unique approach
Combining chiropractic, physiotherapy and massage therapy in Castle Hill.
As one of the few multidisciplinary clinics in Sydney, Active Back Care offers a unique approach to chiropractic care, massage therapy, and physiotherapy. By combining the three essential disciplines in one facility, we’re able to offer a comprehensive perspective to enhance whole-body health.
Each of our highly skilled health care professionals and therapists offers a distinctive skill set, contributing to the cohesive team that is Active Back Care.
Chiropractor
Dr Cherine is the co-founder and clinical director of Active Back Care. She puts a strong emphasis on serving patient needs, clinical excellence, community involvement and empowering team training that builds the spirit of excellence that drives Active Back Care. Her goal is to bring you a truly dedicated team of professionals with skills and experience to help and guide you to better health and function.
With a background in Chiropractic Science, Cherine has a passion to promote health and well-being by optimizing spinal biomechanics and neurological function. After graduating from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1988, Cherine earned her Masters degree in Chiropractic at Macquarie University in 1990. Early in her career, she developed an interest in identifying and addressing structural dysfunctions that can lead to chronic back pain conditions. By performing gentle spinal adjustments and prescribing active spinal rehabilitation exercises, Cherine was successful in relieving mechanical back and neck pain symptoms and improving spinal strength. Further postgraduate studies in neurology enhanced her ability to address more complicated spinal and neurological conditions, such as various headache, migraine, and benign vertigo symptoms.
In addition, Cherine developed interest in Sports Chiropractic where she has had the privilege to accompany the Men’s Australian Ice Hockey teams at the U18 and U20 levels providing Chiropractic and Recovery care, addressing player fatigue and injuries and providing on and off ice care to promote and achieve high performance goals.
Cherine is a member of the Australian Chiropractors Association, the Chiropractors & Osteopathic College of Australia, and the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association.
As a clinical director of Active Back Care, Cherine manages the in-house training for all practitioners and support staff, empowering the spirit of excellence that drives our clinic.
Chiropractor
Dr Van Dinh is a graduate of Macquarie University, holding a Bachelor and Master of Chiropractic Science degree. As a valued member of the Active Back Care team, Dr Van has a passion for helping patients who are suffering from acute or chronic pain caused by spinal dysfunction.
Dr Van has a special interest in a postural correction technique called Advance Biostructural Correction (ABC), which is highly effective in addressing postural distortions. Dr Van understands the importance of maintaining proper posture and how postural strain can lead to joint, ligament and muscle strain resulting in frequent and persistent muscle tension, pain and stiffness. In addition to the ABC technique, Dr Van is highly efficient in manual adjustments of the spine and peripheral joints, soft tissue muscle releases, stretches and Dry Needling.
With Dr Van’s skills and experience coupled with her strong work ethic and meticulous attention to detail, she is able to provide effective and thorough treatment for every patient.
Chiropractor
As a local Hills resident, Dr. Michelle Rossi (nee Parsons) is passionate about helping patients achieve their wellness goals and enjoy functional, mobile lives. She completed her her Master of Chiropractic at Macquarie University, where she went on to share her skills and expertise as a chiropractic skills tutor for first-year students. Dr Michelle is up to date with the most current knowledge of industry techniques, technologies and research, enabling her to provide patients with the highest quality of care.
Dr Michelle’s areas of interest have included headaches and migraines, neck pain, mid- and low-back pain, sciatica, postural dysfunction, developmental conditions and preventative care. Dr Michelle uses a wide variety of techniques, including diversified chiropractic adjustments, terminal point technique, dry needling, cold laser, shockwave therapy, taping and rehabilitation exercises. Dr Michelle utilizes an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and treatment, specifically tailoring each treatment plan to ensure patient comfort while achieving optimal results.
Chiropractor
Dr. David Han earned his Masters in Chiropractic degree from Macquarie University. His career choice stemmed from a lifelong love of sports, health and fitness.
