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Last week, I spent three hours covering reception at our multidisciplinary clinic: a chiropractor answering the phones.

In that short time, I broke the printer, deleted something important (still not sure what), and nearly undid a whole day’s worth of admin magic. In other words, I proved what our incredible front desk team already knows: I should never be left in charge without adult supervision.

But between the chaos, I had four conversations that perfectly captured the public’s confusion around chiropractic and MSK healthcare in general. From behind the desk, I was uniquely placed to dig a little deeper into their thoughts and beliefs.

For context, our clinic is a true MDT. We put clinical competency above professional titles. If you call with sciatica, you’ll be offered Laura, Rob, Alastair, or Sarah — not “the chiropractor today,” “the physio tomorrow,” or “the osteo on Thursday.” We’re always transparent about who you’re seeing, and anyone who requests a specific profession will get it. But in reality, fewer than 10% of people actually ask.

When people do question it, our front desk uses a simple line: “All of our team are trained to examine, diagnose, and treat in a very similar manner.”

* "I need a crack today."Caller one had acute back pain. Their regular chiropractor was away, and they urgently sought a ‘crack’ to ‘realign’ their back. They didn't want a physio as they believed that was “too focused on muscles not the alignment issue”.

* "I’d rather see an osteopath."Caller two, in severe pain, palpably recoiled at my suggestion of chiropractic treatment assuming it would involve ‘all the cracking’. She instead requested osteopathy, perceiving it as gentler and more holistic, despite our clinic offering equally gentle chiropractic care.

* "Please don't tell my GP."