Allied Health Discipline
Evidence-Based Practice for
Chiropractic in Australia
Chiropractors in Australia are registered with AHPRA under the Chiropractic Board of Australia. The chiropractic evidence base is concentrated in musculoskeletal conditions, particularly low back pain, neck pain, and headache, where systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines from NHMRC, Cochrane, and international bodies provide a strong evidence foundation. OpenBook Clinical allows chiropractors to rapidly access this literature, filtered and graded so that the highest-quality evidence is surfaced first.
Key Clinical Conditions
- Acute and chronic low back pain
- Cervical neck pain and stiffness
- Cervicogenic headache
- Mechanical thoracic pain
- Sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy
- Sacroiliac joint pain and pelvic girdle pain
- Sports-related musculoskeletal injuries
- Paediatric musculoskeletal presentations
Key Assessment Tools
- Oswestry Disability Index (ODI): lumbar disability
- Neck Disability Index (NDI)
- Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
- Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ)
Databases Searched
- Cochrane Musculoskeletal and Back Groups
- PubMed / MEDLINE (chiropractic and manual therapy)
- Index to Chiropractic Literature
- NHMRC Clinical Practice Guidelines
Australian Guidelines
- NHMRC Management of Low Back Pain in Adults (2022)
- Chiropractic Australia: Evidence-Informed Practice Standards
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality: Musculoskeletal Care Standard
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners: Acute Musculoskeletal Pain
Ready to search the Chiropractic evidence base?
OpenBook Clinical searches 35 million papers across PubMed, Cochrane, and Australian guidelines. AI-synthesised summaries. Evidence graded by quality. Free to try.