Ballard Back Clinic

Dr Horris was so accommodating and really took his time with me. My neck went out bad, and he could me in and drastically reduced my pain in 1 session. Highly recommend Dr Horris!

Gratitude. This is what I felt when I walked out of my second appointment in one day with Dr. Steve Horris. I have an extremely uncooperative neck. Well, I suppose that depends on how you look at things. I guess my neck tweaking out is the harbinger of my impending total collapse, so I should thank it for alerting me every few months to the fact that I need to s.l.o.w down. And slow down is what I was forced to do this week after feeling that familiar nagging, cranky, unpleasant pain running from the base of my skull down into my scapula.
These days I don’t wait long to get Dr. Horris’ assistance when that tweak happens. I used to be afraid of chiropractors, and perhaps rightfully so. I am a yoga teacher, and I work in a busy family practice medical clinic. I have some well-​informed opinions of chiropractic care. I am not a fan of ANY practitioner who lays out an expensive and lenghty treatment plan including dozens of appointments and many x-​rays, which is what I often observe with many of our patients who frequent chiropractors. I am also not a fan of careless, violent, and repeated «adjustments», which seems to be the cause of increased misery for some of our patients. I also see some pretty gnarly injuries in the clinic that probably need medical evaluation or physical therapy before they need a visit your average chiropractor (and it does seem there is an average chiropractor on every corner these days).
Dr. Horris is not average. He is special. He knows his limits, and he encourages me to know mine. He has magic, strong, intutitive hands and special tools that encourage my rock hard trapezius muscles to let go of their death grip on my psyche. He is interesting to talk to, and he manages to distract me and engage me at the same time. He simultaneously scolds me for my bad habits and makes me feel special for the good things I do to take care of my body. He uses a variety of techniques including massage, manipulation and careful adjustments. He is big on patient education, and creative solutions for better use of the body in everyday life.
He takes his time, and encourages me to come back only if needed. Sometimes I feel better after one visit, sometimes I need a few. I am very grateful for Dr. Horris indeed.

I’ve gone to Dr. Horris twice in twenty years, and both times he’s treated me extremely well and successfully. The first time I was in such pain that it took twenty minutes to get out of bed in the morning. The orthopedics dept at the UW had a 3-​wk waiting list. I was able to see Dr. Horris right away, on a Saturday, and after one treatment, I knew I was going to get better.
After two more treatments, I was pretty much fine and could get out of bed, carry groceries, and lift my kids without a worry. He didn’t try to sell me a bunch of treatment but let me go on my way, much happier. This was my first experience with chiropractic treatment and convinced me that it works! Not for everything, but when you need it, you need it.
That’s why I went back to him ten yrs later, with new pain. Again, after about three treatments, I was much better. Dr. Horris is friendly, skillful, straightforward, and low key. I trust him with my spine to make those weird crunching noises that make the pain stop (how do they learn that stuff?). He’ll also show you exercises to help maintain your success by keeping your muscles stretched and strengthened, whichever is appropriate, and he bills medical insurance.