Dr David has played high-level soccer from a young age and often toured with the Australian Schoolboys Team during high school. Having suffered minor and major injuries, from ankle sprains to lower back pain, he spent a lot of time with chiropractors. It was their holistic and correctional approach that sparked Dr David’s initial interest in that area of clinical practice.
As a dedicated Chiropractor at Active Back Care, Dr David not only addresses his patients’ symptoms, but also thoroughly seeks to find their primary cause. He utilises various manual techniques, soft tissue techniques and rehabilitation to restore function and balance to the neuro-musculoskeletal system. Dr David has a particular interest in headaches, neck and back pain, sports-related injuries and postural correction.
Dr David is confident in his ability to help patients achieve their goals through chiropractic care and exercise. As a passionate, evidence-based chiropractor, he aspires to empower his patients through a better understanding of health and well-being.
Chiropractor
Dr. Tristan Foo was initially introduced to Active Back Care as a patient after a sports injury. That experience piqued his interest in manual therapies which he pursued in a Chiropractic Masters degree from Macquarie University.
As an elite athlete himself, having represented NSW and Australia in ten pin bowling, Dr Tristan has a strong interest in sports and functional biomechanics. He is a certified Level 1 Sports Trainer and has worked as a sports trainer for the Phoenix Recovery Centre, where he provided injury assessment and assisted in providing soft-tissue and other manual therapies to the athletes. As a Chiropractor at Active Back Care Dr Tristan has furthered his skills and experience in sporting injuries by being part of the medic team for the Australian National Men’s U20 Ice Hockey Team as well as Sports Trainer for the junior teams in Indoor Cricket NSW and the Tasmanian Mixed Netball Team.
With his hard earned skills and experience, Dr Tristan’s focus lies in continuing to pursue the latest in biomechanical, neurological and functional research so he can apply strong evidence based techniques in musculoskeletal care for his patients.
Tristan has further participated in over 90 hours of post graduate training focusing on Functional Neuro-Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (FNOR) which is an integrated approach using the latest in neuroscience and rehabilitation techniques to target pain and orthopaedic conditions such as ( but not limited to) back pain, ankle injuries, rotator cuff injuries. With an indepth understanding of the nervous system in function and dysfunction, Tristan can tailor specific adjustment and rehabilitation techniques to efficiently target and treat the cause of his patients’ problems.
Chiropractor
Dr Aiden’s journey in the field of manual therapies started in year 9 where he found a unique interest into human anatomy and the inner workings of the human body. From there his experiences with both physiotherapy and chiropractic led him to seek a career in the field of chiropractic.
Dr Aiden has a strong background in sports, participating and competing at a high level in swimming, soccer and various martial arts allowing insight into the mind of an athlete and the injuries often associated with various sports. Furthering his interest in sports, Aiden has been involved with Sports Chiropractic Australia (SCA) and worked alongside the Rydalmere Lions FC youth teams and Macquarie University Rugby and AFL teams to provide pre and post game treatment as well as on-field assessment of injuries and first aid treatment. He looks forward to the opportunity to work further as a sports trainer with various local sporting groups to hone his Chiropractic Sports skills.
Dr Aiden has a firm belief in the importance of effective communication and likes to ensure everyone understands their condition and what needs to be done to ensure their improvement. Dr Aiden seeks to provide the most evidence based and functional musculoskeletal care to help ensure that all of his patients are provided with the best care available and are set on the road to recovery as quickly as possible.
Senior Physiotherapist
Michael Brierley is an APA-titled Sports Physiotherapist who completed his Bachelor and Master of Sports Physiotherapy degree from La Trobe University and holds a Level 3 Sports Physiotherapy certification from the Australian Institute of Sport.
As a senior physiotherapist at Active Back Care, Michael Brierley specializes in spinal and musculoskeletal conditions, sports rehabilitation, post-operative rehabilitation, neurological issues, cardiopulmonary conditions and more. He is skilled in a variety of effective techniques, including dry needling, ENAR electrotherapy, cold laser therapy, cardiopulmonary conditions, real-time ultrasound diagnostics and compression therapies, among others.
