Care through every stage of life
Our bodies are constantly changing throughout life. What we need during pregnancy is very different to what we need as a teenager, as an athlete, a busy (maybe stressed) parent, or an older adult navigating healthy ageing. It’s a common misunderstanding that chiropractic is just “cracking bones”, or that remedial massage is only painful deep tissue massage. Another misunderstanding is that we must treat a 60-year-old person the exact same way they last had care when they were 30 years of age. We want to clear those myths up today and help you understand that care should never be one-size-fits-all, it is adapted throughout your stage in life.
At Health Shack take a tailored allied health care approach for every stage of life, adapting treatment techniques, care plans, advice, and support based on the individual sitting in front of us, however our goal is always the same - helping people move, function, and feel their best. Let’s delve into specific stages in life to uncover what’s unique for each person.
Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
Pregnancy is one of the clearest examples of why healthcare needs to adapt over time. As the body changes to support a growing baby, the spine, pelvis, muscles, ligaments, and posture all shift significantly, due to biomechanical changes as well as hormonal changes.
At Health Shack, pregnancy chiropractic care is specifically adapted to suit the pregnant body. We use specialised belly pillow supports and positioning techniques to ensure mums are comfortable and supported throughout treatment. Adjustments are gentle, safe, and modified based on each stage of pregnancy and how the body is changing week to week. Due to pregnancy hormones, the ligaments around your joints become more lax to accommodate for pelvic expansion during birth, regardless of your birth choices. This change significantly impacts the treatment style and expected response from treatment alone.
Pregnancy care plans also tend to be more fluid. Some women may need more support during certain stages due to pelvic, or lower back discomfort, rib pain, sleep changes, or postural stress. Others may simply want to maintain movement and function as their body changes, and secure optimal baby positioning ready for labour and birth. We tend to schedule appointment by appointment leading up until birth, but commonly check our pregnant mummas’ weekly after 35 weeks gestation.
Postpartum care is equally important. Feeding positions, lifting, carrying, sleep deprivation, and recovering from birth all place new demands on the body, while considering the hormone shifts again. Tailored care can help support recovery and movement as mums adjust to this next stage.
Teenagers and Growth Years
Teenagers go through rapid periods of physical growth and hormonal change. Between school, sport, screen time, heavy school bags, and study pressures, it’s common to see increased tension, posture concerns, headaches, or mobility restrictions during these years.
During growth spurts, the bones grow and the muscles need to stretch and adapt to also grow. This can temporarily affect coordination, flexibility, and movement patterns, which will place additional stress on muscles and joints. A great test is checking if your teen can touch their toes. If they can’t during or after a growth spurt (around the window of ages 11-16) then they are at risk of developing back, leg or feet pain. Stretching is regularly prescribed during these years and often remedial massage recommended to help lengthen tight muscles. But stretching alone often isn’t enough to combat this tightness.
At Health Shack, we work with heaps of teenagers, and they often respond extremely well to chiro care. During busy sporting seasons or growth phases, some teens may benefit from more regular support to help their body adapt and recover.
We also place a strong focus on education and healthy habits.Teenage years are often the transition point where young people begin taking more responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. This is a great time to introduce awareness around:
posture
stretching and mobility
recovery habits
movement quality
study setup and ergonomics
stress management
and the importance of quality sleep!
The goal isn’t simply symptom relief, it’s helping teenagers build long-term body awareness and healthy movement habits early.
Athletes and Active Adults
For athletes and active adults, healthcare often becomes less about reacting to pain and more about optimising function and performance.
The body performs best when movement, mobility, recovery, and muscle balance are all working together whether you’re prepping for a marathon or just strength training at the gym for health and fitness.
At Health Shack, we commonly use a multi-modal approach that combines chiropractic care with remedial massage to help support peak functioning.
Rather than focusing purely on symptoms, we assess:
movement patterns
joint mobility
muscle tension
recovery capacity
stability and control
functional performance
This helps us tailor care around what the body needs to perform efficiently.
Chiropractic may help improve mobility and movement efficiency, while remedial massage can assist with muscle tension, recovery, circulation, and soft tissue management.
