Resources for Australian Chiropractors

Is your chiropractic website Ahpra compliant?

Identify potential issues in minutes with our free tool.

A practical guide to the Ahpra advertising rules every chiropractor needs to understand, including real examples of common issues and a free AI-powered audit to review your website.

Why chiropractors specifically?

Chiropractic ads are watched more closely than many practices realise

The Chiropractic Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) have identified advertising compliance as a strong focus for the profession.

If your website includes unsupported claims, clinical testimonial content, or language that suggests chiropractic care can deliver specific outcomes, you may be at risk of breaching Ahpra advertising guidelines. Breaches carry substantial fines, and Ahpra can act on a complaint from anyone — including your competitors — making compliance more important than ever.

The practical reality.

Most chiropractors who get an Ahpra notification aren’t trying to break the rules. The risk often comes from how you promote your practice — confident headlines, patient-focused promises, or treatment claims that are not supported by adequate evidence can all unintentionally cross the line.

What changes the outcome is whether you can show you have reviewed your site and addressed the obvious issues. This page will help you do exactly that.

The Five Rules

What Ahpra actually checks for on a chiropractic website

These are the five advertising prohibitions under section 133 of the National Law, written for chiropractors and illustrated with the kinds of wording that come up most often in practice.

Unsupported or unclear claims can mislead patients (Section 133(1)(A))

If your website names conditions, promotes treatment outcomes or claims specialist experience, the wording needs to be accurate and supported by acceptable evidence. The risk is not limited to obviously false claims. Advertising may also be misleading if it suggests more than the evidence supports, makes claims of areas of specialisation, or lists non-musculoskeletal conditions without clarifying which aspects chiropractic care may assist with.

Likely breach

Calling yourself a "specialist paediatric chiropractor" or "specialist in sports injuries" — chiropractic has no Ahpra-approved specialist registration.

Better wording

“Chiropractor with a specific interest in paediatric musculoskeletal care” or “Chiropractor with experience in sports-related complaints.”

If you offer a discount or incentive, spell out the terms (Section 133(1)(B))

“New patient special” offers are common in chiropractic — and they’re allowed. What’s not allowed is hiding the conditions. Every offer needs the full price, what’s included who’s eligible, when it expires, and any exclusions, in clear plain language, either on the same page or clearly linked.

Likely breach

“New patient special — first visit just $39!” with no further information about what's included or excluded.

Better wording

“New patient initial consultation $39 (normally $120). Includes a 30-minute history-taking and examination. Does not include treatment, x-rays or any follow-up appointment. Offer valid until 31 December 2026 for new patients only.”

Most patient testimonials are off limits (Section 133(1)(C))

This is the rule chiropractors most often get caught by. Any testimonial that mentions a clinical aspect — symptoms, conditions, treatments, outcomes — cannot be used in advertising. That includes the testimonials page on your website, screenshots of Google reviews, star-rating widgets, and resharing reviews on social media. It applies even if the patient happily volunteered the review.

This only applies to reviews on platforms controlled by the practice — reviews on third party platforms such as your Google Business Profile are allowed but you should be careful in how you respond to them.

Likely breach

“★★★★★ I came in with sciatica I'd had for months and after 3 sessions with Dr Mark I was pain-free. Life-changing!” — Sarah K.

Better wording

Non-clinical reviews of your service (parking, friendliness, ease of booking) are okay.

Don't make promises you can't keep (Section 133(1)(D))

Advertising can’t create unreasonable expectations of the benefit of treatment. For chiropractors, this means watching out for language that guarantees outcomes, implies cure rather than care, or suggests a single answer for every patient.

Likely breach

“Guaranteed relief from back pain", “Eliminate your migraines for good", “Restore your nervous system to optimal function" or “the only solution your spine will ever need."

Better wording

"Many patients find relief from back pain with chiropractic care. Outcomes vary depending on the underlying cause, and we'll let you know if we don't think we can help."

Don't push care people don't need (Section 133(1)(E))

Advertising must not encourage indiscriminate or unnecessary use of chiropractic services. Wording that suggests a patient’s health may suffer if they don’t act quickly, implying that regular care is essential for optimal health, or incentives that encourage a person to attend more appointments than clinically warranted have all been flagged as breaches.

Likely breach

“Every child should have a spinal check from birth", “Pre-pay for 40 visits and save 20%", or framing routine ongoing adjustments as essential for "wellness" or "immune function."

Better wording

"We recommend treatment plans based on clinical need, reviewed regularly. Care plans are individualised — there is no fixed number of visits that suits every patient."

Free site audit

See how your website stacks up

Paste your website URL below. Our AI will read the page, check every line against the five rules above, and tell you exactly which phrases might need rewording — with a suggested rewrite for each.

Audit your chiropractor website

Takes about 15 seconds. We don't store your URL or send you anything unless you ask us to.

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Free audit includes an initial review of up to five pages. For full-site recommendations, see our complete AHPRA audit service.

Tailored to chiropractors

The AI is briefed on specific guidance from Ahpra and the Chiropractic Board of Australia, not generic compliance rules.

Self-assessment, not surveillance

We don't report findings to Ahpra. This is for your eyes — to help you fix issues yourself.

No legal advice

For anything genuinely contentious, we'll always point you to your indemnity insurer or a regulatory lawyer.

About this tool. Built as a self-assessment aid based on the Ahpra Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service, section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, and published guidance from the Chiropractic Board of Australia. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee compliance. For formal advice, consult your professional indemnity insurer or a regulatory lawyer. Official Ahpra resources are available at ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Advertising-hub.

Is your chiropractic website Ahpra compliant?

Advertising compliance is an ongoing focus for the chiropractic profession, and many website breaches stem from everyday marketing language rather than deliberate misconduct.

Claims about treatment outcomes, testimonials, areas of specialty, and patient offers can all break the rules if not worded carefully. Our practical guide explains the five key advertising guidelines chiropractors need to understand, with real examples of common breaches and a free AI-powered audit that helps identify potential issues on your website in minutes.

Still have questions? Contact us