Southern California Spine and Joint - Pain Management in Murrieta, California

“I am forever thankful for having met Dr. Kelling. I unfortunately have a bulging disc and was experiencing sciatica pain. Dr. Kelling has taken away my pain entirely and has been nothing but kind for the past 4 years I have been a patient in his office. The office staff is always friendly and accommodating and the PA Alicia Eller has always showed compassion and is amazing at helping me understand my diagnosis and how to treat it alongside Dr. Kelling. I don't know what I would do without Dr Kelling and appreciate his compassion and for helping me receive relief and understanding tha pain can be scary. I have personally been told by him that my pain will never be as bad as it was and that he will always be here to help as best as he can. He truly cares about every patient he meets and I give him a million thanks yous, truly.”

— P T

“I've been seeing Dr. Kelling for about seven years, and he's been an incredible doctor throughout that time. He's performed my cervical spine epidural injections for years, and they've always been as pain-free and efficient as possible. He walks you through every step of the procedure, keeping you calm and comfortable. His skill and precision make the process quick and smooth unlike my experience with another doctor I saw once, which was far less pleasant. But what truly sets Dr. Kelling apart goes far beyond his technical ability. At one of the lowest points in my life, he looked at all of my symptoms as a whole instead of just focusing on his specialty. He told me something that completely changed my life: "It's not just one thing that's the problem, it's everything adding up and compounding on each other. You need to address each one." That one comment set me on a path to getting my life back. I went on to have three surgeries, the most significant being artificial disc replacements at C5/6 and C6/7. It turned out that I had an undiagnosed chordoma tumor growing around my C5/C6 nerves, pressing on my vertebral artery and eroding the bone. Catching that early may have saved my life. Without Dr. Kelling's insight and encouragement, I don't think I would have pursued those surgeries and I'm forever grateful that I did. His office staff also deserves credit. They are kind, patient, and incredibly helpful with navigating the insurance challenges that come with pain management. They handle a tough job better than any front office I've experienced, and they make the whole experience much smoother. When you're dealing with chronic pain, the medical system can feel frustrating and impersonal. Southern California Spine & Joint Institute and especially Dr. Kelling and his team are top-notch. You will be well cared for here. I'm back to mountain biking as a result and I couldn't be more happy. Thank you!”

— Mike Cachat

“Back in May of 25 I had an ALIF (Lumbar fusion at L5/S1) surgery that developed into CRPS and was officially diagnosed right around the beginning of July. For those that don't know CRPS is at the top of the McGill pain index and I was laid up in bed 24/7 screaming, crying, rolling in sheer agony for weeks on end and getting zero sleep. My hospital pain clinic didn't have anything open until late August and that was not going to work for me. I found the Southern Cali Institute on google and was impressed with the reviews. The medications I was on from the hospital along with the development of the CRPS caused my feet to develop hypersensitivity, swell to almost double there size at times, become tomato red, and extremely hot. My only relief was every ~40 min (whether I was awake or trying to sleep) to dunk my feet into a bucket of ice cold water and let them soak for about 15 minutes to reduce the redness and swelling as well as numb them to the point I could fall back asleep. I contacted the clinic and the front staff girls were extremely compassionate, understanding, and respectful, knowing I was in agonizing pain. They got me scheduled for a consult with the PA in less than a weeks time. When I met with the PA, she was very knowledgeable, and compassionate as well. My wife and I asked about a new medication for pain relief (Journavx PSA: this stuff works wonders and is not an opioid!) which she happily wrote me a Rx for as the Hydromorphone, oxycodone, Robaxin, Gabapentin, Celebrex, and Pamelor were all doing almost nothing. She also wrote me a prescription for Ambien extended release which has been the only thing to allow me to get some sleep. I came back less than a week later for my nerve block injections by Dr. Kelling. Dr. Kelling is a physician that I will never forget or ever be able to speak highly enough of. His bedside manner was impeccable. His knowledge and understanding of CRPS and my experience specifically was flawless. Dr. Kelling knows what he's doing, how to treat patients, always had a smile on his face and reassured me numerous times that my pain would NEVER get back to what it was. Dr. Kelling took his time to answer every question I had and explained everything very thoroughly. I had my first LSB (Lumbar sympathetic block) on a Wednesday, second one on that Friday, and my third one the following Thursday. I had finally gotten my life back!!! I started the Journavx the morning after my first nerve block, ceased all other medications, and after about 3 hours, 90%-95% of my pain had melted away. Over the next week I watched as the then lingering swelling disappeared. The redness dropped significantly each day and would only come back while standing stationary or sitting more than 30 minutes. I have since started physical therapy, and continue to improve every day while navigating the addition of desensitization therapy, walking consistently every day, doing home exercises and stretches, and mindfulness therapy. Thanks to Dr Kelling, I am expected to make a full recovery and will soon be able to go back to work with full functionality of my new and improved spine as well as now capable feet. To the clinic staff, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Your teams effective and professional care gave me my life back. I was truly humbled by this diagnosis and have made some big life changes. This would have only been possible with your help. Thank you for constantly returning my calls, and keeping me updated on appointment availability. To Dr. Kelling, you are one of the best healthcare professionals I have every had the privilege of knowing. I cannot thank you enough for what you did for me and my wife. We owe you a tremendous amount of gratitude for allowing me to have control over my life again. Thank you a million times over. Bottom line: If you're in pain, or are in a similar situation that I was, go to this clinic, period. They will treat you right and you will come out on top. Hands down amazing experience and felt like a part of the family.”

— Justin Hibbard

“I was very happy to get my life back, spinal nerve ablation helped me to walk again. Sciatica was one of the worst pains I've experienced. Dr.Kelling was instrumental in alleviating my Sciatic pain.”

— Steve Henninger