For many active adults, care also changes depending on training demands or upcoming events. Someone preparing for competition may need different support compared to someone in a recovery or off-season phase.
The goal is not just getting people out of pain. It’s helping them continue doing what they love with greater confidence, resilience, and function, while lessening the chance of injury.
Busy Parents and Working Adults
One of the most common groups we see at Health Shack is busy parents trying to juggle everything at once; full-time work, raising children, managing households, sport schedules, sleep interruptions, stress, and very little time for themselves.
Often, these clients aren’t just physically tired. Their nervous systems are overloaded.
Stress doesn’t only affect the mind. Over time, it can show up physically through:
muscle tension
headaches
jaw tension
poor sleep
fatigue
reduced recovery
lower back and neck pain
For many parents, healthcare becomes reactive because they are so focused on caring for everyone else first.
At Health Shack, we aim to create a space where people can slow down, reset, and support both their physical body and nervous system.
This is an area where all three of our services work beautifully together.
Chiropractic care may help improve movement, mobility, and nervous system function, while remedial massage helps release built-up muscular tension and encourages relaxation and recovery. Bowen therapy offers an especially gentle approach that many people find calming when stress levels are high and the body feels overwhelmed.
Rather than only focusing on symptoms, we often focus on improving resilience and helping the body cope better with ongoing stress and physical load.
For some people, that means preventing burnout. For others, it means preventing the physical breakdown that can happen when stress and tension build up over long periods without support.
Sometimes the goal of care is simply helping someone feel more like themselves again.
Perimenopause and Menopause
Perimenopause and menopause can bring major physical and hormonal changes that affect women in very individual ways. The drop in estrogen is often a cause for increased pain and inflammation throughout the body. We explain to our female clients between the ages of 35-55 that hormone changes are a possible contributing factor, but it does signal biomechanical issues in those areas that we can address.
At Health Shack, we take these changes into consideration when tailoring care. Treatment isn’t about “fixing hormones,” but rather supporting the body through the way these changes present physically and functionally.
For some women, that may mean focusing on mobility and reducing tension. For others, care may center around nervous system support, improving movement confidence, recovery, or maintaining activity levels.
Remedial massage, Bowen therapy, and Chiropractic are all particularly helpful for stress management and muscular tension, and support movement, posture, and overall function during this transition phase. Often, we work together with clients to best support them and frequently refer to Sally, our resident kinesiologist and hypnotherapist, and Stacey, our resident energy healer.
Healthy Ageing
As we age, our goals often shift from performance and recovery toward maintaining independence, movement, and quality of life.
Many older adults are managing multiple factors at once, including:
arthritis
reduced mobility
bone density changes
previous injuries
joint replacements
balance concerns
This is another stage where truly tailored care matters.
At Health Shack, we adapt techniques carefully based on the person’s body, history, and comfort levels. For many elderly clients, we use gentle chiropractic approaches and low-force techniques that are appropriate for ageing joints and tissues.
Bowen therapy can also be an excellent option for seniors. Its gentle soft tissue approach is often well suited for people wanting a lighter treatment style while still supporting mobility, comfort, and overall wellbeing.
“The techniques we use for a teenager are very different to the care we provide for an elderly client.” – Dr Cherie Haigh
For older adults, treatment is often less about quick fixes and more about supportive care that helps maintain movement, confidence, and function over time. Whether it’s gardening, walking the dog, playing with grandchildren, or simply staying independent, the focus remains on helping people continue doing the things that matter most to them.
Care That Evolves With You
No two people, or stages of life, are exactly the same. That’s why healthcare adapts alongside the body’s changing needs.
From pregnancy and teenage growth years to athletic performance, menopause, and healthy ageing, tailored allied health care allows treatment to remain supportive, appropriate, and individualised at every stage.
At Health Shack, we combine chiropractic care with remedial massage and Bowen therapy to create care plans that reflect the person, not just the symptoms.
Because good care isn’t about applying the same approach to everyone. It’s about understanding where someone is in life, what their body is asking for, and how we can best support them moving forward.
Book an appointment at Health Shack in Rockingham to experience tailored care that supports you through every stage of life.