What to look for in your Healthcare provider?
What to Look For (Evidence-Based Green Flags)
✅ 1.🧠 Evidence-informed approach
They should talk about:
Combining manual therapy + exercise + education
Focusing on load management, not “alignment” or “subluxations”
Using graded exposure, strength work, and movement retraining
🟢 Ask: “How do you combine manual therapy with active rehab?”
A good answer: “I use adjustments or soft-tissue work to improve mobility, then give exercises to make those changes last.”
2. ⚙️ Movement & performance focus
Sports chiros who understand biomechanics will:
Assess running gait, hip/ankle mobility, and core control
Link findings to training load and performance
Prescribe drills or activation work that fit your running program
3.🧩 Integration with other providers
Look for someone who:
Collaborates with physios, coaches, or strength trainers
Uses consistent terminology with broader sports science (not just “adjustments”)
Encourages self-management and strength training, not passive reliance
🟢 Ask: “Do you coordinate care with other sports medicine professionals?”
4.🩹 Realistic outcome expectations
Evidence-based practitioners won’t promise to “fix” you in one session.
They’ll explain:
The likely time course of healing
The need for progressive exercise
The role of your training load, sleep, and nutrition
🟢 Ask: “What kind of timeframe should I expect for improvement?”
🚩 . Red Flags (Outdated or Pseudoscientific Practices)
Avoid practitioners who:
❌ Talk about “realigning” the spine or “putting bones back in place”
❌ Claim to “fix subluxations” or “nervous system interference”
❌ Discourage exercise, running, or strength work
❌ Recommend indefinite “maintenance” visits without clinical reasoning
❌ Can’t explain their approach in plain, evidence-based terms
If it sounds like 1990s chiropractic philosophy, it probably is. Modern sports chiros use the same biomechanical and rehab science as sports physios.
📊 . Check Qualifications & Focus
Look for postgraduate sports or rehab training (e.g. ICSSP, ASCA, or Strength & Conditioning certifications).
Membership in groups like Sports Chiropractic Australia or Sports Medicine Australia is a good sign.
Experience with your sport or injury!
🧭 . Evidence-Based Treatment Philosophy (the gold standard)
A top-tier sports chiropractor or physio should follow this model:
Biopsychosocial approach
They consider load, stress, sleep, mindset, and lifestyle — not just joints.
Active > passive
Manual therapy supports, but doesn’t replace, training and rehab.
Individualized plan
Rehab and mobility work are based on your training demands.
Shared decision-making
You’re involved in setting goals and timelines.
Do you like them?
A strong therapeutic alliance is required for great results, if you don’t get along with your practitioner you might be better suited elsewhere!
