I discovered Balanced Beast through a Facebook ad and decided to come in for an evaluation--and I'm so glad I did. As an avid pickleball player, I had been dealing with nagging pain in my hips, knees, and feet that was starting to impact both my performance and overall comfort. From the start, Dr. Bindi was confident that a series of targeted sessions could get me back on track--and she absolutely delivered. I came in once a week, and each session focused on specific areas that needed attention. I also received clear, practical exercises to continue at home, which made a huge difference in my progress. After completing my sessions, I truly feel like a "balanced beast." The areas that were bothering me are either completely resolved or significantly improved. I'm now planning to continue with monthly tune-ups to stay ahead of any issues. Both Dr. Bindi and Dr. Mark are incredibly skilled, knowledgeable, and personable. I can't recommend Balanced Beast enough--especially for athletes looking to move and perform at their best. read more

Dr Bautista is the best! I've already referred him to several of my friends. I started having really bad lower back pain. Had an MRI and was told I had foraminal stenosis and a bulging disc. The pain I was experiencing was sharp nerve pain mostly in my left side and circled around to my knee. It was interfering with my daily walking, hiking and pilates routine. Dr Bautista has an exceptional understanding of body mechanics and takes the time to find the root cause of the pain. He explaines what's happening and why he is doing what he's doing to fix it. I had improvement in the first session in my back and now I'm back to my regular daily activities. The nerve pain is gone! I will continue to see him to tackle my shoulder (rotator cuff tear). Highly recommend! read more

Dr Bautista is the best! I've already referred him to several of my friends. I started having really bad lower back pain. Had an MRI and was told I had foraminal stenosis and a bulging disc. The pain I was experiencing was sharp nerve pain mostly in my left side and circled around to my knee. It was interfering with my daily walking, hiking and pilates routine. Dr Bautista has an exceptional understanding of body mechanics and takes the time to find the root cause of the pain. He explaines what's happening and why he is doing what he's doing to fix it. I had improvement in the first session in my back and now I'm back to my regular daily activities. The nerve pain is gone! I will continue to see him to tackle my shoulder (rotator cuff tear). Highly recommend! read more

Dr. Bindi is amazing!! She's the third physical therapist I have tried over 2 years and by far the best. I had plateaued with the first two physical therapists, and I felt like if I didn't do the exercises I was given almost daily, my symptoms would come right back. I had started working with a neurologist and a pain management Dr and they were just trying to manage my symptoms, not fix the source of the problem. When they started talking about a nerve ablation, I decided to try Dr Bindi. By the time I saw Dr Bindi, I was having daily headaches. I went into this office for my evaluation with a headache, and actually left without it. My headache hasn't been back since. I've only had 3 appointments so far, but my back pain is far less than I've had in decades. Dr. Bindi is an incredible doctor and has treated me different than the other physical therapists. I have high hopes this is what will keep me from just driver trying to manage symptoms and will actually heal the source of my pain. Thank you Dr. Bindi!!!! read more

Dr. Mark is the best, without hyperbole. Simply put, he got results in resolving my chronic pain where others couldn't, and he brings a standard of care that is elevated above any other provider I've seen. What sets him apart is that he is not afraid of complex, multifactorial cases like mine, which typically meant I was getting bounced from one specialist to another without an overall theory or plan. Dr. Mark knows how to cut through the noise, break complex cases down into testable hypotheses, and build an overall strategy with you. This is huge because it gives you coherence and progress, and a mental model of the actual root causes and how to manage them. It's rare to find a doctor with Dr. Mark's level of knowledge, rigor, and ability to deal with complexity. I honestly lucked out by finding him after working with many others and I know I wouldn't have made this much progress without his help. I wish all doctors could be this good! read more

When you are in chronic pain for years and conventional doctors don't even know what diagnosis to give you start to accept the fact that you might never get better. This is where I was when I discovered Balanced Beast Physical Therapy! I couldn't believe that Mark within minutes was able to give me the correct diagnosis and he knew the exact way how to get me to 100%!!! At this point my chronic neck and lower back pain is completely gone and when I sleep weirdly or when I have to spend the whole day on my feet or physically working all day I just do a set of super simple exercises to bounce right back! Thank you Mark for giving me my pain free life back! read more

