Short answer: There's no particular age at which you should see a chiropractor. What matters more than your age is what's going on: back or neck pain, stiffness, headaches, or a problem that keeps coming back. Adults see chiropractors through working life, pregnancy and later years. If you're unsure whether we're right for you, call us.
At what age should you see a chiropractor? It's about the problem, not the birthday
People usually start thinking about a chiropractor when something stops them doing what they want to do. Their back goes when they bend to put their shoes on. Their neck is stiff after long days at a screen. A headache seems to start at the base of the skull. Or an old problem keeps coming back.
Those things can happen at any stage of adult life. So rather than asking "am I the right age?", a better question is "is this the kind of problem a chiropractor checks?" Our article on how to know if you need a chiropractor goes through that in more detail.
Chiropractic through the stages of adult life
| Stage | Common reasons people come in | What we take into account |
|---|---|---|
| Working age | Low back pain, neck pain, desk posture, physical work, sport | Your job, how you sit and lift, training and old injuries |
| Pregnancy | Low back, pelvic and hip discomfort as the body changes | Your stage of pregnancy and your health history |
| Later years | Stiffness, long-standing back or neck problems, staying active | Your health history, scans and what you want to keep doing |
Working age
Many of the people we see are juggling work, family and everything else. Long hours at a desk, driving, lifting on the job, and weekend sport can all play a part in back and neck problems. Our pages on back pain and tech neck explain how we check these.
Pregnancy
We do see pregnant practice members. Your body changes a lot in a short time, and many people find their low back, pelvis or hips let them know about it. Your chiropractor will ask about your pregnancy as part of your history, and take it into account in your check and any care. Read more on our pregnancy chiropractic page.
Later years
Plenty of people see a chiropractor well into later life. Problems that have built up over decades, and wanting to keep walking, gardening, playing golf or travelling, are common reasons. Your history and any previous scans matter here, so bring them along. If X-rays are needed, we only refer when your history and check point to them.
Whatever your stage of life, it helps to come prepared. Fill in your online questionnaire before you arrive, and bring any recent scans or reports. The more we know about your history, the more useful your first visit will be.
Later years: balance, reaction time and your nervous system
Staying steady on your feet relies on a constant flow of information from your joints and muscles to your brain. It's part of how you sense where your feet are and react when you catch a toe. The small, deep muscles around your spine are packed with sensors that feed into this system, and researchers describe a vertebral subluxation as a spinal segment the brain isn't sensing or controlling well1.
One well-designed trial looked at this in adults over 65. After 12 weeks, the group receiving chiropractic care improved on a choice-stepping reaction test by about 119 milliseconds, got better at combining sound and vision in a sensory integration test, and sensed the position of their ankle more accurately, compared with a control group2.
Those are balance and reaction markers, measured in one trial. Falls themselves weren't measured, so the trial can't tell us whether fewer people fell. What it does show is that the nervous system of older adults responded to care in ways worth studying further. We explain more in chiropractic and your nervous system.
Is chiropractic suitable for everyone?
Chiropractic isn't the right fit for every person or every problem, at any age. That's why we check thoroughly before we do anything, and why we'll tell you straight if we don't think we can help.
Your new patient appointment includes your full health history, including past accidents and injuries, and a thorough chiropractic, orthopaedic and neurological check. Whether you're adjusted on the first visit is up to the clinical judgement of your chiropractor. Often more testing comes first. Care is tailored to the person in front of us, and we use a range of approaches, including hands-on adjustments, a flexion-distraction table for the low back, and home exercise advice.
If you're not sure whether we're right for you, call us on 03 9787 8518 and ask. Michelle or Mercedes are happy to talk it through.
How we approach this at MPCC
- New patient appointment. Your story, posture pictures, and a thorough chiropractic, orthopaedic and neurological check of your spine, joints and nerves. 30 to 40 minutes.
- Report of findings appointment. What we found, in plain English, whether we can help, and what we'd do. If we can't help, we'll say so.
- Your choice. You decide whether to go ahead.
A new patient appointment is $195, or $125 when you book online through our website (new practice members only, one per person). Report of findings and standard appointments are $95. HICAPS is on the desk, and Medicare care plans and DVA can help with the cost. See your first appointment, start to finish.
References (2)
- Haavik H, et al. (2021). Contemporary model of vertebral column joint dysfunction. Eur J Appl Physiol. doi:10.1007/s00421-021-04727-z
- Holt KR, et al. (2016). Sensorimotor function and falls risk in older people after chiropractic care. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.003