Around 95 percent of the patients walking into our clinic in Cleveland are dealing with a sports injury, a training niggle, or a flare-up from an old one. Here is how we approach rehabilitation, what the evidence supports, and what you can expect from your first visit through to full return to sport.
Common sports injuries we see in the Redlands
The Redlands has one of the most active outdoor sporting communities in South East Queensland. We back onto the bay, which means ocean swimmers, paddlers, and surfers. We sit next to the bush, which means trail runners and mountain bikers. And we have strong local competitions across rugby, AFL, football, netball, and cricket.
Across a typical week, the injuries we see most often fall into five buckets:
- Lower back pain from loaded movement. Usually deadlifts, back squats, scrum work, or a heavy day in the garden. Often presents as a sharp catch with bending or twisting.
- Hamstring and calf strains. Extremely common in sprint-based sports. The hamstring complex is responsible for roughly 12 to 15 percent of all running injuries according to published Australian sports medicine data.
- Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff strain. Swimmers, surfers, cricket bowlers, and anyone doing repeated overhead work such as trades or CrossFit.
- Knee pain, particularly patellofemoral and IT band syndrome. Runners training for half marathons, and cyclists pushing higher weekly kilometres.
- Ankle sprains and chronic instability. The Redlands has a lot of junior and senior football and netball players. Recurrent ankle sprain is one of the most under-treated injuries in community sport.
Every one of those injuries is treatable in an outpatient setting if you catch it early. The problem is that most athletes push through the first two or three weeks, hope it settles, and only book an appointment once the compensations have set in and the injury has become chronic.
How chiropractic works alongside remedial massage
We manage acute injury rehabilitation in-house, including graded return-to-sport programming. The plan combines chiropractic adjustment, soft tissue release, dry needling where indicated, and a structured home exercise program calibrated to your sport and your training load.
- A chiropractor works on the joint and nerve side of the injury. Restoring joint motion, reducing mechanical irritation of the nerves, and using adjustment, mobilisation, and decompression techniques to take load off injured tissue so it can heal.
- A remedial massage therapist works on the soft tissue component. Lengthening tight muscle, reducing trigger points, improving tissue quality, and assisting lymphatic flow.
Our recommended remedial massage therapist is Sam Walker-Goldsmith, and most complex sports cases are managed with a combined chiropractic and remedial massage plan. The combination of joint work, soft tissue work, and a structured home program calibrated to your sport gets you back on the field faster than any one approach alone.
What a sports rehabilitation session looks like at Cleveland Chiropractic
Initial assessment
We take a detailed history of the injury. Mechanism, date of onset, sports you play, training volume, previous injuries, previous imaging, and goals. If you are training for an event, we want the date and the format.
We then move into a physical assessment. Posture, gait, range of motion, orthopaedic tests relevant to the affected joint, neurological screening where needed, and functional movement. If you are a runner or lifter we often ask for video of your movement pattern to review.
Diagnosis and plan
You will receive a clear working diagnosis, a staged treatment plan, and an honest estimate of how many sessions are likely needed. If we think your case is better managed by a GP or sports physician, we will say so on the first visit.
Treatment
Treatment is tailored to the injury. Techniques we use regularly include:
- Diversified chiropractic adjustment for restricted joints
- Drop-piece and activator techniques for patients who prefer a lower-force approach
- Flexion-distraction for disc injuries and lumbar compression patterns
- Soft tissue release, dry needling, and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilisation where indicated
- Taping and bracing for return-to-sport support
Home program
Every patient leaves with two or three specific exercises or mobility drills to do at home. Rehabilitation is not something that only happens in the clinic. The 48 hours between appointments are where most of the real recovery occurs, and your home program is the leverage that makes that work.
The flexion-distraction table, decompression for injured spines
Cleveland Chiropractic recently installed a new flexion-distraction table. This is a specialised piece of treatment equipment that produces gentle, rhythmic traction to the lumbar spine. We also have a separate cervical distraction device for the upper neck, which is a different piece of equipment with a different application. The lumbar flexion-distraction table is particularly useful for:
- Disc bulges and disc-related nerve pain
- Lumbar compression from heavy squatting, deadlifting, or rowing
- Sciatica and radiating leg pain
- Post-surgical spines that still benefit from gentle decompression
- Older athletes with degenerative change who cannot tolerate manipulation
Unlike a spinal adjustment, flexion-distraction is a graduated, gentle motion. Most patients find it pleasant. There is no cracking, popping, or sudden movement. It is a treatment option we reach for when an athlete presents with a disc-type pattern and a standard adjustment is either not appropriate or not well tolerated.
