Meet the Team at Vital Spines
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Two heads are better than one.” We’ve taken that to heart at Vital Spines. With two amazing chiropractors on staff, you get the benefit of extra brainpower. Especially with difficult cases. We also work collaboratively with Kurt our amazing Remedial Masseuse.
Dr. Gillian Nixon (Chiropractor)
Dr. Cas Grace (Chiropractor)
Kurt Manuel, (Remedial Massage Therapist)
Hours
Monday: 8am-11am & 4-7pm (Gillian)
Wednesday: 8-12pm (Gillian & Cas)
Thursday: 4-7pm (Gillian)
Friday: 8am-12pm ( Gillian)
Saturday: 8am-11am (Gillian and Cas)
Kurt: Mon 9-2pm & 4-7pm, Wed 8-12 and Thurs 4-7pm
Dr. Gillian Nixon (Chiropractor)
Dr. Gillian Nixon comes from an extended family of Chiropractors, Gillian’s Uncle Bob was instrumental in suggesting a career in Chiropractic.
Dr Gillian completed her Bachelor of Chiropractic at the world renowned New Zealand Chiropractic College. She then moved to Melbourne upon graduation, worked as an associate for a few years before taking the plunge to open her own practice…That was over 20 years ago.
Gillian has had her thriving Family Wellness Chiropractic practice based in East Ivanhoe. It is such a wonderful community.
Vital Spines, sees large percentages of entire families or multiple generations, children, babies and pregnant women, infact people from all ages and stages. Dr. Gillian Nixon (Chiropractor) is certified to perform the pregnancy care technique, known as Webster Technique awarded by The International Chiropractic Paediatric Association in 2007.
The Webster Technique is defined as a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nerve system and facilitates biomechanical balance in pelvic structures, muscles and ligaments. This has been shown to reduce the effects of intrauterine constraint.
Dr. Gillian uses many Chiropractic techniques, varied according to age and the clients need. These include Activator, Thompson, Cranial adjusting as well as Gonstead and Diversified manual techniques. Dr Gillian does the switched on Kids program with Children looking at Retained Neonatal reflexes.
Dr. Cas Grace (Chiropractor)
Dr. Cas has been a member of the Vital Spines Team since the beginning. Cas was a Chiropractic student at the time working on reception, she loved the Vital Spines atmosphere so much, she decided to work here as a Chiropractor upon graduation from RMIT university.
Dr. Cas has been fortunate enough to work with some of Melbourne’s leading chiropractors over recent years and is eager to pass on her knowledge to the local community. Cas is an ex- Ivanhoe East Primary School student, has played and coached for the Ivanhoe knights, where some of her best childhood memories were. Being raised under Chiropractic care Cas knows the benefits first hand, which is what inspired her to study Chiropractic.
Dr. Cas has completed her Postgraduate Diploma of Chiropractic Paediatrics (awarded by International Chiropractic Association in 2015).
Dr. Cas is a certified Webster practitioner (ICPA 2009) and is passionate in helping women through their pregnancies with gentle techniques. She also uses Sacral Occipital techniques, Activator, Thompson, Cranial adjusting as well as diversified manual techniques.
Sport has always been a big part of Cas’s life. She understands the demands on the body and looks forward to helping you achieve your optimal health and function, and deal with nasty injuries too. Dr Cas now has her own family and utilises her natural holistic wellbeing approach with them, growing healthy vibrant chiro kids.
Kurt Manuel, (Remedial Massage Therapist)
Hey, I’m Kurt 👋. I’m a qualified Remedial Massage Therapist, and I’m excited to be part of the team at Vital Spines.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been working as a mobile remedial massage therapist, treating a wide range of elderly clients and gaining experience with muscular aches and pains, tightness, mobility concerns and ongoing musculoskeletal issues.
I’ve always had a strong interest in sport, training, injury management and recovery. Being involved in football, running and strength training myself has played a big part in where I want to take my career, and I particularly enjoy helping active people manage their bodies and keep doing what they enjoy.
I’m also continuing to build on my skills and knowledge. In November 2026, I’ll be starting my Advanced Diploma of Myotherapy, with the aim of developing further in musculoskeletal assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and exercise.
I look forward to meeting plenty of new faces and sharing more on this page around remedial massage, injuries, exercise, movement and recovery.