Back Pain
Treatment in
Clairemont
Dr. Yossi Stein treats acute, chronic, and recurring back pain with precise adjustments, joint mobilization, and soft tissue work.
Walk-in hours Mon & Wed 9–2, Tue & Thu 1–6, Fri 9–1
5.0 202 Google reviews
Where back pain shows up
Back pain is one complaint with several different presentations. Where it sits, and whether it travels, changes how care begins.
Upper and mid back
Tightness between the shoulder blades, a spot you can never quite reach, or pain that sharpens when you breathe in. The thoracic spine takes a quiet strain from desk work, lifting, and sleep positions.
Lower back
The most common presentation by a wide margin. A dull ache that sits behind everything you do, a deep spasm that arrived after lifting, or a sharp catch when you stand up from a chair.
Radiating into the hip and leg
A deep ache that travels from the low back down the leg, often sharper sitting and easier walking. Care works to take pressure off the nerve pathway. The full presentation is covered on our sciatica relief page.
I had extremely lower back pain for about 6 months that I could barely walk. I went to physical therapy for several weeks and it didn't help at all. Dr Yossi is one of a kind that helped me back to living normally without pain.Mingkun S.
Acute, chronic, and recurring
Not all back pain behaves the same way, and the kind you have changes where care starts.
- Acute
- Comes on fast, often after a lift, a twist, or a morning that started wrong. The spasm is real, and the driver is usually mechanical rather than structural. Acute cases tend to respond faster than most patients expect when care starts the same week.
- Chronic
- Lasts months and reshapes how you move, sit, and sleep. The original injury may be long resolved while the compensation built around it remains. Care works to restore motion to the restricted joints and address the soft tissue patterns holding the area down.
- Recurring
- Resolves, disappears for weeks, then returns to the same spot. Most recurring cases are not new injuries. They are patterns that were never addressed at the source, and there are clear signs your back pain needs a chiropractor rather than more waiting.
Most back pain is mechanical: restricted joints and soft tissue patterns rather than structural damage. Those presentations respond well to conservative chiropractic care, and a first visit establishes whether yours fits that picture. When a disc is involved the assessment changes, and so does the approach. That is covered on our disc and pinched nerve page.
Some situations call for hospital-level evaluation first. If you're unsure, call and we'll help you route correctly.
Why here
Dr. Yossi Stein went through his own serious injury and recovery, guided by his father, Dr. Richard Stein, who founded the practice in 1991. That recovery is the reason he does this work.
He trained alongside chiropractors with more than thirty years of experience. Every visit is with the same doctor, so your history does not get re-explained to someone new, and the approach adjusts as the presentation changes.
- 1991
- Founded in San Diego by Dr. Richard Stein
- One doctor
- The same chiropractor at every visit
- Background
- Former EMT and ski patroller
What happens when you walk in
From the door to the table, a first visit runs in three steps.
Call ahead, or walk in
A quick call means a time is ready when you arrive and less of your visit spent waiting. Coming in during open hours as a walk-in works too. No referral needed either way.
A focused assessment
A history and movement exam covering where the spine is restricted and what the body is guarding against.
Care begins
Care starts that same visit when it's the right call. If your presentation needs something else, Dr. Stein will tell you plainly. Most first visits run about twenty minutes.
How it gets treated
Three methods, matched to what the spine and surrounding tissue present with on the day you walk in.
Chiropractic adjustments
A precise, controlled movement that restores motion to a restricted spinal joint and takes pressure off the nerves and muscles around it. Care targets the specific segments driving the pain rather than the whole spine.
Joint mobilization
Graded movement used when a joint is inflamed or guarded. For acute presentations it restores motion without asking the body to do too much at once.
Active Release Technique
A soft tissue method addressing adhesions and restrictions in the muscles around the spine. For recurring back pain, and for the strain that builds from long hours of sitting, it is often the piece adjustments alone leave behind.
Absolutely incredible. I went in with terrible lower back pain and Dr. Stein took his time to make sure he pin pointed every part of my body that was hurting. 10/10 recommend to everyone!
Melody G.I came in with lower back pain and had a walk in visit with Dr. Stein. He was ready to see me very quickly and gave me immediate relief. He was awesome very helpful in explaining what I should be doing to maintain after the visit.
Levi W.What people ask at the door
Does chiropractic actually do anything for back pain?
For the mechanical presentations, conservative chiropractic care is a recognized first-line option. The exam is what establishes whether yours is one of them, and you hear that answer the same visit rather than after a plan has been sold to you.
Do I need an MRI or X-rays first?
No. Most back pain is assessed through history and a movement exam, and nothing needs to be in hand before you are seen. Imaging is reserved for the presentations that call for it, and Dr. Stein will tell you if yours is one.
What if it turns out not to be a chiropractic problem?
Then he says so at the exam and points you toward the right route, which is a better outcome than starting care for something that was never going to respond to it. If the exam shows this isn't something we should be treating, there's no charge for the visit.
What is this going to cost me?
A first visit is $150 and includes the exam. There is no insurance billing, no lien billing, and no invoice arriving weeks later. Follow-up rates and membership options are on how we help.
Walk in when you're ready
If you have been managing this on your own, stretching, resting, hoping it passes, you have done enough. Call and we'll get you on the schedule, or come in during open hours.
We don't bill insurance. HSA and FSA cards are accepted, and you'll know what the visit costs before any care begins.