Core Health Spine and Sports Care

I have seen Dr. Mike for back/​hip pain, and he is an amazing chiropractor. He is very knowlegeable in his field, and understands the body and it’s anatomy. He also has very great bed side manner. Dr Mike has helped me a lot with my chronic back/​hip pain and associated stiffness/​tightness/​inflammation. The office staff is also very nice, and there is parking in the back.

Dr. Mike is great! He is not your average chiropractor! I had incredible back/​side pain and he was able to help me in just a few appointments. The ART treatment was extremely effective. I wish I had known about this several injuries ago. Also, his goal is to get you better as soon as possible so you don’t have to come back for more treatment. I would highly recommend him and will go back if I have another issue in the future. They also take insurance and have reasonable pricing.

Though Dr. Higgins is very knowledgable, I feel that he does not spend enough time with his patients. I had very uncomfortable hip pain and knew that my hip needed to be released hopefully via ART. The visits were incredibly short, with the waiting room very packed. He would work a little on the affected area, but I felt like he was in a hurry to get to the next patient. I went about three times, and felt no progress and did not feel like he was spending the time to really understand what was happening. I was able to go to a different Chiropractor/​ART specialist and he was able to release my hip.

Oh wow, I am shocked I have not wrote a review on Core Health yet. I ***LOVE*** Dr. Mike, and if you know me you know how much I respect the art of ART. I have been going to Core Health for well over a year now and as an avid runner who is creeping up in age and spends all day sitting behind a desk resulting in super tight hip flexors which then tweaks my back and leads into a multitude of issues — Dr. Mike is 4^th on my speed dial list following my daughter, my boyfriend and Croutons, my go to salad joint. ;)
Core Health was recommended to me by a tri-​athlete friend that swore by them. When I started going I was in so much pain from not maintaining proper maintenance with spine health and lack of stretching. With in a few weeks Dr. Mike and his ART and alignment magic, had me fixed like new and feeling better than I ever have. He has taught me the proper stretching that I *should* be doing (honestly, still don’t do that much, shame on me) and more importantly to identify when I’m pushing myself too hard and how to properly balance my training. As my mileage creeps up, so do my visits and I always make sure a fine tuning visit is on my checklist for pre race and post race.
I have seen Dr. Sean too, and he is equally as awesome! This is the duo team, if I could take them everywhere with me, I would. I have recommended them to other friends who do different sports (not just running/​tris but body building, basketball and baseball) and they have further referred them as well. The support the Chargers during football for goodness sakes! (Go Hawks, yes I put a plug in there).
Their support staff, is also the best — I have NEVER had a bad experience with any of them. Sweetest, knowledgeable and they ALL just work so well together!
ART is the way to go in conjunction with spine alignment. Stop reading and call, you will not be sorry!

I was treated by Dr. Sean Higgins twice now. He is very friendly and makes me feel comfortable. The office is clean and cozy. Feel the tensions relieved when he cracked my back and neck.

I’ve been seen Sean Higgins for an extremely painful crick in my neck, it was so bad that I could barely move my neck. Having used ART successfully in the past, I was thrilled to learn of Core Health Spine which is right down the street from my house. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, not pushy. You come back when you want to and no one is pestering you to purchase plans or schedule more appointments. This is the real deal — their experience shows. I am so grateful for Dr. Higgins for helping to alleviate my pain in just a few short sessions. They provided exercises which I’ve been following religiously and I am almost pain free. I can’t say enough about Core Health, if you are looking for a chiropractor make sure yours incorporates Active Release Technique into their practice or else you are wasting your time (and money). Of course, they treat the chargers so they are the best in their field.

Dr. Higgins is great. Listens and is very gentle.

Dr.‘s Kuoppamaki & Sean Higgens are by far, without a doubt, MASTERS of their field. About a month ago I became aware of an excruciatingly painful foot injury, which was an accumulative result of not stretching after long runs &/​or elliptical workouts. My injury made it extremely hard to just get around, & I could no longer continue my regular workouts. For the first time in a month, today I was able to start pain free and healthy running again. I owe it all to my chiropractors whom I have been going to off and on for over 10 years. I must give credit where credit is due. Thanks to Dr.‘s Mike Kuoppamaki & Sean Higgens, I am able to get through my daily routines pain free, once again. Don’t know what I would do without these guys. PS these 2 are the primary therapists for the mighty SAN DIEGO CHARGERS, and they accept most health insurances as well.