My back and knees were consistent source of pain and were slowing me down while trying to keep up with my two young children. I reached out to Dr. Bindi due to their hands on approach for a full session and I haven't been disappointed. Each session has netted improvement in my knees and am virtually pain free in my back. Dr. Bindi's hard work and positive outlook makes me hopeful that I can return to the activities that make me feel like myself. read more

I drive an hour each way to San Marcos just to see Dr. Mark because it is absolutely WORTH IT. He is by far the most comprehensive, attentive, and diligent physical therapist I've ever worked with. Each session is completely 1:1, and he gives his full attention to everything I'm experiencing. He really listens, constantly reassesses based on my pain, and asks thoughtful follow-up questions to adjust our care plan as needed. Instead of handing me a generic exercise sheet, he sends personalized video summaries of my exercises, making it much easier to follow at home. You can tell Dr. Mark truly cares about his patients and takes pride in getting them better. I've worked with several PTs before, but none have come close to this level of attention and commitment. Highly, highly recommend. read more

I have been suffering from back pain on/off for most of my adult life after an injury to my disc. I had a wonderful PT in LA and upon moving to the north county area, I was sent to a terrible PT by my insurance who actually reignited my injury worse than it had been. I found Dr. Mark online and he seemed to really know his stuff, and boy did he! I was desperate for whoever could reduce my pain and help me move confidently again. After a very thorough diagnostic (like a great mechanic on a BMW, yes i'm the BMW haha) we began care once a week. I'm only half way through my sessions and the constant pain I've lived with in my lower back down to my hip/legs has already reduced to minor parts of the day and very localized, and not nearly to the degree with which i had experienced it in the past. This is a place you can trust. Truly. Scientific, focused, clear direction of care and expectations, Dr Mark and his balanced beast staff are like detectives for your body. He will find the source and as long as you do your homework too, you will see improvement. As a person who loves being physically active, I'm already looking forward to more progression and getting to a place where i can lift and move confidently. Thanks Dr. Mark! read more

Dr Bindi is wonderful! My back is finally healing and I am finally out of pain. It has been three years of training, physical therapists and various types of interventions, I tried everything. This is the first time someone walked me through how to address the root cause and that I've gotten relief. Highly highly recommend Balanced Beast and Dr. Bindi! read more

Dr. Mark is the best physical therapist I've seen for my back pain. His individualized approach on identifying the root cause of your pain and systematically addressing it has me pain free after 3 visits. I plan to keep seeing him in order to make sure I stay pain free and build a strong foundation. read more

Dr. Mark is the man!! After dealing with neck pain issues for over a year, a spine injection, and a lackluster experience at different PT with no noticeable results, I had almost given up on getting better - I gave Balanced Beast a try after a(nother) night of not being able to sleep due to my neck & shoulder pain. Dr Mark is the most personable, easy to work with, knowledgeable and professional medical professional I've worked with. His passion for the practice was clear from day 1 and he's built a process designed to get results. I've been experiencing noticeable improvements on a weekly basis and always look forward to going into the office to get our work done. What I especially appreciate is how he explains what is happening and why/how the work we're doing is addressing my issues. Along with addressing the pain, I can tell my body awareness and range of motion is increasing. I can't recommend Dr Mark enough - THANK YOU DOC! read more

After a fusion of C3-C5 and adjacent disc degeneration, I've had years of traditional physical therapy that hasn't helped much. In only a few short sessions with Dr. Mark in using techniques outside of traditional physical therapy, he's gotten me to be able to move my neck and shoulders around with much less pain. He's reinvigorated my hope to be eventually pain free and have an increased quality of life. I look forward to being able to play sports with my kids for years to come. Thank you Dr. Mark! read more

I'm really grateful for professionals like Dr. Mark. I have multiple joint and pain issues from my neck to my ankles and he has been able to explain why in detail what muscles and joints are affected. He teaches you how to heal affected areas as well as provides excellent care with different body work techniques. I came in one day with my lower back burning and left with no pain. I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I am glad I found someone who can help on my healing journey who cares and is knowledgeable in his field of expertise. read more

