone can see a chiropractor without a referral but you won’t be eligible for the Medicare rebate.
Are chiropractic services covered by Medicare?
Yes, chiropractic services are subsidised under the chronic disease management plan via GP referral. This means with a referral from your GP, you could be entitled to up to five bulk billed visits to the chiropractor per year.
What exactly does a chiropractor do?
Chiropractors diagnose, treat and prevent musculoskeletal conditions, with particular interest in how our bones, tissues and the nervous system relate to the spine and how it functions.
Dr Coxon, said a common misconception is that chiropractic care is “rough, painful and needs to be a loud crack to be effective”.
“Once we understand what the problem is, we can work out whether chiropractic care is suitable and treatments vary significantly according to age and body type,” he said.
“The techniques are very gentle, including specific spinal adjustments or manipulations done by gentle pressures to the spine or various soft tissue techniques, massages, mobilisation and other forms of manual therapy,” he said.
When it comes to helping his patients, Dr Coxon said the “really important thing with chiropractors is that it’s about treating the person not the problem”.
“It’s important to understand what stresses, whether they’re physical, emotional or social in a person’s life, because those influences will determine what sort of care is best for them,” he said.
While the majority of chiropractors do hands-on treatments, Dr Coxon added that specialised spring loaded instruments or electrode therapies also help in spinal manipulation.
Find a better suited extras policy
Dr Rock said he’ll allow 45 minutes to an hour to take a full medical history and a thorough physical examination for an initial consult.
“I’m looking at how the person moves, working out their biggest restrictions to their movements and if they’ll need to be referred for further imaging, like an x-ray,” he said.
“We work to quickly identify what are the causes for their pain, what we can change in their life and aim to do our treatments if we feel it’s safe to do so.”
During his decade long practice, Dr Rock noticed the age of his patients is “getting younger as they’re wanting to avoid problems in the future”.
“We found people really want to be active in preventing and avoiding a relapse of their back or neck pain and most people chose to undergo either maintenance or supportive treatment.”
Dr Rock also observed an increase in headaches alongside upper back and neck pains in his practice.
“A big part of that comes down to people’s natural stress response which is focused in the back, neck, shoulders and also jaw clenching,” he said.
To alleviate the persistent aches and pains, Dr Coxon recommends finding an ergonomic set up and breaking the habit of staying in your seat all day.
“Every time you answer the telephone or receive an email, just stand up, gently stretch backwards to make sure you’re getting those small, easy movements throughout the day,” he said.
RELATED: What is included with chiropractic cover health insurance?
Originally published as How much does it cost to see a chiropractor?
Kirsten JelinekKirsten JelinekncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7wqGcnKOfqsFwuMifnGiln6OyunvCoaCrp6CnrqTAyJxkqaqZmLJwusSwqmarpKS%2FunuVmmybbZKagHSvkZuYbp6VaLFzhZacaWlpkWqGd62RcA%3D%3D