Roughly 4 years ago, I injured my foot. One day while walking, I felt a pinpoint burn near my metatarsal area on the bottom of my foot, and ever since that time, I have had a difficult time walking as each step would be painful. I have seen all kinds of doctors: podiatrists, foot specialists/​surgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, and even an acupuncturist. A few provided minor improvement, most had no effect, and some actually made things worse. In the mean time, my ability to walk was getting worse, and there was a point where I was actually investigating motorized wheelchairs to get ready for what I thought was the inevitable.
One day, during yet another ineffective visit to a doctor, while waiting in the lobby, I happened to read a health magazine that described ART: Active Release Technique. After doing a little research, I learned that one of the best practitioners of ART in the San Diego area is Dr. Sean Higgins. In fact, he is not just a practitioner, he is an official instructor who teaches others at professional seminars. He is also on staff for the San Diego Chargers. I immediately made an appointment, and everything changed.
I worked with Dr. Higgins for 6 months. I went from barely being able to walk to now walking 17 miles per week. And I have to give all the credit to Dr. Higgins.
On my first visit, he clearly explained what he was about to do: the Active Release Technique applied to the bottom of my foot. Basically, it amounts to using one hand to put pressure on a muscle or tendon at a particular point, and then using the other hand to slowly stretch that muscle/​tendon. In the case of the foot, he applied ART to the plantar fascia, the tissue that runs along the arch. I must say that it was somewhat painful, though he alerted me that it would be. I put my trust in him, and did the suggested icing afterwards. And just like he predicted, I did feel better after a few days. This is not to say I was «cured» (and in fact, I do not believe there are any quick cures, and warn readers to be skeptical if any doctor advertises such a thing). But I did feel, for the first time, that something changed for the better and that I had made progress.
I then was on a schedule to see Dr. Higgins twice a week, and in between, I followed his instructions (to walk a certain distance on certain days, to rest in between, and to apply ice). Over time, I saw definite progress. In addition, his application of ART became less and less painful. After having so many inconsequential visits with other doctors, I found it hard to believe that something positive was actually happening. Eventually, I saw him once a week, and then once every two weeks.
Not only does Dr. Higgins have a gift for ART, he is extremely knowledgeable of the entire human body and is good at explaining how it works. This gave me confidence that he knew what he was doing. During each visit, he listened carefully to what I experienced since the last visit, and made appropriate adjustments. I had seen so many other doctors that I felt were either just poking in the dark or were relying on magic rather than science. One cannot argue with results, and Dr. Higgins was the only one who delivered in a big way. And it did not involve cortisone shots, surgery, or any other invasive treatment. He basically helped my body heal itself.
I also wish to say something about Dr. Higgins’ office: he has an absolutely excellent staff. There were never any problems with handling any of my payments, with dealing with my insurance, etc. I always received a call a day in advance to remind me of my visit. All the assistants were very friendly, helpful, and very professional. They are really great people!
I cannot thank Dr. Higgins enough for helping me to walk again. As far as I’m concerned, he is the best, and we are very fortunate to have him in San Diego. If you have an injury and have lost hope (as I did), go see Dr. Higgins and I’m confident that he will help you. If in the future I were to have other problems, I would absolutely go see him as I know he would be able to help. I recommend him in the strongest possible terms for recovery of any kind of soft tissue injury.

I had a low back problem and hips problem. I suffered for a few months, tried Physical Therapy, steroid shots nothing helped. I saw two Chiropractors who instead of helping me hurt me even more. Then after searching online I found D-​R Higgins and had 4 visits with him including the deep tissue massage. He is so professional and skilled and maybe #1 Chiropractor in San Diego. I do recommend him to everybody!

Dr. Higgins and his staff helped my father out with his back issues and took care of him. It was such a great experience for him and the staff was very friendly and the office ran very smoothly. I’d highly recommend Core Health!

I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about chiropractors in general and I’ve had my reservations about pursuing treatment. As a hygienist, I may not exercise the best ergonomics and I’m overworked in a profession that requires repetitive movements that is not only taxing on my body but it increases my risks for body ailments and arthritis as a whole. I needed to do something.
I had become aware of active release therapy through colleagues and so I started my research. I found Dr. Higgins on the official active release therapy website. Not only is he knowledgeable but the list of credentials go on and on. What convinced me above all else was that he is also certified as an instructor.
My first appointment was over a year ago and I’ve been more than satisfied since.
I’ve always felt that they were great but I recently got rear ended a month ago and they have handled every step so carefully to ensure that I was given the best care possible.
It’s individual, personalized care that is sincere and welcoming. I’m in great hands … LITERALLY! I trust no one else to give me adjustments :)
They rock!

Dr Higgins is incredibly gifted at this very effective soft tissue technique (ART). The technique cleared up my carpal tunnel pain in the first session. Yup, nerve pain from the elbow to the fingers, gone after one session. I work with my hands so I’ve had to come back for touch ups but it is clearly the only technique out there that actually gets to the source of this type of pain — it targets the soft tissue around the nerve in a way no other method does, freeing it up completely. He is extremely good at figuring out whats going wrong and getting to the bottom of it.

I had an extremely bad ankle injury from playing basketball on an outside court while attending college in San Diego. I received active release therapy from Dr. Kuoppamaki. I would recommend him to anyone. After a couple months of therapy my ankle was back to 100%.
Thanks,