I've been working with Dr. Mark in his previous practice in San Francisco for several months now, first to treat my piriformis syndrome pain, then to treatment my arm/shoulder/neck pain. He is an extraordinary PT who has done wonders for me! He was very skilled at diagnosing accurately and then adjusting exercises & stretches as I steadily made progress and reported back changes I felt. He's super patient and always took the time to fully explain everything and addressed all of my myriads of questions. He's also extremely warm and uplifting, which made every pain treatment session much more pleasant and helped me get into a much more positive attitude about my path to recovery! I remember I always walked out of Dr. Mark's sessions feeling more optimistic and empowered. One of the many things I appreciated so much about Dr. Mark is him teaching me how to continue to safely workout and lift weights while I was still recovering from my pain. I was really worried that until I healed completely, I could not lift any weight and would loss a lot of muscle mass. He taught me good workout and weight-lift postures, guided me to progressively lift heavier till I got back up to my usual weight, and how to quickly self-test whether a particular exercise/motion was detracting me from my recovery. It's no fun to need to treat body pains, but I feel extremely lucky to have ran into Dr. Mark and learned his wonderful exercises for good. They are effective and I now possess the understanding of how to maintain and prevent future similar injuries/pains by having proper postures, including workout & weightlifting postures. This knowledge is invaluable for the rest of my life! I'm very sad that Dr. Mark is no longer practicing at the San Francisco office, but if you are local and is looking for a superb PT, you must give Dr. Mark a try!! read more

Dr. Mark is the best! As a competitive powerlifter, I have various issues that arise and he the first PT I've met who can quickly get to the root of the issue and keep me on track. I highly recommend Dr. Mark if you want to stay active and feel your best! read more

Balanced Beast Physical Therapy - Physical Therapy Near Me - San Marcos, California

Mark is the best physical therapist I have ever seen, and I've seen a handful! I went to Mark to treat my chronic lower back pain and also for issues with my shoulders / upper body resulting from a combination of sports and desk work. After multiple attempts with other physical therapists that never fully solved my back pain, I had accepted the reality that I would live my whole life like that. After getting treatment from Mark, I've been able to get back into lifting, running, and sports. He is extremely knowledgable, up to date with the latest evidence and therapies. While some may treat the symptoms, Mark will address the root cause and ensure you can get back into the activities you want. If you are looking for a physical therapist who brings results and genuinely cares about their patients, don't look any further! Mark is the person you're looking for. read more

Dr Mark is very knowledgeable and was able to address the main issues I was having with my hip and back pain. I highly recommend him to anyone needing physical therapy. read more

In his previous practice in San Francisco, Dr. Mark was been instrumental in my recovery and has truly changed the course of my physical and mental wellbeing for the better. Previous to coming to Dr. Mark, I been in various forms of physical therapy for over 10 years across six different practitioners in multiple cities with inconclusive answers and results. I felt trapped in my own body given seemingly invisible and undiagnosable limitations that foundationally inhibited my quality of life; even walking would cause me pain, and I had very narrow outlets for exercise. Dr. Mark possesses a rare combination of both aptitude and the determination to see thorny challenges through to the other side. This is incredibly difficult to find. I was a tough client, both because of my challenges and my expectations, which were shaped by previous unsuccessful experiences. Dr. Mark's optimism and focus were important buoys for me. He is also a continued learner; he is always referencing recent studies he's read or workshops he's attended and incorporating that into our sessions. Dr. Mark never hesitated to lean into a problem nor did he give up or "phone it in." I'm now five months in, and I've seen notable, measurable improvements in my ability to walk, run, lift, and understand my body. I hadn't run in over 10 years and didn't even consider it to be an option that was on the table; and I'm now experimenting with short distances. In one session he made significant progress on a shoulder issue I had battled almost daily for *years* and had just chocked up as unresolvable chronic pain. Most of all, the daily anxiety I carried of being trapped with these challenges has reduced and my perceived locus of control over my body has increased. I now can envision a future where I am stronger than ever before as opposed to feeling like I was holding on to what I still had. Thank you, Dr. Mark! read more