Michael also serves as the dedicated physiotherapist for several sports teams, including Ice Hockey Australia – Mens and U20 Australian Ice Hockey Teams, Western Magic AFL, Indoor Netball NSW and Australia, Netball NSW, Evolve Gymnastics, the Brisbane Lions AFL Club and most recently our Australian Olympic teams at the Pacific Games Samoa 2019. Previous teams Michael has provided his skills and experience with are the Commonwealth Games 2018, Netball Australia, Basketball Australia, Cricket NSW, Sdyney Swans AFL, St George Illawarra Dragons NRL Hills District Tennis Association. In working with these teams, he provides pre-season screening, pre game strapping and warm ups, acute injury diagnosis and management and rehabilitation and treatment of injuries, return- to-play assessments and also works with the coaching staff to create and implement injury prevention programs. Michael is also proud to have been awarded the specialist title of APA Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist from the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
Since 2012, Michael has been a clinic educator at such venues as the University of Sydney, Australian Catholic University, the University of Western Sydney and Macquarie University. He has also worked with disabled children in Thailand and served as physiotherapist at Mt. Druitt District Hospitals.
Physiotherapist
Evan Adair joined the Active Back Care team as a physiotherapist after completing his Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science ( Australian Catholic University) and Masters of Physiotherapy ( Sydney University).
A big believer in “knowledge is power”, Evan strives to educate his patients about the body and help them understand that their pain and injury does not have to define how they live.
Evan is a thorough clinician who utilizes hands on techniques along with a variety of the latest pain relief and recovery equipment such as IASTM, Cold Laser, ENAR, Shockwave, Dry Needling and Taping to bring fast relief to his patients along with a thorough knowledge of rehabilitation to help his patients strengthen and recondition to avoid future relapse or injury. Evan’s main goal as a physiotherapist is to alleviate pain by teaching people to move the right way whilst applying a variety of hands on techniques for fast and effective recovery.
Evan has worked with various sporting teams, including the Western Magic AFL team, the Campbelltown Netball Club, the Brisbane Lions NFL team, the U18 Australian Ice Hockey team and elite athletes at The Edge Rock Climbing Centre.
Senior Physiotherapist
Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Physiotherapy) from Sydney University in 2011. Since then she has achieved her Masters in Sports Physiotherapy from Latrobe university and completed her Level 3 Sports Physiotherapy course at the AIS gaining the title of an APA sports and Exercise physiotherapist title in 2018
Jessica is a member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Sports Physiotherapy Australia. Jessica has a wealth of experience in sports and musculoskeletal Physiotherapy as well as corporate Physio, pre-employments and office ergonomics. She incorporates her hands on physiotherapy skills (including dry needling) with an active approach to get her clients back to sport, work or daily life.
Jessica is a former member of the Australian Handball team and has worked with State, National and University Handball Teams as their physiotherapist.
Jessica is currently working with Sydney Olympic FC with their women’s soccer program and Western Sydney University Unisport nationals teams. She has previously worked with semi-professional Ice Hockey, representative netball, and AFL including her Masters placement with the Sydney Swans.
Senior Physiotherapist
Jason is a highly experienced physiotherapist with 18 years of public, private and industry experience. Jason trained under various mentors with the speciality areas in hand, spinal therapy, aged care and sports injury management.
He completed his Masters in Health Science (Physio – Hand Subspecialisation) at Sydney Uni in 2010. He completed a Diploma in Chinese Massage in 1999 with the Chi-Chinese Healing College and also the prestigious international HTCC exam to become a Certified Hand Therapist in 2015.
Jason is a member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA), American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) and Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA).
He is also keen researcher and innovator having presented original research work at both national and international conferences and has been published in international journals. In his down time, he is a keen sports person and loves swimming, skiing, bushwalking and martial arts (Tai Chi and Wushu); as well as studying Chinese (Mandarin) language, philosophy and culture.
