Short answer: No, you don't need an X-ray before seeing a chiropractor, and you don't need one to book. At MPCC we only refer for X-rays when your history and check point to them. When we do, the imaging clinic we refer to bulk bills X-rays our chiropractors request. Posture pictures are not X-rays.
Do I need an X-ray to see a chiropractor?
No. You can book a chiropractor without any scans, and many people are cared for without ever having an X-ray. You don't need a referral to book, either.
X-rays are a tool, not a ticket in. They can be very useful in the right situation, but they aren't needed for everyone. Routine X-rays for every new practice member aren't supported by good evidence, and they involve a small dose of radiation. So the question is never "do we always X-ray?" It's "would an X-ray change what we do for this person?"
When a chiropractor may refer you for X-rays
Your chiropractor decides based on your history and the findings of your check. Situations where X-rays may be useful include:
- After a fall, accident or significant injury, to look at the bones and joints more closely.
- When your history or check raises questions that need a clearer picture before deciding on care.
- Pain that hasn't followed the expected pattern, or that isn't behaving the way your history suggests it should.
- To help plan care where the structure of your spine, such as joint and disc changes over time, may affect which techniques are appropriate.
Just as important is what X-rays can't do. They show bone and joint structure, but they don't show pain. Plenty of people have changes on an X-ray, such as wear in the joints or narrowing between vertebrae, and no pain at all, while others have significant pain and fairly ordinary-looking films. That's why X-rays are read alongside your history and check, never on their own, and why we treat the person, not the picture.
An X-ray also can't show how well your nervous system is controlling your spine. Chiropractors now understand a vertebral subluxation as a change in how the brain controls a spinal segment, not something visible as a bone sitting out of line1. That kind of problem shows up in how a segment moves, how it feels when pressed, and how your nerves, reflexes and muscles test, which is why the hands-on check matters more than any film. More on that in chiropractic and your nervous system.
If your check doesn't point to X-rays, we won't ask for them. And if your history and check point to them, we'll explain why before referring you.
Are chiropractic X-rays bulk billed?
When our chiropractors request X-rays, the imaging clinic we refer to bulk bills them. You're referred to the imaging clinic for your X-rays, and the images and report come back to us. We then go through them with you at your report of findings appointment, so you can see what we're seeing.
What if I already have scans?
Bring them. If you've had X-rays, an MRI, a CT or an ultrasound in the past, the images and reports can be really useful. Bring them along to your first visit or email them through beforehand to mornpenchiro@gmail.com. Existing scans can sometimes mean you don't need new ones. If you're not sure whether an old scan is still relevant, bring it anyway and your chiropractor will let you know.
Do I need a referral for X-rays?
You don't need to organise anything yourself. If your history and check point to X-rays, your chiropractor writes the referral and our front desk can explain where to go.
Posture pictures vs X-rays: what's the difference?
At your first visit, we take digital posture pictures. People sometimes assume these are X-rays. They aren't. They're ordinary photos that show how you stand from the front and side, which helps your chiropractor see things like head position and shoulder or hip height, and gives a baseline to compare with later. You'll see them at your report of findings appointment too.
| Posture pictures | X-rays | |
|---|---|---|
| What they show | How you stand, from the outside | Bones and joints of the spine, from the inside |
| Radiation | None, they're ordinary digital photos | A small dose |
| Who gets them | Every new practice member | Only when your history and check point to them |
| Where | In our clinic, at your new patient appointment | At the imaging clinic we refer you to |
| Cost | Part of your new patient appointment | Bulk billed when requested by our chiropractors |
| Why we use them | A baseline, together with your questionnaire | A clearer picture where it may change your care |
How we approach this at MPCC
Your first visit is a new patient appointment, 30–40 minutes long. It includes:
- Your health history, including past accidents and injuries.
- Digital posture pictures, which, together with your online questionnaire, give your chiropractor a baseline.
- A thorough chiropractic, orthopaedic and neurological check of your spine, joints and nerves.
- If your check points to it, a referral for standing spinal X-rays.
Whether you're adjusted on the first visit is up to the clinical judgement of your chiropractor. Often more testing comes first, sometimes X-rays. At your report of findings appointment, we go through what we found in plain English, with your pictures and any X-rays in front of you, and explain whether we can help and what care would involve. If you're curious how findings guide care, our article on how chiropractors know where to adjust explains more.
The new patient appointment is $195, or $125 when booked online through our website (new practice members only, one per person). The report of findings appointment is $95. See our new patients page for the full step-by-step, or fees and health funds for costs and rebates.
References (1)
- Haavik H, et al. (2021). Contemporary model of vertebral column joint dysfunction. Eur J Appl Physiol. doi:10.1007/s00421-021-04727-z