The injury that just happened
A rolled ankle, a pulled hamstring, a shoulder that went in a tackle. The first two weeks decide most of how this goes, and the assessment separates what needs protecting from what needs loading.
More on sports injuries
Sports chiropractic in Brunswick
Sports injury chiropractor in Brunswick
See an AHPRA-registered chiropractor on Melville Road for a sports injury. Your first appointment tests the injury properly, explains what's driving it, and in most cases starts treatment on the day.
- Rehabilitation space on site
- No referral needed
- Claim on the spot with HICAPS
- Open six days
Sports injury chiropractic at Brunswick Health provides clinical assessment and targeted management for acute sprains and strains, overuse and tendon injuries, and the joint and back pain that comes with training. Chiropractic, physiotherapy and remedial massage all run from the same building, so the assessment decides which discipline leads rather than the booking you happened to make.
How long it takes
About 30 min
Your first appointment gives your chiropractor enough time to test the injury properly, work out what's driving it and, in most cases, start treatment on the same visit.
When you can come
Six days
Monday to Friday 8:45am–7:00pm and Saturday 8:45am–4:00pm, so a Saturday game can be looked at before Monday.
Referral
Not needed
Book directly. Bring the paperwork if you have a GP care plan, and any imaging or a specialist letter if you already have them.
What people come in with
The one that built up slowly
Runner's knee, Achilles pain, shin pain, a shoulder that only hurts after a session. These are load errors far more often than accidents, so the assessment looks at training volume as closely as at the tissue.
More on runner's kneeKnees, and everything below them
The knee is the joint runners injure most, and the lower limb carries more sports injuries than any other region. Patellofemoral pain, ITB pain, shin pain, Achilles and plantar heel pain all sit here and all get tested apart, because the treatment differs.
More on knee painGetting back to it
There's a rehabilitation space on site to be shown your exercises properly rather than sent home with a diagram, and shockwave therapy here for stubborn tendon problems.
More on shockwave therapyWhere sports injuries land
The injuries that come through most
Most sports injuries are overuse rather than accident — the load went up faster than the tissue adapted. The lower limb takes more of them than any other region, which is why so much of this list sits below the waist.
Ankle and foot
Rolled ankles, and the heel and arch pain that builds over a season. Ligament testing separates a sprain that needs loading early from one that needs protecting first.
Knee
The joint runners injure most. Pain at the front of the knee and pain down the outside of the thigh are different problems with different answers, and the testing tells them apart.
Shin and calf
Shin pain and calf tightness that arrive when training load steps up. The assessment looks at how fast the load changed, because that is usually the cause.
Achilles and tendons
Tendon pain rarely responds to rest alone. It responds to being loaded in the right way at the right time, which is what the plan is for.
Hamstring and groin
The classic sprinting injury, and the one most likely to recur if the return to sport is rushed. Strength testing decides when you go back, not the calendar.
Back, neck and shoulder
The spine is one of the most commonly injured areas in triathletes, and shoulders take the load in swimming and contact sport. Both are assessed for the joint and the soft tissue together.
Injury patterns above are drawn from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare(opens in a new tab) and from systematic reviews of running and triathlon injury. Which of them applies to you is decided at an assessment, not from a list.
Your first visit
What a first appointment involves
About 30 minutes, with enough time for your chiropractor to test the injury properly, work out what is driving it and explain what they find.
Or call (03) 9380 8099 and reception will find you the earliest time.
Tell us what happened, and when
How the injury happened, what you felt at the time, what you've been able to do since, and what you're trying to get back to. A date and a mechanism narrow it faster than a description of the pain.
Physical testing
Movement, strength, joint testing and the specific tests for the tissue involved. This is what separates a joint problem from a muscle, tendon or nerve problem, because the four aren't managed the same way.
What's driving it, in plain English
What the testing found, what's likely going on, and roughly how long tissue of that type takes to settle. If imaging or another discipline is the right next step, you're told that here.
Treatment and a loading plan
Treatment on the day in most cases, then the exercises that rebuild capacity, shown properly in the rehabilitation space rather than handed over as a sheet.
You don't have to pick the right discipline first
Chiropractic, physiotherapy, podiatry and remedial massage all run from this building, on one booking system.
