…Spine Strong is a San Diego based mobile spine rehabilitation service created specifically for people suffering from chronic/recurring lower back pain.  Our experienced doctor, California chiropractic physician Dr. Dan Bruno, personally comes to your home or office and guides you through our Spine Strong Program.  The program utilizes scientifically developed intensive spine strengthening protocols, which are clinically proven to help relieve your existing back pain as well as prevent the pain from returning.  Visits are only about 15 minutes in duration and our doctor is available 7 days per week including early mornings and evenings….

…Chronic/recurring back pain refers to back pain that is either constantly present to some degree, or comes and goes.  Although there are different guidelines on how long the pain needs to be present for the problem to be considered chronic, it doesn’t really matter.  As long as your back is not in an acute, inflamed state, the Spine Strong Program should be your first choice …

…There are many different sources of back pain and it is usually impossible to determine the true cause of the pain.  The most important step is to first rule out the more serious, albeit rare, conditions.  This can usually be easily done with a detailed medical history, symptom questionnaire and physical evaluation.  Imaging studies such as X-Ray and MRI are rarely necessary and can be counter productive at times.  Once these conditions are ruled out, and as long as you are not in an acute phase, intensive spine strengthening should be your first choice.  Why, you ask?  After even a minor injury, the muscles that move, support and protect your spine begin to rapidly atrophy (weaken and deteriorate).  And the sooner these muscles are appropriately strengthened, the easier it is to make a full recovery…

…Traditional treatment methods for back pain, (such as standard chiropractic, ultrasound, laser, electric stimulation, pain relieving medications, spinal injections, most physical therapy, etc….), fall into the the category of palliative, or passive care.  These are what we call your “Band Aid” type treatments.  Sure, they may help you feel somewhat better, but the effects rarely last and therefore require ongoing treatments to try and mask the pain.  The problem with lower back pain is it’s resistance to these types of treatments and it’s overall resilience.  This is where common sense comes into play.  It has been well established by the leaders in medical orthopedics that the recurring nature of back pain is due to weak spinal muscles.  And when these muscles are appropriately strengthened through an intensive, progressive spine strengthening program, the pain goes away and the recurrences stop.  Traditional treatment methods generally do not strengthen spinal muscles, and therefore do not prevent recurring episodes of back pain.  So what makes the most sense to you?…

…The problem with the muscles of the lumbar spine (lower back) is that they are small, very specific in their function, and surrounded by much larger, stronger muscle groups that perform similar movements.  When the spinal muscles are weak, these larger muscle groups can completely take over the movement of the back in an attempt to protect the area from further injury.  Strengthening of the appropriate spinal muscles requires an isolated, restricted movement that is almost impossible to reproduce without specialized spine rehabilitation equipment designed to stabilize the pelvis while the spinal muscles are allowed to go through their full range of motion.  Due to the atrophied (weakened) state of these spinal muscles, a slow steady progression of resistance is necessary so not to overload the muscles too early.  But at the same time, the strengthening needs to be aggressive enough to promote the appropriate level of muscular fatigue.  Most patients with back pain are well, in pain, and often worried about causing further injury to their back. So even if they had the knowledge and experience to perform an intensive, progressive spine strengthening program on their own, performing the exercises properly when there is pain and nervous apprehension about injury, is almost impossible.  It is critical that, at least in the early stages, an experienced spine strengthening specialist provides supervision and guidance through your spine strengthening program…

…Yes, spine strengthening is very safe.  We are extremely careful to screen patients for any potential “red flags” that would contraindicate treatment.  In our 13+ years of spine strengthening experience, we have never caused a patient injury…

…Yes.  As a California licensed chiropractic physician, Dr. Bruno also offers standard chiropractic “wellness” services.  These services can be added to the Spine Strong Program or can be separate and even in place of our rehabilitation services.  Visit our Chiropractic Services page for more information….

…Our mobile chiropractic services are best for those with minor injuries, mild flare-ups, chronic pain/dysfunction or wellness oriented care.  More complicated “acute” injuries such as those involved with auto and work accidents are better performed in an office location where there is access to larger diagnostic and treatment devices….

…In most cases x-rays are not necessary.  This will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis…

…Yes they can.  Many patients prefer the combination of chiropractic joint manipulation (aka the spinal adjustment) along with their intensive spine strengthening sessions.  There is an additional $35 fee per visit to add chiropractic spinal manipulation to the spine strengthening sessions…

…No, I do not accept either of these cases….

…No. If you are experiencing an emergency call 911…