Chiropractic Care for Low Back Pain in Brisbane

Chiropractic care for low back pain starts with a thorough assessment to understand what’s driving your pain and to rule out anything that needs a doctor, then a plan that may combine hands-on treatment, such as spinal manipulation or mobilisation, with exercise and advice to keep you moving. Some people arrive the Monday after a weekend of gardening or moving furniture, unable to bend far enough to tie their shoes. Others have watched a dull ache build over months of desk work and long drives across the river. Either way, the questions are the same. What’s going on, how long will it last, and what can I do about it? At our East Brisbane clinic, answering those questions properly is where care begins.

Our East Brisbane Clinic

Our clinic is a short drive from the Brisbane CBD and inner-south Brisbane suburbs such as Coorparoo, Woolloongabba, and Kangaroo Point, with off-street parking at the front. Our chiropractors see people with lower spine and lower limb problems from across Brisbane, from office workers to tradespeople, parents and weekend athletes.

How Common Low Back Pain Is and Why It Happens

Very common. In the ABS 2022 National Health Survey, 15.7% of Australians reported back problems, which is roughly one person in six. Globally, low back pain is the leading cause of disability, according to a 2018 series of papers in The Lancet.

What surprises many people is that, in most cases, no single damaged structure can be identified as the cause. Doctors and chiropractors call this non-specific low back pain. It can sound unsatisfying, but it’s good news: it means there’s no serious disease behind the pain, and most episodes improve with time and the right kind of activity. It’s also common for back pain to come back from time to time, which is why we put as much effort into what you can do yourself as into what happens on the table.

Common Causes, from Muscle Strain to Disc and Joint Problems

Pain in the lower back can come from muscles, ligaments, the discs between the vertebrae, the small joints of the spine, the sacroiliac joints or irritated nerves. A pulled or torn muscle or ligament is one of the most common reasons. Things that can contribute include:

• Lifting, bending and twisting, especially when you’re tired or out of practice

• Long periods sitting at a desk or behind the wheel

• Sport and accidents

• Disc injuries, such as a bulging or herniated disc

• Age-related changes, including arthritis

• Stress, poor sleep and being less active than usual, all of which can affect how much pain you feel

Symptoms to Note, Including Pain That Travels Into the Legs

Back pain can be a dull ache, a sharp catch when you move, or a deep stiffness first thing in the morning. It can arrive all at once or build slowly. Sometimes it spreads into the buttock or down the back of the thigh. If a nerve is irritated, you might also feel pins and needles, numbness or weakness in the leg or foot. Pain running down the leg along the path of the sciatic nerve is commonly called sciatica.

Before your appointment, it helps to notice what makes it better or worse. Sitting, walking, coughing, mornings, the end of the workday: all of it gives us useful clues.

Warning Signs That Mean You Should See a GP or Go to Hospital

A small number of back pain symptoms need urgent medical care. Go to hospital or call 000 if you have new numbness around your groin or bottom, difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder or bowel control, or leg weakness that’s getting worse. These can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, a medical emergency.

See your GP promptly if your back pain comes with a fever, unexplained weight loss, a history of cancer, a recent fall or accident, or severe pain that doesn’t ease at night. We check for all of these at your first visit, and we’ll refer you if anything worries us.

Your First Visit: History Plus Functional, Neurological and Orthopaedic Assessment

Most people with low back pain don’t need a scan. Australia’s Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard recommends saving imaging for people with signs of a serious or specific problem. If we think you need one, we’ll explain why and refer you for an X-ray, or ask your GP to arrange a CT or MRI.

Treatment Options We May Discuss, Including Manual Therapy and Exercise

Your plan is built on what we find, so two people with back pain can end up with quite different care. Options may include spinal manipulation (an adjustment), mobilisation, soft tissue therapy, exercises to restore movement and strength, and advice on your work set-up, lifting and sleeping positions. You always get a choice. If you’d rather not have adjustments, we’ll use other approaches.

During an adjustment you might hear a popping sound. That’s gas being released from the joint, not a bone going “back into place”. The most common side effect of spinal manipulation is temporary soreness or stiffness for a day or two. Serious complications are rare, and we’ll go through the risks with you before you decide.

What Clinical Guidelines Say About Spinal Manipulation for Low Back Pain

Spinal manipulation isn’t a cure, and the research doesn’t suggest it is. What it does suggest is that it can be a useful part of care for some people.

The UK’s NICE guideline on low back pain and sciatica says manual therapy, including spinal manipulation, mobilisation and massage, can be considered, but only as part of a treatment package that includes exercise. A 2017 review in JAMA found spinal manipulation was associated with modest improvements in pain and function for acute low back pain. A 2019 review in The BMJ found that for chronic low back pain, spinal manipulation had effects similar to other recommended treatments, such as exercise.

Put simply, manual therapy can help alongside staying active and exercising, the benefits tend to be modest, and results differ between people.