That matters for a sports injury more than for most things, because the right answer genuinely varies. A restricted or painful joint is chiropractic ground. A tendon that needs its capacity rebuilt is usually a loading programme, which is physiotherapy's. A foot or gait problem driving a knee is podiatry's. Plenty of injuries need two of the three.
So the assessment decides which discipline leads, and if it isn't the one you booked, your practitioner says so and walks you across rather than keeping the case.
Who you'll see
Three AHPRA-registered chiropractors, each with at least fifteen years in practice. Book with whoever suits your schedule, or ask reception who is best placed for your injury.
Dr Hamilton Mack races triathlon and marathons himself, and his practice centres on sports injuries and return-to-activity care. He has worked with athletes across motorsport, AFL, triathlon and dance — so the conversation about your training week starts from someone who has one.
More about Dr Hamilton Mack
Dr Kenneth Taylor
Senior Consultant Chiropractor
Registered since 2009, 17 years in practice
AHPRA CHI0000988624
Dr Hamilton Mack
Senior Consultant Chiropractor
Registered since 2010, 16 years in practice
AHPRA CHI0001594711
Dr Beau Billett
Senior Consultant Chiropractor
Registered since 2011, 15 years in practice
AHPRA CHI0001668642
What you pay
| Appointment | Item | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation and examination | 1002 | $125 |
| Standard consultation | 1005 | $78 |
Chiropractic claims on any extras policy that includes it, with the rebate depending on your level of cover and your remaining annual limit. HICAPS is on site, so you claim at the terminal and pay the gap.
With a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, Medicare rebates $63.40 a session as at July 2026, for up to 5 sessions a year shared across chiropractic, physiotherapy and podiatry. You don't need one to come in.
Logos shown are examples. Claiming works the same way with any fund your practitioner is registered with. Ask at the front desk if you are not sure about yours.
Or call (03) 9380 8099 and reception will find you the earliest time.
What people say about the clinic
4.9398 Google Reviews
Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 398 Google reviews.These reviews describe the experience of visiting the clinic. This is a registered health profession, so we are not permitted to publish comments about treatment or its results, those are on our Google listing.
“Brunswick Health is a place where you come to a positive environment, get looked after just like your Grandmother would, and get treated like a friend.”
Andrew SotiGoogle review “Very professional, always taking time to explain. The reception staff are very friendly and booking appointments is quick and easy.”
Darren MooreGoogle review “Everything just feels right, well above expectations from start to finish.”
Janette LeeGoogle review
Questions
Questions about sports injury chiropractic
Should I see a chiropractor or a physiotherapist for a sports injury?
The assessment decides, and both are in this building, so you don't have to pick correctly before you book. As a rule of thumb, chiropractic leads where a joint is restricted or painful and physiotherapy leads where the answer is a loading programme for a muscle or tendon — but plenty of injuries need both, and your practitioner will say so and refer you across the corridor rather than keep the case.
How soon after an injury should I come in?
Once you've ruled out anything that needs an emergency department, the first two weeks are the ones that matter most. Early assessment is mostly about protecting what needs protecting and starting to load what needs loading, and getting that balance wrong for a fortnight is what turns a short problem into a long one.
Should I ice a sports injury?
Ice is reasonable for short-term pain relief in the first day or two, and that's the extent of what it reliably does. The advice to ice aggressively to stop inflammation has fallen out of favour, because inflammation is part of how tissue repairs — current guidance emphasises protecting the area briefly, then loading it gradually, over prolonged rest and icing.
Do you have rehabilitation facilities on site?
Yes. There's a rehabilitation space at the clinic, so you're shown your exercises and corrected on them rather than sent home with a diagram. Shockwave therapy is also available here for stubborn tendon problems.
Can I claim a sports injury appointment on private health?
Chiropractic claims on any extras policy that includes it, with the rebate depending on your level of cover and your remaining annual limit. HICAPS is on site, so you claim at the terminal and pay the gap rather than the full fee.
When does a sports injury need urgent care instead?
An obvious deformity, an inability to bear any weight at all, a joint that has dislocated, numbness or loss of power in a limb, or a head knock with confusion, vomiting or drowsiness all need a hospital emergency department rather than an appointment here. If in doubt after a head knock, treat it as urgent.
Bookings
Get the injury looked at this week
Open six days, no referral needed, and treatment starts on the first visit in most cases.
No payment needed to book · Confirmation by SMS · No referral needed