Chiro vs physio vs osteo, honestly.

If you are googling this, you probably have a problem and three confusingly similar options. Here is the honest version, including when we would not be your best choice.

	Chiropractor	Physiotherapist	Osteopath
Core approach	Joint and spine focused hands-on care, plus exercise and load management. Modern chiros work across the whole musculoskeletal system.	Exercise-led rehabilitation, hands-on treatment, strong hospital and post-surgical tradition.	Whole-of-body hands-on treatment with a focus on how regions influence each other.
Typical strengths	Back pain, neck pain, headaches, joint restriction, athletes wanting hands-on work plus a plan.	Post-surgical rehab, structured exercise programs, workplace injury pathways.	People who prefer gentler, broader hands-on treatment.
Appointment style	Varies widely by clinic. Ours are 20 to 45 minutes with hands-on care and exercises in the same visit.	Often 30 minutes, exercise-heavy, hands-on time varies.	Often 30 to 45 minutes, mostly hands-on.
Registration	All three are AHPRA-registered professions in Australia with university degrees. None requires a GP referral.

The honest bit

The overlap between the three professions is bigger than any of them likes to admit, and the individual practitioner matters more than the letters after their name. A good physio and a good chiro will often do remarkably similar things for the same back pain.

When we are a good fit: you want hands-on treatment and a clear plan in the same appointment, you are a runner or active person with a niggle, or you have back pain, neck pain, or headaches that keep returning.

When we will send you elsewhere: fresh post-surgical rehab, suspected fractures or conditions needing imaging and medical management, or anything outside our scope. We refer out every week and we are not precious about it.