If you have been told you have a disc bulge, or your back pain radiates into your glute or leg with specific movements, the flexion-distraction table is one of the reasons to book at Cleveland rather than anywhere else in the Redlands.
Realistic recovery timelines by injury type
No one can promise you will be running pain-free in two weeks, because biological tissue takes time to heal. But we can give you a realistic range based on the injury and the rehab pathway.
| Injury type | Typical sessions | Return to light training | Return to full load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute low back strain | 3 to 6 | 1 to 2 weeks | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Hamstring strain, grade 1 to 2 | 5 to 10 | 2 to 3 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Ankle sprain, grade 1 to 2 | 4 to 8 | 1 to 3 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Shoulder impingement | 6 to 12 | 2 to 4 weeks (modified) | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Disc-related low back pain | 8 to 14 | 3 to 6 weeks | 10 to 16 weeks |
| Patellofemoral knee pain | 6 to 10 | 1 to 2 weeks (modified) | 6 to 12 weeks |
Those numbers assume you attend your appointments, do your home program, and modify training load during recovery. If you skip the home work and keep pushing through, timelines blow out and the risk of re-injury climbs sharply.
When to see a GP first
Chiropractic is not the right entry point for every presentation. Please book a GP appointment first if you have any of the following:
- Unexplained weight loss, night pain that is not mechanical, or fever alongside the injury
- Loss of bladder or bowel control, or saddle anaesthesia (these are emergencies)
- Progressive neurological weakness
- A suspected fracture after high-impact trauma
- A recent concussion that has not been cleared
- Pregnancy-related complications or suspected deep vein thrombosis
If you are not sure, call us on (07) 3286 5470. Our reception team will talk you through whether a GP or a chiropractor is the right first stop.
Ready to get your injury sorted?
First consultations are half-price once Pracsuite go-live lands. Ask reception at time of booking.
Booking your session at Cleveland Chiropractic
Booking takes about a minute online through our Pracsuite system, or you can call reception directly on (07) 3286 5470.
We run appointments Monday through Saturday, with after-work slots from 5pm most weekdays and Saturday mornings reserved for athletes who cannot get in during the working week.
Most Australian private health funds cover chiropractic under extras. We have HICAPS on site, so you pay the gap at the counter and the rebate is processed immediately. If you hold a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan through your GP, we can process part of your visit through Medicare, limited to the number of sessions your GP has authorised.
If you are new to Cleveland Chiropractic, bring any imaging, specialist letters, or previous treatment notes you have. It saves us 15 minutes of re-history and means the first session is spent treating you, not chasing paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor for a sports injury?
No. Chiropractors are primary contact practitioners in Australia. You can book directly with Cleveland Chiropractic without a GP referral. If you hold a Chronic Disease Management plan through your GP, that may cover a limited number of visits under Medicare.
Can I claim sports chiropractic on private health insurance?
Yes. Most Australian private health funds include chiropractic under extras cover. Cleveland Chiropractic offers HICAPS on the spot so you only pay the gap.
How many sessions will I need to recover from a sports injury?
Most acute soft tissue injuries respond within 4 to 8 sessions over 4 to 6 weeks. Chronic or recurring injuries often need 8 to 12 sessions plus a home exercise program. Your practitioner will set a treatment plan with clear review points so you are never locked into an open-ended schedule.
Can I keep training while having treatment?
Usually yes, but load is adjusted. Your chiropractor will tell you which movements to avoid, which to modify, and when full training can resume. Most athletes keep aerobic fitness with cross-training during recovery.
What sports does Cleveland Chiropractic see most often?
Running, surfing, Rugby League, Rugby Union, AFL, football (soccer), CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, netball, and cycling make up most of the caseload. The Redlands has a very active outdoor sporting community, and we see everything from junior club players up to state-level competitors.
Do you treat children and teenage athletes?
Yes. We treat junior athletes from age 6 upwards. Technique is adjusted for growing bones and joints, and a parent or guardian is present for any patient under 18. Growth-related conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter and Sever disease are common in this age group and respond well to early management.
Is the flexion-distraction table painful?
No. Flexion-distraction is a gentle, rhythmic decompression. Most patients describe it as a pleasant stretch. It is often recommended for disc injuries where standard manipulation is not suitable.
What if I need imaging or further investigation?
If your presentation needs an X-ray, MRI, or specialist review, we refer you to the appropriate provider. Cleveland Chiropractic works with local GPs, sports physicians, and imaging centres across the Redlands, so follow-up is fast and coordinated.
Further reading: Remedial Massage with Sam Walker-Goldsmith | Meet the practitioners | Book online