How Many Visits You Might Need and Why It Varies from Person to Person

There’s no standard number. How long you’ve had the pain, what’s behind it, your job and how your body responds all play a part. We’ll tell you at the start how many visits we expect before we review your progress, and we won’t recommend ongoing or routine visits once your complaint has settled. If things aren’t improving the way they should, we’ll change the plan or refer you on, to your GP or a physiotherapist for example. Australia’s Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard recommends reassessing people whose pain isn’t improving as expected, and we follow the same principle.

Staying Active at Work and Home While Your Back Settles

Bed rest isn’t recommended for low back pain. Keeping as active as you comfortably can, and getting back to normal activities, including work, generally helps recovery. You don’t have to wait until the pain has completely gone to start moving.

At the desk, set your screen at about eye level, keep your feet supported and stand up regularly, even if it’s just to refill your water bottle. At home, bend your knees and keep the load close when you lift, whether that’s the shopping, the washing basket or a toddler. If you run or play sport, ease back in gradually rather than stopping everything or pushing through sharp pain. Heat can also make you more comfortable in the short term. At night, many people find lying on their side with a pillow between their knees, or on their back with a pillow under their knees, eases the strain.

Posture and the Lower Spine

Posture is often blamed for lower spine problems, but research hasn’t found one “correct” posture that prevents them. The spine has natural curves, and people with quite different postures can be equally comfortable. For most people, changing position regularly matters more than holding one “perfect” posture all day. The posture advice a chiropractor gives should focus on practical changes at your desk, in the car and at home, not on forcing your spine into a particular shape.

When Neck Stiffness Comes Along Too

Some people with lower spine problems also notice neck stiffness, often from the same long hours at a desk or behind the wheel. Your chiropractor can assess both areas, and treatment is planned around what the assessment finds. If neck stiffness comes with dizziness, a severe headache, changes to your vision or speech, or weakness, seek medical care first.

Choosing a Chiropractor

When choosing a chiropractor, it’s reasonable to ask how the chiropractor assesses lower body and neck problems, what chiropractic treatment involves, and when chiropractors refer on. All chiropractors practising in Australia must be registered with the Chiropractic Board of Australia through AHPRA, and you can check any chiropractor on the public register at ahpra.gov.au. Registration isn’t an endorsement of any clinic and doesn’t guarantee an outcome. Our chiropractors can help you weigh up whether chiropractic treatment suits you, and if it doesn’t, they’ll help you find another option. If you have questions before you come in, contact the clinic by phone or through the contact form.

A good chiropractor will explain how chiropractic care fits with other options for lower body problems, and won’t recommend chiropractic visits you don’t need. Ask your chiropractor how they’ll measure progress, such as lower limb strength, lower body movement and the everyday activities that matter to you.

Chiropractic and Remedial Massage Under One Roof

We have a qualified remedial massage therapist working in the clinic. If soft tissue work suits your back pain, your chiropractor and massage therapist can plan your care together, without you having to juggle two different practices. Sessions of 60, 90 and 120 minutes are available.

Remedial massage focuses on assessing and treating specific muscles and soft tissues, rather than being a general relaxation massage. For some people with back pain, it’s a helpful addition to chiropractic care and exercise, particularly when tight or sore muscles are making it hard to move freely, though results vary.

Our Services

Our services include a chiropractic assessment, a written Report of Findings, chiropractic treatment where suitable, and remedial sessions with our in-house therapist. Fees for all our services are listed on our Fees and Cost Guide page. If our services aren’t the right fit for your situation, your chiropractor will refer you elsewhere.

Working with Your GP and Other Health Professionals

If your GP, a physiotherapist or another health professional is already involved, let us know. With your consent, we can share our findings so everyone is working from the same plan, and we’ll refer you if another health professional can help more. For health advice outside clinic hours in Queensland, you can call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Booking, Fees, and Health Fund Rebates

You’ll find our current chiropractic and massage fees on our Fees and Cost Guide page, and reception can answer any questions over the phone.

HICAPS is in the clinic, so if your private health extras cover includes chiropractic or remedial massage you can claim on the spot. Check your annual limit with your fund before your visit.

Book online 24/7 or call 07 3393 2201. The clinic is at Unit 4, 32-36 Hampton St, East Brisbane, a short trip from the Brisbane CBD, with early morning, weekday evening and Saturday morning appointments.

Booking an Appointment

To book an appointment, book online 24/7, call 07 3393 2201, or contact us through the contact form. If you’re not sure which appointment to book, contact our team and they’ll help you choose. Our chiropractors can talk through your situation at your first appointment, and you’re free to ask questions before deciding on any treatment.

When low back pain starts getting in the way of work, sleep or picking up the kids, it’s worth getting it properly assessed. Book in, and you’ll leave knowing what’s likely going on, what you can do about it yourself, and whether chiropractic care is a good fit for you.