AHPRA sends chiropractors warning letters when their advertising breaks the National Law. The seven claims that trigger a letter most often are: treating conditions like asthma or colic, showing patient testimonials, using the word "specialist", claiming to correct "subluxations" as a cause of disease, promising outcomes, advertising spinal care for babies, and unverifiable claims like "best in town". Section 133 of the National Law bans testimonials outright, and every therapeutic claim must be backed by acceptable evidence. The good news: most chiropractors fix their advertising after the first letter, which stops any further action.

Key takeaways

Why chiropractors get more advertising scrutiny than most

Chiropractic advertising sits under the same rulebook as every other regulated health profession in Australia. That rulebook is the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, and AHPRA enforces it alongside the Chiropractic Board of Australia.

Here is why chiropractors feel the scrutiny more sharply. Some of the profession's traditional claims, about treating conditions well beyond the spine, are not supported by the level of evidence AHPRA requires. So a phrase that a practitioner sees as normal can read, to a regulator, as a misleading claim. AHPRA and the Chiropractic Board have run targeted advertising compliance action against exactly these claims.

The core rule is simple. Under the Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service, any claim about a therapeutic benefit must be backed by acceptable evidence. If you cannot point to good-quality evidence, you cannot make the claim. The seven below are where clinics slip most often.

Claim 1: chiropractic treats asthma, colic, or ear infections

This is the number one trigger. Advertising that chiropractic can treat asthma, allergies, infant colic, ADHD, ear infections, bedwetting, or digestive problems is treated as misleading, because it is not supported by high-quality evidence.

The problem is a claim about a health benefit that the evidence does not back. It does not matter if a patient once felt better. AHPRA looks at whether the general claim is supported, and for these conditions it is not.

What to say instead: describe the musculoskeletal care you actually provide. "We assess and manage back pain, neck pain, and joint issues" is a claim you can support. Keep your advertised scope to the spine and the musculoskeletal system, and leave the rest out.

Claim 2: patient testimonials and reviews on your site

Section 133 of the National Law bans the use of testimonials in advertising a regulated health service. This one catches almost every clinic at some point.

A testimonial is any statement about the clinical care or the outcome. That includes a wall of five-star quotes, an embedded Google reviews widget, or a patient story on your homepage. AHPRA's own testimonial tool shows what counts. The moment you display or curate a review on a site you control, it becomes advertising, and the ban applies.

What to say instead: use your own factual descriptions of your service, your training, and your process. You can still build trust without borrowing a patient's words about their results. My full guide on patient testimonials and AHPRA covers where the line sits, including third-party review platforms.

Claim 3: calling yourself a "specialist"

Chiropractors often want to signal a focus, like children or sports care. The trap is the word used to do it.

Under the National Law, you can only use the title "specialist" if you hold a specialty registration approved for your profession. Chiropractic has no approved specialties in Australia. So "specialist in paediatric chiropractic" is a title claim you are not entitled to make, and it misleads patients about your registration.

What to say instead: describe your experience in plain words. "Chiropractor with substantial experience in musculoskeletal care for children" says the same thing without claiming a title you do not hold. Swap "specialist" for "experienced in" or "a focus on", and you stay on the right side of the rule.

Claim 4: "we find and correct subluxations"

Some clinics build their whole message around detecting and correcting "subluxations" as the hidden cause of disease. As an advertising claim, that is a problem.

Advertising that frames a spinal finding as the root of general illness, and your adjustment as the fix, makes a therapeutic claim the evidence does not support. It can also create an unreasonable expectation that treatment will resolve unrelated health conditions.

What to say instead: talk about assessing joint movement, posture, and musculoskeletal pain. Keep the claim to what you assess and manage in the body's structure, and avoid tying it to curing disease. Describe the process, not a promised cure.

Claim 5: outcome promises and guarantees

Read your service pages for lines like "pain gone in one visit", "we will fix your posture", or "guaranteed relief". Each one is an outcome promise, and AHPRA treats these as creating an unreasonable expectation of benefit.

You cannot guarantee a clinical result for every patient, so you cannot advertise one. This is also a consumer-law issue. The ACCC pursues false or misleading claims, with penalties that reach up to $50 million per breach for a company (ACCC, 2024).

What to say instead: set honest expectations. "Many patients see improvement over a course of care, though results vary" describes the same benefit without a promise. Explain your process and what a first appointment involves, and let that build confidence.

Claim 6: spinal adjustments for babies and newborns

Care for infants is one of the most closely watched areas in chiropractic advertising. The Chiropractic Board has issued a statement on paediatric care that sets clear expectations for how this is advertised.

Advertising spinal adjustments for babies to treat crying, sleep, feeding, or immunity makes a health claim the evidence does not support, and it targets a vulnerable group. That combination draws attention fast.

What to say instead: if you see children, keep any claim narrow, honest, and evidence-based, and follow the Board's paediatric statement to the letter. When the evidence is not there, the safest advertising choice is to not make the claim at all.

Claim 7: "best", "leading", or "number one"

Scan your headlines for superlatives. "Melbourne's best chiropractor." "The leading spinal clinic in Brisbane." "Number one for results."

These claims fail for two reasons. They are usually unverifiable, which makes them misleading under AHPRA's guidelines and Australian Consumer Law. And comparative claims that rank you above other practitioners are exactly what the guidelines warn against.

What to say instead: use specific, provable facts. Years in practice, your qualifications, the conditions you manage, and the areas you serve are all true and checkable. A fact you can prove always beats a superlative you cannot.

One more to watch: discount offers. Deep discounts or free-scan offers with no terms can be read as encouraging people to use a service they may not need. If you run an offer, keep it clear, time-limited, and honest.

What to do if a letter arrives

A warning letter is not the end of the world, but it is a deadline. It usually names the advertising at issue and asks you to fix it by a set date.

The best move is to act quickly and thoroughly. Review your whole site, your social profiles, and your directory listings, not just the one page named. Remove the testimonials, drop the unsupported claims, and reframe the outcome promises. Most practitioners who respond to the first letter and amend their advertising avoid any further regulatory action, which is exactly the point of the letter.

The smarter move is to never receive one. A compliance and search audit reads your site the way a regulator would, flags every claim that carries risk, and shows you the compliant version before anyone else spots the problem. If your agency has never mentioned AHPRA, my guide on how to tell if your agency understands AHPRA is worth five minutes. For the full picture, start with the AHPRA advertising guidelines for 2026.

This is general information for chiropractors and their marketing teams. It is not legal advice. AHPRA's advertising guidelines, the Chiropractic Board's paediatric statement, and Australian Consumer Law are updated from time to time. Check the current versions on the AHPRA, Chiropractic Board, and ACCC websites, and get formal advice for high-stakes decisions.