- 1008 Victoria Road West Ryde NSW 2114 Australia
- Thursday: 1:00pm – 6:00pm
Dual-qualified. West Ryde based. 10 years helping this community move better and hurt less.
At Top Chiropractic Acupuncture, we want one thing for our valued clients: to get well, and to stay well. We bring balance and calm to our patients’ lives, operating on principles of overall wellbeing, and use both Chiropractic and Chinese Medicinal practices topromote and achieve optimum health. Chiropractic is the science of using the musculoskeletal system to treat both physical and non-physical pain and illness. Traditional Chinese Medicine practices unite scientific knowledge with philosophical frameworks that have existed for over 2,500 years, making it one of the longest lasting forms of alternative therapy. At Top Chiropractic Acupuncture, We use all we’ve learned from medicine and ancient philosophies to offer a holistic approach to mental and physical wellbeing.
On any visit to our clinic, patients can expect to be listened to, to be valued and to be offered insightful advice regarding initial and ongoing treatment. We take the time to truly understand what health issues our patients are facing and integrate their own health priorities into the pragmatic treatments we offer them. We treat pain and illness with natural, targeted and drug-free therapies, returning the mobility, calm and wellbeing patients have lost.
Dr. Don Kim is a distinguished practitioner with dual degrees and separate licenses in Chiropractic and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Dr. Kim is a chiropractor and TCM practitioner, registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Chiropractors in Australia are considered healthcare professionals and are nationally registered and regulated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Only health practitioners with the skills and qualifications to provide competent and ethical care are registered to practice.
Over the past decade, Dr. Kim has successfully treated thousands of patients, tailoring the best treatment strategy for each unique condition.
Most practitioners train in one discipline. I trained in two chiropractic and acupuncture because I kept seeing patients whose problems crossed the boundary of what either one could fully address alone.
Chiropractic is exceptional for structural and joint problems. Acupuncture reaches the nervous system, muscular trigger points, and the body’s pain response in ways that manual therapy can’t always access.
Combined, they give me a much wider toolkit and that means better outcomes for my patients.
I’ve been based in West Ryde for over 10 years, treating thousands of patients from across the area local workers, families, competitive athletes, and people managing long-term chronic conditions.
Every case is different, and that’s what I find genuinely engaging about this work.
My assessments are designed to find the original driver of your problem, not just the loudest symptom.
Every patient gets a clear explanation of what I’ve found, what I recommend, and why. I won’t recommend ongoing treatment without a reason, and I’ll make sure you understand your care plan every step of the way.
Our approach at the clinic is to thoroughly assess your condition and determine the most effective treatment. Different therapies are more effective at different stages of an injury. When you're dealing with a sudden injury or acute pain, such as a slipped disc or whiplash, it's crucial to get the right treatment early on. If not, these short-term pains can evolve into long-term, chronic conditions. The longer chronic pain goes untreated, the harder it may become to manage.
If you have an acute problem with your neck, then a chiropractic treatment may be the best choice. However, conditions or injuries like inflammation or arthritis, which cause neck pain, may not always be best treated initially by a chiropractor due to the specific limitations of their practice. Acupuncture often proves more beneficial than chiropractic treatments for inflammation. In such cases, acupuncture can treat the condition without touching the affected area, reducing inflammation by stimulating specific points to improve circulation and release pressure. There are times when it's best to avoid direct manipulation of the injured area. Imagine having a cut on your skin - you wouldn't rub it, right? Once the inflammation has subsided, we transition to the next stage of chiropractic treatment or adjustments. After achieving sufficient joint mobility, we introduce rehabilitation exercises.
We apply different therapies step by step at various stages to achieve the best results. This holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment planning can only be advised by a specialist in both acupuncture and chiropractic care, like Dr. Kim. Injuries and the pains associated with them can be complex. For example, if you have a disc causing low back pain, it's not just the disc or joints involved. Factors like muscle tension, leg length differences, and tension in the mid-back can all contribute to low back pain. That's why we need a diverse range of tools to effectively address these issues.
A great chef doesn't use the same knife for every ingredient. A surgeon doesn't use the same instrument for every step of an operation. Every skilled practitioner — in any field — understands that different situations call for different tools. And that clinical judgement means knowing which one to reach for.
This is the principle that has shaped how I've built this practice over the last decade.
I hold dual qualifications in chiropractic and acupuncture, and I've deliberately developed expertise in a range of specialised treatment modalities — including flexion distraction therapy, shockwave therapy, dry needling, rehabilitation exercises and traditional acupuncture. Not because quantity of tools matters, but because different conditions genuinely respond better to different approaches.
A disc herniation with nerve compression responds best to spinal decompression through flexion distraction. Chronic tendinopathy that hasn't responded to other treatment responds remarkably well to shockwave therapy. Nervous system sensitisation and persistent muscle tension often respond faster to acupuncture than to manual therapy alone. And a restricted spinal joint that needs restoring to full movement — that's where a precise chiropractic adjustment does what nothing else can.
Most practitioners are trained in one approach and apply it broadly. I've always believed a patient deserves a practitioner who can assess their specific condition and reach for the tool that actually fits — not the one that happens to be available.
Professional qualifications, registration and experience.
Master of Chiropractic
Bachelor of Acupuncture
Bachelor of Chinese Medicine
Registered with AHPRA · Member of Chiropractic Association of Australia
10+ years in practice · West Ryde, NSW
Complex musculoskeletal presentations · Sports injury · Chronic pain · Disc conditions
When I’m not at the clinic, I’m training for Ironman events — which means I understand first-hand what it takes to keep a body working under load, and what happens when you ignore the warning signs.
I also live next door to the clinic, which means I’m genuinely part of this community, not just working in it.
Transparent pricing for personalised chiropractic and acupuncture care.
| Services | Fees |
|---|---|
| 1st Appointment Initial consultation | $120 |
| 2nd Appointment Report on findings | $100 |
| New Episode If we have not seen you in 6 months or longer | $100 |
| Standard Session Regular treatment appointment | $80 |
Of course – the natural power of Chinese Medicine practices can be helpful for everyone! No matter your age, gender, or physical condition, you can always stand to benefit from Chinese Medicine. Appropriate treatments are even suitable for pregnant women, their children in utero and newborn babies.
Yes! Our phase-based programs give you a structured and tailored approach to recovery after injury or surgery.
Definitely! Spinal therapy and treatment is central to the science of Chiropractic. Lower back pain is one of the most common ailments our clinic treats, so we have years of experience in relieving out patients’ lower, middle and general back pain. Of all healthcare professionals, Chiropractors have the most extensive education and training in the field of spinal manipulation, so you can be confident we’ll find the solution to your back pain.
First, our practitioners will conduct a thorough examination, canvassing your current and previous symptoms, diet and lifestyle and family history in order to gain a full and complete idea of your body and general health. Based on this information, we will make a professional assessment of the treatments you will benefit from most. An initial consultation will take longer than subsequent ones, to allow for this information gathering process.
Once we’ve established what treatments will be most successful for you, we begin treating! We may offer several specific herbal medicines, commence warm cupping or begin Acupuncture. Don’t worry about pain, especially if you’re scared of needles! In terms of sensation, warm cupping is more like feeling pressure than feeling pain. In terms of Acupuncture, you’ll hardly feel a thing! Most patients say they can’t feel the Acupuncture needles at all.