Massage Therapist
Melissa Jerrow has been a valued member of the Active Back Care family for more than 15 years. After graduating with a Diploma of Health Science in 2003, she pursued training in massage therapy and soon after joined our team. Melissa’s passion, knowledge and skills from her years of experience shine through in every massage. After 15 years with Active Back Care, Melissa still continues to grow as she takes part in annual health and well-being conferences so she keeps her skills sharp and offers optimal client care. Melissa’s primary interests lie in remedial massage, pregnancy massage, sports massage, deep tissue massage and trigger point release.
Massage Therapist
Active Back Care has had the privilege of having Delfina serve our patients as a dedicated, caring and highly effective massage therapist since 2012. Delfina earned her Diploma of Remedial Massage along with a Certificate III in Fitness in Australia and started her career with work experience with the Sydney Kings as a massage therapist. Prior to that, Delfina had qualified as a Physiotherapist in Peru and spent over 10 years working in rehabilitation and musculoskeletal care. With almost 20 years experience in manual therapies, Delfina has gained a pervasive knowledge and understanding of the musculoskeletal system along with extensive skills in a large variety of massage and muscle techniques including remedial, sports, deep tissue, pregnancy and Swedish massage, trigger point release, myofascial release and PNF stretching. In addition, Delfina has suffered from headaches and migraines and has a special interest in treating patients with these conditions. Nothing makes Delfina happier than seeing her patients walk out pain free, relaxed and happy after a session with her.
Massage Therapist
Prasanna is a highly qualified massage therapist with 22 years experience. He has gained his Diploma of Remedial Massage from the Australian College of Massage and is a registered member of the Australian Association of Massage Therapists. After years of care and service, Prasanna is accomplished in a variety of massage styles, including but not limited to Remedial, Deep Tissue, Sports and Thai massage as well as Shiatsu, Chinese Acupressure and Indian Head Massage. In his professional and sophisticated way, Prasanna may use a combination of the above massage styles to ensure he addresses your aches, pains and tension leaving you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated after every visit.
Massage Therapist / Personal Trainer
Emilio is one of our very pleasant, warm and caring Massage Therapists. After gaining his Diploma of Remedial Massage at the Australian Institute of Fitness Emilio has worked as a Massage Therapists in several private practices and fitness centres.
Emilio has a passion for human anatomy and a solid understanding of posture and movement. In this vein, Emilio has gained certification as a Group and Personal trainer. He has experience working together with other allied health professionals ( including chiropractors, physiotherapists and rheumatologists) where he enjoys seeing patient improvement and progress.
Combining his certification as a personal trainer with his massage skills, Emilio provides effective pain relief as well as improvement to muscle tension and restoring mobility. Emilio is especially skilled in Sports massage, Deep tissue therapy as well as trigger point therapy and Personal Training. His specific areas of interest include muscle correction, posture analysis, relaxation and sports massage. In addition, Emilio enjoys working together with our Chiropractors and Physiotherapists to rehabilitate our patients through compliance strength and conditioning programmes as a Personal Trainer.
Massage Therapist / Personal Trainer
Vijay is a skilled and qualified massage therapist and personal trainer. He gained his certification as a group and personal trainer at the Australian Institute of Fitness in 2014 and followed this up with a Diploma of Remedial Massage in Rehabilitation of Movement in 2015. Vijay has honed his skills and gained valuable experience working in private practice and renown fitness centres always exhibiting a high degree of professionalism and care.
Vijay has a strong belief in excellence. He comes to Active Back Care with a willingness to give 150% to his patients. With an emphasis on remedial massage techniques and fitness Vijay can help reduce pain, muscle tension and joint stiffness in our patients.
Massage Therapist
Don’t let her small frame fool you. As a massage therapist, Marcia Nobleza strives to find the optimal balance for each patient’s treatment. She applies the level of pressure and combination of techniques that meets our patient’s unique needs, whether they require a firmer touch or a more relaxing experience.