I visited Dr Mark at the recommendation of a family member. He was thorough and talked through each step, educating me on what he was seeing and how the treatment will address the issue. I'm so appreciative and finally resolving some longstanding injuries. Thank you Dr. Mark! read more

TL;DR is that my experience with Dr. Mark has been excellent, and I'd highly recommend him. I came to Dr. Mark after coming out of a walking boot that I'd been prescribed after years of abuse of my foot resulted in a stress fracture and some ligament damage. Mark took a detailed history and then started stretching and prodding me to get a baseline for pain and flexibility throughout the whole foot, ankle, leg, spine chain. By the end of my first appointment, we had a good path forward. Each visit we refined the plan of action based on progress and pain. This refinement process was my favorite part about working with Mark, particularly his emphasis on optimizing my time with the most impactful exercises as determined through feedback each visit. In the past, I've worked with PTs who aren't nearly as thoughtful about the individual patient. Some other great things about Mark: - He would then send me links to his videos so that I could refresh my memory before doing my exercises at home. - He's personally very fit and able to keep up with the strenuous work of pushing and pulling on athletes' bodies. He also has the mindset of an athlete himself. All in all my foot and ankle are doing much better after working with Mark, and the rest of my body is more healthier and less injury prone as a result of addressing imbalances surfaced through my visits with him. read more

Super informative and very helpful. I was able to make a full recovery from a fairly rough neck injury. Highly recommend.

Mark is an excellent Physical Therapist. He has a very strong knowledge base of the mechanics of the body and communicates and educates throughout his very thorough assessment. He has a great bedside manner, asks a lot of questions and listens to the answers. He got me in urgently which I really appreciated! I also appreciated the videos he sent me home with so that I could continue to work on my knee after my appointment. I am very picky about my healthcare providers and I would 100% recommend Mark! read more

Dr. Mark was my PT from May 2021 until December 2023 and for those two and a half years, I can honestly say that I have learned so much about my body and he was vital to my recovery. I was in a near-fatal car crash in 2019. My mid- and lower-ab muscles ripped, I broke my back, sternum, ankle and wrist. Recovery was lengthy, as I was in the hospital for two months and had to learn how to walk again after about four months after the accident. I saw about ten PTs from my hospital stays until I went to Mark's former clinic starting December 2020. I basically hit a plateau after about a year with another clinic. I was in the military at the time, and I recovered enough to move onto the next step--being able to run for my physical fitness test and also just being able to work out again to my maximum abilities while mitigating back and core pain. I felt like one of the reasons why I hit the plateau was because they weren't too focused on my request to move onto the next phase. I took a break from visits and did the workouts on my own and realized that the visits were not productive; it was time to make a change. After researching about 40-50 PT clinics in the SF/Peninsula area, I found Mark's previous clinic and contacted them for an evaluation. I was assigned to his associate initially (also an amazing PT), but she left and then I was assigned to Mark starting 5/2021. For the next two and half years, I learned from the best. Mark is an amazing teacher, as he taught me so much about the body and my treatments which focused on my back, hips, core, shoulders, neck, and also about training and running. I tried to soak in as much knowledge as I could and what he has taught me literally changed my life. I say this because after recovery, I realized that I needed to get reacquainted with my body and I then focused on starting completely over with weight training and running. I knew I had to gain more knowledge on exercises and fitness in general, and if it wasn't for Mark, I would not be where I am today. What I most loved about our sessions was that Mark loved to get into the details, he loved nerding out on his profession, something that I wanted in a PT because I'd rather learn the ins and outs of what causes an ailment, what needs to be done to train it to heal it, and what needs to be done to maintain, as opposed to just going to a session, doing arbitrary exercises with minimal progress. Fast forward from the beginning of my sessions with Mark to now, and I am in the best shape of my life. I'm stronger, more mobile, and more cognizant of my body. The encyclopedia of exercises I have learned from him have allowed me to reach new levels of achievement and have also gotten me through many relapses in body pain. The attention to detail and genuine passion combined with his great ability to teach is why I am where I am today. Since I have seen Mark for an extended period of time, it's hard to highlight the many milestones he helped me achieve because there were so many. Overall, he is a passionate professional that strives for his patients and his field. He is thorough and is an amazing teacher. His focus on his connection to his treatments and his patients are what makes him among the best in his profession. I trusted him with my journey of wellness and I highly recommend anyone and everyone to see him for the same. It was a very sad day to see him leave, but I am very excited to see that he has ventured off with his new practice and it only makes sense that he did so, as he has an extremely bright future. Thanks, Mark for showing me the way. You are and will always be a heavy influence. San Marcos and surrounding areas, you gained THE physical therapist to meet your needs! read more

