Someone comes in holding a scan report. The word on it is bursitis. They've usually been told the same thing. There's a small fluid-filled cushion on the outside of your hip, it's inflamed, and a cortisone injection will settle it down. Sometimes they've already had the injection. It helped for a few weeks. Then the pain came back. Here's what I tell them. That word on the report is probably wrong. And because the label is wrong, the treatment that follows it is often wrong t

"What mattress should I buy?" I get asked this almost as often as I get asked about posture. Usually by someone who's been putting up with back pain for months and has decided the bed must be the culprit. Sometimes they've spent thousands on a brand new mattress and have come to see me frustrated because it made no difference. Some of them feel worse. Here's what I tell them. Your mattress and your sleeping position matter. There's real research behind both, and I'll walk you

There's a sentence I hear almost every week in my clinic. "The doctor said it's just wear and tear. It's my age. There's nothing that can be done." People say it flatly. Like a verdict they've already accepted. They hand me a scan report with the words "degenerative disc disease" on it. Somewhere along the way, they decided their spine is simply running out of road. I understand why. The word "disease" is frightening. The word "degenerative" sounds like a one-way street. Put

One of the most common messages I get the morning after a first visit goes something like this: "Is it normal that I'm a bit sore today?" Usually followed by, "And what was that crack?" Both are great questions, and you're not being dramatic by asking them. Feeling a little sore after a chiro adjustment is common, and the cracking sound is far less mysterious than it seems. Let me explain both, and just as importantly, the signs that mean you should pick up the phone. Is it n

If you've just been in a car accident, first of all, I'm sorry. Even a small bump can leave you shaken, and it's often the next morning, when your neck won't turn properly, that it really hits you.

Waking up stiff and sore? Your sleeping posture may be quietly loading your spine all night. A Clyde North chiropractor explains what actually helps.

Most Australians assume their private health insurance either covers chiropractic fully or not at all. The reality is more nuanced, and understanding it before your first appointment can save you time, money, and confusion at the front desk.

If your headaches keep returning despite rest, medication, and time, the problem may not be in your head at all. A structural issue in the upper cervical spine is one of the most commonly overlooked drivers of recurring headaches, and it is something chiropractic assessment can specifically evaluate.

Most people pick between a chiropractor and a physiotherapist based on whoever has the earliest appointment. This guide explains what actually separates the two approaches, what each one looks at, and how to make a more informed decision about your spine and your health.

Brain fog is often dismissed as stress, poor sleep, or just getting older. But if you have already tried resting, cutting caffeine, and overhauling your diet without lasting change, the answer may lie somewhere most people never think to look: your spine.

If you've never been to a chiropractor before, you've probably Googled some version of "what to expect." And every result says roughly the same thing. You'll fill out some forms. The chiropractor will examine you. You might get adjusted on the first visit. That's technically true. But it leaves out the part that matters most. Here's what I believe. Nobody should adjust your spine before they understand its structure. An adjustment without a proper assessment is a guess. And g

I didn't always practise this way. When I graduated, I adjusted spines the way most chiropractors do. Find the stiff joint, adjust it, and move on. And for a lot of people, that worked. They felt better, they moved better, and they came back when things flared up again. But the "came back when things flared up again" part started to bother me. I kept seeing the same people, for the same problems, in the same pattern. Relief, return, relief, return. The adjustments were helpin

You've been told to sit up straight your entire life. Teachers said it. Your parents said it. The ergonomics poster in the break room says it. And you've tried. You straighten up, hold it for a few minutes, and then your body drifts right back to where it was. You end up feeling like posture is a willpower problem. Like you'd sit properly if you just tried harder. Here's what nobody tells you: the reason you can't hold "good posture" isn't discipline. It's structure. Your spi

Here's something that happens more often than you'd think. Someone comes in for neck pain. We work through the history, the examination, the findings. And then, right at the end, almost as an afterthought, they say: "Oh, and I get headaches too. But that's separate." It's almost never separate. I've lost count of how many people have told me about their headaches like they're a personality trait. Something they've inherited, or simply have to live with. They've been managing

I'm going to do something unusual here and tell you exactly what to look for in a chiropractor, including the things most of us in the profession would rather you didn't ask. Not because there's anything to hide. But because the chiropractic industry is broad, and the gap between average care and excellent care is wider than most patients realise. Two chiropractors can have identical qualifications, work in the same suburb, and deliver completely different levels of care. One

There's a question I ask almost everyone who walks into my clinic with neck pain. "How many hours a day would you say you spend looking down at a screen?" The number is almost always higher than they expect. Between phones, laptops, tablets, and driving, most people I see are spending four to six hours a day with their head tilted forward. Some are closer to eight. And almost none of them have connected that habit to the pain that brought them in. Here's what I want you to un

The three supplements Dr. Cherrett recommends to almost every practice member with back pain: magnesium glycinate, omega 3, and vitamin D3. I get asked about supplements constantly. Practice members sit across from me at Cherrett Chiropractic and ask some version of the same question: "Is there anything I can take to help with my recovery?" And I always give them an honest answer, which usually surprises them. Yes. There are supplements worth taking. But not the ones most peo

There's a phrase I hear almost every week in my clinic. "I've just got a bad back." People say it like it's a life sentence. Like having a bad back is simply part of who they are, the same way someone might say they're left-handed or they don't like mornings. They've usually tried things. Some stretching or exercises. Some anti-inflammatories. A few weeks of rest. Things felt better for a while. Then something ordinary happened — bending to pick up a bag, sitting through a lo

There's a scene that plays out in my clinic almost every week. Someone walks in holding a folded MRI report like it's a death sentence. They slide it across to me, point to a word, herniation, degeneration, protrusion, and say some version of the same sentence: "So that's it, isn't it? My spine's stuffed." I understand why they feel that way. When you're in pain and a scan hands you a frightening word, it's natural to assume the word is the problem. But here's what I've learn

By Dr Ashley Cherrett (Chiropractor, BAppSc(Chiro), BHlthSc) — Cherrett Chiropractic, Clyde North You sit down at your desk at 9am. By the afternoon your neck is tight, your head is pounding, and you are reaching for another coffee just to keep going. Then you get home. The kids want your attention, and you want to give it to them. But you are running on empty. Sore, drained, and counting down to bedtime so you can finally switch off. You have probably told yourself it is jus