Acute pain
When your back or neck locks up, ring us and we will check the day's book
Ring the clinic if your back or neck has just gone. We will check the day's book and tell you what is free.
Read this first
We are not an emergency service. If you have loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the saddle area, weakness in both legs, or pain after a serious accident, call 000 or go to an emergency department.
Those signs need emergency assessment, not a chiropractic appointment.[1] We see people during clinic hours and are not an on-call or overnight service. If something cannot wait until we open, call 000 or speak to a doctor.
How to get a time today
Ring us, and we will look at the book
Ring us; the phone is the quickest way to get a time. Tell reception what has happened and they will tell you honestly what is free. If you have booked online already, ring as well so we know you need to be seen today.
If the day is full we will say so and help you work out the next step, rather than booking you into a time that does not help.
What people ring about
Sudden pain we see often
An acute problem is still assessed before it is treated, so we understand what has happened before anything is adjusted.
A lower back that has suddenly seized or gone into spasm
A locked neck you woke up with, or one that will not turn
Pain after an awkward lift, twist or knock
A sudden strain playing sport or at the gym
A flare-up of a disc or nerve problem you already know about
A tension-type headache you know well, flared up with the neck tightness that usually goes with it
Before you get here
What to do while you wait
General advice for an ordinary acute episode, not a substitute for being examined.
Keep moving gently
Staying active and getting back to your usual activities as soon as you reasonably can is what the Australian clinical care standard for low back pain advises, and it says prolonged bed rest should be discouraged.[1] Move within what you can tolerate rather than waiting for the pain to go first.
Ice or heat, whichever suits
Some people settle better with ice on the area, others with heat. Neither is the treatment, and there is no need to labour on with one that makes you feel worse. Use whichever is more comfortable, for short spells.
Get out of the chair
Long stretches of sitting tend to stiffen an already irritable back. Break it up, change position often, and give the drive over some thought if you are coming from Glen Waverley or further out.
On the day
It is still a full first visit
Urgent does not mean abbreviated. A first appointment is the $99 New Patient Visit, and it covers the same ground however sore you are when you arrive.
- Health history and consultation
- Full Gonstead examination
- X-rays if clinically indicated, with any fee explained first
- Report of findings
- First adjustment if clinically indicated
Read the first visit step by step, or see the problems we see most often.
Sources
- 1. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard, 2022. View source
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a substitute for individual care. The guideline and regulatory positions above are drawn from the cited sources.
Content updated .
If it has just gone, ring us
(03) 9548 5050 during opening hours, or book the $99 New Patient Visit online.