Mark has a well set up office at my CrossFit gym. I've been having lower back pain for months, did PT at a different place and quit because it felt like I was getting nowhere. Impromptu went in to see Mark and within minutes of just asking me questions and having me do a few movements, he pinpointed my lower back issue and possible cause for it. He gave me home exercises to do, explained the things I should look for and watch out for and followed up via text and e-mail with personalized video of specific exercise. He's thorough, full of knowledge, personable and friendly, but most importantly passionate about his craft and genuinely wants to help people feel and move better!!! Go check him out!!! read more

Wow! Balanced beast physical therapy is simply amazing! I was treated so well and was taken care of so professionally. Dr. Mark knows his stuff. He uses The physical therapy practice known as the Mckenzie Method. You don't go into this place. Walking out, wondering. What did I pay for? You Walk out with a life-changing experience of Knowledge and results And that is no lie. I highly recommend Going to Doctor mark! This is physical therapy at its finest! read more

I've been working with Mark for the past year to deal with a complex set of painful back and neck issues. As someone who has been to a range of PTs in the past, from great to not-so-great, I am here to tell you: Mark is a truly excellent physical therapist, and I would highly recommend him to anyone! Mark is really skilled with hands-on manual therapy, which has helped me tremendously with managing day-to-day pain. But he also is very knowledgeable about strengthening, and he has helped to craft a workout/strengthening routine that is working well for me. This is a rare combo to find, in my experience. Of all the PTs I've seen, Mark seems to be really invested in continual learning of new PT techniques and approaches. He is constantly reading scientific papers, taking new courses, etc. I appreciate that this means he is always up-to-date on the latest thinking in the field, and is able to draw from a range of different scientific outlooks in our sessions rather than advocating a single dogma. I also really appreciate Mark's friendly, flexible, and upbeat attitude. He is always super encouraging and positive, which has helped me get through difficult chapters in my PT journey. And when something isn't working as expected, he is quick to re-evaluate the approach and adapt with new exercises, etc. Thanks to Mark, I have getting stronger and living with less pain. While I am sad that I will no longer be able to work with Mark as he moves his practice from San Francisco to San Marcos, I am excited for the residents of San Marcos, who will be getting a fantastic new PT. Our loss is your gain! read more

TL;DR - Mark is the best PT I've worked with (out of 5+ I've tried for various issues), I've been going to him for over 2 years and highly recommend. Long: It started with nagging knee pain while cycling that was keeping me from riding longer than 15 miles - Mark somehow figured out that my knee pain was mostly related to an old rock climbing injury to my lower back. Within a year, Mark got me from 15 miles to grueling 100+ mile races with no serious/lasting pain. I now see Mark regularly for preventative PT. He's helped me get back into strength training and "bulletproofed" the various soft spots I have from previous injuries (wrist, back, calves, etc.). What I appreciate most about Mark is that he looks at problems holistically and experimentally. He clues you in on what his hypotheses are, explaining why he's giving you one exercise or another. I'm also able to provide Mark feedback on what works for me and he tailors his approach to fit that (e.g. I really can't stay on top of 10+ exercises anytime a new issue comes up, so we focus on trying one at a time instead). Finally, Mark isn't satisfied with simply dealing with current pain - he pushes you to create progress-oriented goals to go beyond fixing the pain to truly restore power to weak areas. Before Mark, I had low levels of consistent pain that I could manage with exercise, now I "forget' that I ever had back and knee issues, which Mark tells me is because I don't anymore (whoa). Thanks Mark! read more

