Australian chiropractors are renowned for their expertise in diagnosing musculoskeletal issues. To do this, they use a variety of methods, such as practical clinical examination and diagnostic imaging like x-rays. Data from registered chiropractors reveals that New South Wales is home to 34% of Australian chiropractors, while 27% practice in Victoria. Additionally, 50% of chiropractors are under 40 years of age.
It is not known how many chiropractors are members of both professional associations, so the total number of chiropractors who received the email is likely to be less than 3700. More experienced Australian chiropractors tend to use more activator and soft tissue therapy and a less diversified technique compared to their less experienced peers. The diversified technique was reported to be the most commonly used technique system among Australian chiropractors. The survey results indicate that Australian chiropractors often include exercise prescription and soft tissue therapy in their treatments, but rarely use electrophysical therapies. The objective of this research was to provide information on what treatment approaches Australian chiropractors use most frequently to treat musculoskeletal conditions of the spine. A number of problems related to the use of full spinal radiography by chiropractors were identified and examined, including barriers that prevented compliance with published guidelines on spinal imaging, the absence of a reporting mechanism for the use of spinal radiography in chiropractic, and the existence of a spectrum of beliefs among chiropractors about the clinical utility and limitations of complete spinal radiography. Differences in the first choice of treatment (in%) between chiropractors who practice less than 10 years and those who practice more than 10 years were also calculated.
Survey response rates were compared to the number of chiropractors in professional associations and the number of chiropractors in Australia. To find a qualified chiropractor, you can use the “Find an external member/link” tool from Chiropractic Australia or the “Find an external link to a chiropractor” tool from the Australian Chiropractic Association. The surveys were distributed through emails from the two main Australian chiropractic associations and it's impossible to know how many chiropractors actually received and read the emails.