In Active Back Care’s multi-disciplinary practice, Marcia enjoys working in combination with our Chiropractors and Physiotherapists to accelerate patient recovery. Marcia is skilled and experienced in remedial massage and trigger point therapy and specifically enjoys helping expectant and new mothers relieve tension, alleviate pain and feel their best with her pregnancy massage and certification in Infant Massage and Instructing.
In addition Marcia has honed her skills with post graduate studies gaining certification in lymphatic drainage and Oncogology massage. Finally, Marcia further extends her skills with her interest and passion in working with scar tissue. Old scars and chronic scar tissue can create abnormal pulling forces and tension on normal body tissue and joints causing compensation, chronic pain and decreased mobility. Through study and use of the specialist STRAIT Method of massage that works to reduce the tension, texture and appearance of scar tissue Marcia is keen to help patients reduce scarring for both functional and cosmetic reasons.
So, whether it’s a massage for musculoskeletal relief, stress, tension, pregnancy, lymphatic drainage, oncology support or scar tissue changes, Marcia has the skills and experience to help.
Massage Therapist
Nicholas Weiland completed his Diploma of Remedial Massage at the Australian Institute of Fitness where he also gained an Institute Sports Trainer certification enabling him to manage sporting injuries and provide sports taping to athletes. Armed with these skills, Nicholas has worked in private clinics as a remedial and sports massage therapist as well as assistant to the medic team for the NSW State Ice Hockey team and other sporting events.
As an ice hockey player from a young age who has played for NSW State and Australian National teams, Nicholas is all too familiar with sporting injuries, aches and pains as well as the importance of maximizing movement and function for performance. With this personal experience, Nicholas has a strong interest in studying and addressing movement-based dysfunction, preventing injuries and enhancing performance. To this end, Nicholas is continuing his career in musculo-skeletal care as he studies to be a Chiropractor.
With his background, skills and experience, Nicholas has proven to be an excellent remedial massage therapist. His ability to be specific, deliver light to firm pressure as required allows him to work well within his patient’s tolerance levels and achieve good clinical changes. Whether you are suffering muscle tension from stress, postural strain or physical injury Nicholas can help find the cause and provide effective massage therapy to address this.
Receptionist
Jen is our Senior Receptionist. She has the warmest heart and an awesome dry humour that will put you at ease as she takes care of all your front desk needs. Since joining Active Back Care Jen has stepped forward with her bold skills in technology to be a driving force in ensuring procedures and operations are constantly updated, providing our patients with the latest benefits in payment claims and administration.
Behind the scenes, Jen’s pleasant, yet efficient manner ensures all our practitioners needs are met and supported so they can focus on providing the excellent care our patients know and love.
Prior to joining Active Back Care, Jennifer worked as an insurance underwriter for 10 years (among other jobs), a role that fostered communication, attention to detail and teamwork skills that she brings to us every day. At Active Back Care, Jennifer enjoys getting to know our patients and seeing how the treatments make a difference in their lives.
Receptionist
Emma comes to Active Back Care with a retail background having 20 years experience in customer service and care. Emma will greet you with a friendly smile and welcome you with the warmth and care that she has provided for her clients over many years in retail. Emma enjoys getting to know our Active Back Care patients and serving them with attention to detail, personal interest and genuine care. With her warm and considerate nature, Emma nurtures our Active Back Care team so they can be at their best everyday.
Receptionist
Kirra is an incredibly friendly, self driven, confident Receptionists who is always ready to go the extra mile for our patients and team at Active Back Care. Kirra has achieved a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Western Sydney and has worked in several administerial and office management roles. Coupled with her bubbly energy and multi-tasking skills, Kirra has the smiles and skills to make you feel welcomed and looked after at every visit.
Receptionist
Lidia is one of our weekend Receptionist who travels all the way from the Blue Mountains to be part of our Active Back Care Team. Lidia has studied maths and statistics at university level and is a whiz on the computer. Lidia shares her time at Front Desk as well as dedicating many hours in the back office ensuring all systems run smoothly. Lidia is the perfect mix of knowledge, efficiency, warmth and care.