I'm a young dentist and over the past few years my neck has been getting progressively worse to the point where it was not only effecting my day to day life not only at work but also my exercise and my sleep. I saw Dr. Bautista for a consultation and he immediately figured out what was causing my issues within a few minutes. He ran me through some exercises and gave me a regiment to use. Immediately that day on the way home my neck was almost instantly better. Over the past few days I can say my neck pain is nearly completely gone and my quality of life has significantly improved. Thank you so much I cannot recommend him more. read more

I've seen Mark for several different sports-related injuries over the last couple of years. He's knowledgeable about all body parts - I've seen him for issues affecting the hips, shoulders, neck, and feet - hard to find someone with such a broad knowledge base. His process starts with diagnosing the issue and then providing exercises and stretches to address the root causes. After the session is over, he provides an email with helpful instructional videos. I've made improvements with Mark on chronic issues I couldn't solve with anyone else. Highly recommended! read more

I had the best experience with Dr. Mark and highly recommend him to anyone looking for a PT who will go above and beyond. I was experiencing a painful lower back issue and he resolved it within a single - though very thorough - session. It's clear that he is very knowledgeable and I felt I was in safe hands with him throughout the entire process. I'm incredibly grateful to Dr. Mark for fixing me, he is the best! read more

I really enjoyed my experience with Dr. Mark! I came in because I would get knee pain on and off as well as pain in my low back when I would lift heavy in the gym. He provided such great information and I can't wait to see how my movement will improve with his recommendations! read more

Dr. Mark is great! He took the time at our consult to assess my pain issue and troubleshoot exercises to alleviate discomfort. I have been keeping up with the recommended exercises for several weeks now and am feeling great after seeing him just once! One thing I really appreciated is that he had me take a video of the demonstration of exercises so I would remember proper form and how to perform them. Thank you so much! read more

Dr. Mark's approach to my mobility and pain issues is both unique and the most effective I have ever experienced. I cannot recommend him enough- if you are experiencing joint or back pain, get there as fast as you can. read more

Dr. Mark provided relief to my neck/headaches. He completed a video clip for me to help with stretches to complete each day. . This was very helpful. I highly recommend Balanced Beast PT. Thank you again for your excellent service. Barbara read more

I have been to a few different physical therapist over the years and none of them came close to the care I received from Dr. Mark Bautista. In January of 2023 I decided to see Mark to address bulged discs and pinched nerve issues in my neck that other PTs were not helping with. I had headaches and blurred vision episodes and electricity that I was feeling going from my neck to my thumbs. I made the drive from Sacramento to San Francisco once a week for just about a year since I have such confidence in his work. Mark takes the time to explain exactly what is happening in my body and how the exercises that he is providing are connected to solve the issue. He also has greatly normalized my injury which is something I need for my own self confidence to reassure me that what I am feeling is expected. I plan to only go to Mark even when he is in SD for maintenance work. Not expecting or hoping to be continuously injured but if pain comes knocking then I know I will be going straight back to Mark. That's how much confidence I have in his work and his abilities to treat injuries. Thank you Mark! read more

Mark is the man!! I injured my shoulder during Jiu Jitsu practice and had to take some time away from training. After taking a few months off, the injury wasn't healing as I'd hoped. I finally decided to get it looked at by an Ortho who saw me for about 5 minutes before diagnosing me with a rotator cuff strain and shoulder impingement and to do about 6 weeks of PT. Not feeling satisfied with that diagnosis and the fact that I was looked at and sent on my way in a matter of minutes, I decided to go see Mark. I tell you, definitely the best decision I could have made and wish I would have seen him sooner. After about 20 minutes of nailing down the true issue of my injury, Mark then ran through a series of different stretches that would help reset my shoulder and allow it to heal properly. I've been doing the main stretch he told me to do daily for about a week now and my pain has all but subsided and I even started lifting light weight at the gym with to pain or issues at all. I was concerned I may need surgery, but Mark assured me that wasn't necessary and to focus on the specific stretch he gave me, every day, multiple times throughout the day, which will help my shoulder reset to its natural position. His knowledge of the human body and alternative approach to surgery is amazing. I highly highly recommend seeing him if you have any issues you're unsure of and definitely before you get surgery, because you may not need it. Thank you Balanced Beast! read more