"It's the first (study) of its kind," says Professor Jane Gunn from Melbourne University.
"I think one of the important things that we need to have in place is facts and evidence about health care provision in Australia."
They discovered neck and back pain were the most common reasons for a visit, with patients often returning for more.
"It's safe, effective, affordable mainstream health care," Andrew McNamara says from the Chiropractors' Association.
"It's the way of the future. It's what patients want."
But doctors argue more needs to be done to determine the effectiveness of treatment.
"It's a really good thing to open up any clinical care to scrutiny and the establishment of an evidence base - that's really important," Dr Stephen Parnis from the Australian Medical Association says.
It comes at a time when questions are being asked about just who SHOULD be visiting the chiropractor.
The recent case of a baby who reportedly received neck injuries has sparked a war of words between the Australian Medical Association and the peak body representing chiropractors.
"We have got to make sure that people, whether they are doctors or chiropractors, work in areas where they have got the evidence base and have the training to do so. We contend that, in general terms, chiropractors should not be treating babies," Dr Parnis says.
