Headache & Migraine Treatment in Clairemont
Chiropractic care in Clairemont for headaches that keep coming back, often the same day you call. The upper neck is a known source, and one visit finds whether it is involved in yours.
Three patterns, three different places
Where the pain sits, and what sets it off, points to where it comes from. That is the first thing an exam sorts out.
Cervicogenic
Base of the skull, travelling forward
Starts under the back of the skull and moves forward, usually staying on one side, often settling behind an eye. Rotation is limited on that side. It is the pattern driven by the neck, so it is the one care is aimed at most directly. Frequently it arrives with neck pain that has been there for years.
Tension-type
A band across the front, both sides
Pressure that wraps the forehead and temples and builds through the day rather than arriving all at once. It is the most common headache there is. The upper back, shoulders and neck are usually holding a pattern underneath it, which is why it tracks with long workdays and short sleep.
Migraine
One side, often behind the eye
Throbbing on one side, commonly with light sensitivity or nausea, and it can run for a day or more. Whether a neck component sits underneath it is a question the exam answers. There is more in our post on natural migraine relief.
Patterns overlap, and plenty of people carry two at once.
Why a neck joint is felt behind the eye
Sensation from the top three segments of the neck
Sensation from the face, scalp and eye
Both arrive at one relay point in the upper spinal cord
The signal is read as pain in the head
The brain cannot always separate which of those two inputs it is reading. That is why a restricted joint at the base of the skull is felt across the temple, or behind an eye on the same side. Nothing is wrong at the place it hurts.
It is also the reason a headache examined everywhere except the neck can go years without an answer. We wrote about that pattern in headaches coming from your neck.
Care is matched to what the exam finds. Adjustments restore motion where a segment is restricted, and mobilization suits a joint that is guarded. Active Release Technique (ART) addresses the sub-occipital and upper trapezius muscles sitting over them.
I waited over 10 years to see a Chiropractor. Doctor Stein did neck adjustments and the migraines I suffered 10 years stopped. Thanks Doctor Stein.
Dave S. Google review
Who examines you
Dr. Yossi Stein does the exam and the care, and what he finds sets the plan rather than a protocol written in advance.
That matters because recurring headaches are worked through over several visits rather than one, and the presentation moves along the way.
- 1991
- Founded in San Diego by Dr. Richard Stein
- Solo practice
- The chiropractor who examines you is the one who treats you
- Background
- Former EMT and ski patroller
What a first visit covers
Five steps, about twenty minutes.
The history
When the headaches started, how often they arrive, what sets them off, and what you have already tried.
The exam
Rotation at the top of the neck, which segments are restricted, and whether pressure on them reproduces your familiar headache.
What the exam found
Explained plainly, including which pattern it points to and whether this is something we should be treating.
Care begins
When care is the right call it starts at this visit, not at a second appointment a week out.
What you leave with
Two or three things to do between visits, and a clear picture of what comes next.
First visits are scheduled. Call and a time is held for you, often the same day. Book online and we'll confirm your time. After that, walk in whenever we're open. No referral, no pre-authorization, and no forms to file afterward.
I could not move my neck or shoulders and had the worst headache. It was debilitating. I went in for an adjustment that afternoon and within an hour, I felt way better. My headache subsided and I could move my neck and shoulders again.
Miriam S. Google review
Before you come in
Does this work for migraines, or only for neck headaches?
Care addresses the neck component, not the migraine itself. Migraine is a neurological condition and belongs with your physician, and what happens here sits alongside medical treatment rather than in place of it. The exam checks for a cervical component whichever pattern you arrive with.
Yoss is very knowledgeable about chiropractic care and makes me feel comfortable with his down to earth personality. As a hairstylist, my neck and back are regularly feeling tight, but after coming to see Dr Stein I feel great! Regular visits also keep me from getting frequent migraines. Yoss is amazing at what he does!
Krystal W. Google review
Do I need imaging or records first?
No. If you have imaging or notes from another provider, bring them. If the exam points to needing more, you will hear that plainly. Our post on whether X-rays are needed to get adjusted covers how that decision gets made.
What if this is not something you should treat?
If the exam shows this isn't something we should be treating, there's no charge for the visit. You leave with what the exam found and where to take it next.
Some situations call for hospital-level evaluation first. If you're unsure, call and we'll help you route correctly.
What does the first visit cost?
$150history, exam, and care that same visit
Follow-up visits and memberships are listed on how we help.
We don't bill insurance. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Stop planning your week around it
Years of this turn into small accommodations: plans made loosely, a dark room kept free, the same bottle in the bag. Call and we'll have a time ready, or book online.
5450 F Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117. Complimentary parking out front.