Car Accident
Treatment in
Clairemont
Chiropractic care for neck pain, headaches, and soreness after a car accident. Call for a same-day visit. No referral or insurance claim needed.
5.0 214 Google reviewsOffice hours Mon & Wed 9–2, Tue & Thu 1–6, Fri 9–1
I was recently in a motorcycle accident and after trying several chiropractors Stein chiropractic had the most impact on my recovery. My body feels so much better and now I’m able to do physical activities without pain. Stein chiropractic is not only a place for physical recovery but also mental recovery as they are invested In all there clients well being.
Derrick S. Google review
What a collision leaves behind
A collision moves the body faster than it is prepared to move. What follows is rarely one injury. It is usually a mix of restricted joints, guarding muscles, and sometimes nerve symptoms running into an arm.
Why pain often shows up days after a car accident
- At the scene
- Adrenaline can mask soreness, and many people feel fine at first.
- The next few days
- Symptoms most often surface within days of the injury, as inflammation and muscle guarding set in. A blind-spot check or a full breath begins to hurt.
- The weeks after
- Left alone, the body works around what stopped moving, and the workaround becomes habit.
Whenever it showed up, the exam starts in the same place. We’ve written about neck stiffness after a car accident.
Where a collision lands
Neck
With the torso held, the neck takes the motion. Its joints stiffen and the muscles around them guard. That pattern is whiplash.
Headaches
Headaches that begin after a collision often start in the upper neck. The joints and muscles at the base of the skull refer pain into the head and behind the eyes. Our headache and migraine page covers that pattern.
Ribs and mid-back
Bracing against the wheel and the pull of the belt stiffen the rib joints and the mid-back. It shows up as a deep ache on a full breath, or when turning to look behind you.
Low back
The lap belt holds the pelvis while the legs brace against the floor, and the low back is caught between them. Restricted joints and guarding muscles are the usual result.
Arm and hand
Tingling or numbness running into the shoulder, arm, or hand can point to an irritated joint or disc in the neck. The exam traces where it starts before care begins. More on numbness and tingling.
From the exam room
Across years of treating collision patients, one pattern stands out. The mid-back and ribs absorb more force than people expect, and they get missed because attention stays on the neck. It is often what explains still feeling off weeks later.
Dr. Stein
Your first visit
A first visit usually takes about twenty minutes.
Not required
- A referral
- A claim number
- An attorney
- Forms afterward
Call, or book online
First visits are scheduled. Call and we’ll hold a time for you, often the same day. Book online and we’ll confirm your time. After that, walk in whenever we’re open.
History and exam
How the collision happened, where it hurts, and what has been looked at since. Then a movement exam of the neck, mid-back, ribs, and low back.
A plain explanation
What the exam found and what care would involve, before anything begins.
It started when my back went out and I couldn’t move. After just one visit, I was able to walk again and on my way to a quick recovery. He has helped me and my husband time and time again with various back and hand/arm pain.
Daniela D. Google review
Care begins
When care is the right call, it starts at this visit, matched to what the exam found.
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Precise, measured adjustments to the joints the collision left restricted, at a conservative pace through the early visits.
- Joint mobilization
- Graded movement for joints still too guarded to adjust directly, common in the neck and ribs early on.
- Active Release Technique (ART)
- A soft tissue method for the muscle patterns that set in around those joints in the days after impact.
You leave knowing what to do between visits.
Before you call
Dr. Yossi Stein
Before chiropractic, he worked as an EMT and ski patroller. The practice was founded in San Diego in 1991 by Dr. Richard Stein. The chiropractor who examines you is the one who treats you.
I’ve been coming to Dr Stein for about 20 years now and I refuse to try any other Chiropractor due to how skilled he is. He has even saved me in times of need with ankle sprains and back issues after a minor car accident. Family oriented, warm and loving office.
Sagi H. Google review
Can chiropractic care help after a car accident?
Most collision soreness is mechanical: joints that stiffened and muscles guarding around them. Those presentations respond well to conservative chiropractic care, and the exam establishes whether yours fits that picture.
Do I need X-rays or an ER visit first?
Not to be seen. If you were checked at an ER or urgent care, bring what they gave you. If the exam points to imaging before care, we’ll tell you plainly. Some situations call for hospital-level evaluation first. If you’re unsure, call and we’ll help you route correctly.
What if it isn’t something you should treat?
If the exam shows this isn’t something we should be treating, there’s no charge for the visit.
What does a first visit cost?
$150 covers the history, the exam, and care that day when it’s the right call. We don’t bill insurance, including auto insurance, and don’t work on attorney liens. HSA and FSA cards are accepted. Rates after the first visit are on our How We Help page.
Can I come in with an open claim or an attorney?
Yes. The visit runs the same way for everyone. Care decisions are made in the exam room, on clinical findings alone.
Start with the exam
Waiting tends to mean bracing: turning your whole body to check a lane, sleeping propped on one side. Call and we’ll have a time ready, or book online and we’ll confirm one.
Office hours Mon & Wed 9–2, Tue & Thu 1–6, Fri 9–1
5450 F Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117. Complimentary parking out front.