In 2005, the doctor who runs this clinic was the patient — herniated disc, surgical consult, the fear you might be feeling right now. What he learned on the way back shaped everything about how this practice works: what we treat, how we explain it, and why we're always trying to see you less.
Dr. Robert Barton, DC is licensed and begins practice in Pasadena.
A lumbar disc herniation. A surgical consult he didn't want. And a recovery he found on a decompression table instead.
Peak Performance buys its first DRX9000. (Yes, on Valentine's Day. It was that kind of commitment.)
The second DRX9000 arrives — this time a combination unit that treats the neck as well as the low back.
StemWave arrives — the clinic's first genuine focused acoustic shockwave device, for the tendon and joint problems that rest alone often can't restart.
Chronic Back Pain? is published — Dr. Barton's book on why pain keeps coming back after treatment, with a foreword by orthopedic surgeon Anthony Melillo, MD.
Dr. Joseph Clark, DC joins the practice.
The Modern Chiropractor launches at themodernchiropractor.org — the practice model here, published in the open. And in August: 30 years in Pasadena.
The exam adds load to each structure, gently, and listens for which one complains. Treatment aims at that — not at a package.
Plans are sized to the case, with checkpoints that can stop or change them. No memberships, no year-long contracts.
Some problems need a surgeon. Some need pain management. When that's you, you'll hear it from us first, with a name and a direction.
You'll see your own imaging and understand what it means. If a doctor can't explain your pain without jargon, they don't understand it well enough yet.
Graduates come back a few times a year so we can catch loading before it can become pain — like a dental checkup, not a subscription.
Dr. Barton has practiced in Pasadena for 29+ years — with advanced training through a neurosurgery rotation, thousands of MRIs reviewed at the screen with the patient watching, and a book, Chronic Back Pain?, on why pain keeps coming back after treatment.
But the education that shaped this clinic most wasn't in a classroom. In 2005 a lumbar disc herniated and Dr. Barton faced the same fork his patients face: surgery, or live with it. He found a third path on a decompression table, and bought his first DRX9000 the following year. The practice has run on the loading model ever since: find the overloaded structure, unload it, and give the patient their margin back.
Years later, his own body taught the second lesson: a neck problem caused by bone — and bone doesn't decompress. That one needed a surgeon. Both stories are told here on purpose, because both are true of backs in general: conservative care first, surgery when it's truly the tool — and a doctor who can tell you which is which.
More about Dr. Barton →
Dr. Clark grew up in Southeast Texas, mostly outdoors and mid-game — a childhood spent in sports that became a passion for fitness and health, then a job as a personal trainer, and finally a profession. He studied at Texas A&M University before earning his Doctor of Chiropractic at Texas Chiropractic College — right here in Pasadena — graduating magna cum laude and receiving the Outstanding Student Award for his clinical training.
After graduating, he went deep on one question: what pain actually is, and how it’s truly managed. The philosophy he arrived at is the one this clinic already runs on. Dr. Barton says “the better we do, the less you need us”; Dr. Clark’s version is that the goal is not wanting to see patients. He gets there through education — helping you understand how your body works with regard to pain — and by giving you the tools and autonomy to manage it yourself, with treatment where it’s truly needed.
Dr. Clark married his wife in 2023; away from the clinic you’ll find the two of them — and their dog, Banks — outdoors, at live music, or mid-movie. He’ll still play any sport that will have him, and he never turns down a good book or a theological discussion.
Call during business hours and a human answers. Bring a claim from a car accident and the insurance red tape gets untangled for you — patients mention it in reviews more often than almost anything else.
The name patients drop in Google reviews. She untangles the insurance red tape — PIP, third-party, workers' comp — and runs your actual numbers before you decide anything.
The voice when you call. Real human, real answers, same day when you're hurting.
Runs the DRX9000 and StemWave sessions. On a decompression program, she's the person you'll see most — and the one watching closest for how you respond.
Works on the rubber bands — the muscle and fascia tension that quietly loads the spine all day.
Dr. Barton wrote the book on the loading model — Chronic Back Pain? — and talks through real cases on the clinic's podcast. If you want to understand your spine before anyone touches it, start there.
Get the book on Amazon ↗
In 2026 Dr. Barton helped launch an open framework for chiropractors built on Spinal Load Management — the same model practiced in this clinic. Its standards are published for anyone to read: exams that name the tissue, plans graded on the case's merits, and a stated goal of the fewest visits clinical reason allows.
The part that matters for you: the standards are public so any patient can read exactly what their chiropractor has agreed to practice — and hold them to it. That includes us.
Read the framework ↗
6021 Fairmont Pkwy #250, Pasadena, TX 77505
Easy access from Beltway 8 and Space Center Blvd. Free parking at the door. Your first visit is about 30–45 minutes; bring any imaging you have, and your doctor reads it with you at the screen.
Mon–Thu
8:00–12:00 & 2:30–6:00
Fri–Sun: Closed
"Dr. Barton and his staff went above and beyond… navigate all the insurance red tape… they made me feel like family."
"He takes the time to listen to your concerns, thoroughly explains the treatments."
"I feel as if he genuinely cares about you getting better… he sent me out for another MRI to figure things out."
Same-day, no-cost injury evaluation. We handle the insurance paperwork.
Auto injury care →Relief that wore off is a clue, not a dead end. See if the $49 decompression consultation fits your problem.
The $49 consultation →Book online in under a minute, or call and a human answers.
Schedule a visit →