Back Pain Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fort Lauderdale is the yachting capital of the world, and the marine industry is brutal on backs. Deckhands, riggers, detailers and captains along the New River and the Intracoastal lift, twist and brace on moving boats for a living, and by forty many have a disc to show for it. Downtown adds the seated back of the office towers and the Federal Highway and I-95 commute. Coral Ridge and the Galt add the golf and tennis backs of an active older population.

Fifteen minutes north on Federal Highway, the office sorts back pain into the three groups that matter, mechanical, disc and red flag, on the first visit and treats each accordingly: adjustments and rehabilitation for the first, the Antalgic-Trac Spinal Decompression Program for the second, a referral for the third. How to tell if your back pain is serious, what walking and sleeping have to do with it, and what a chiropractor can do for a disc, below.

Three kinds of back pain, three different plans. Muscular strain and facet-joint irritation make up most of what walks in: sharp pain with movement, stiffness in the morning, no leg symptoms. Disc problems add a second signature: pain that travels into the buttock or leg, worse with sitting or bending, sometimes numbness. Red flags are the rare third group. The first-visit exam separates them, because they are treated differently and the disc group is the one that needs more than adjustments.

Walking is medicine; bed rest is not. Decades of research and three decades of practice agree: for most back pain, staying gently active beats lying down. Patients are told to walk daily, on flat ground, at a comfortable pace, and to avoid the two things that reliably make backs worse, which are prolonged sitting and heavy lifting with a bent back. The specific exercises come after the exam, because the right ones for a disc are the wrong ones for a facet joint.

The "big three" and why exercise is prescribed, not handed out. Core stability work such as the modified curl-up, side plank and bird-dog helps most mechanical back pain and many disc patients. It aggravates some stenosis patients and is pointless during an acute spasm. That is why exercise here follows the diagnosis: you leave with two or three movements that fit your back, written down, and the list changes as you improve.

Fifteen minutes from downtown. Take Federal Highway (US-1) north through Oakland Park and Pompano Beach; the office is 3320 N. Federal Highway in Lighthouse Point, between Copans Road and Sample Road. From the Galt Ocean Mile and Coral Ridge, take Commercial Boulevard west to Federal and turn north. From I-95, exit at Copans Road or Sample Road and go east.

How do I tell if my back pain is serious?

Pain that runs down the leg past the knee, numbness or weakness in a leg or foot, pain that wakes you at night and is not relieved by changing position, fever, or any change in bladder or bowel control should be evaluated promptly. Pain that is worse with movement and better with rest, with no leg symptoms, is usually mechanical. Fort Lauderdale patients unsure which they have can be examined within days.

What sleeping position is best for back pain?

On your side with a pillow between the knees, or on your back with a pillow under the knees. Stomach sleeping extends the low back and aggravates most disc and facet problems. Our article on the best sleeping positions for back pain goes through the details, including how to get out of bed without setting it off.

What are the worst exercises for lower back pain?

Sit-ups and crunches, toe touches, heavy deadlifts and squats done with a rounded back, and high-impact activity during a flare. What replaces them depends on the diagnosis: extension-biased exercise helps many disc patients and aggravates some stenosis patients. The specific list comes after the exam, not from a generic handout.

Is it better to see a chiropractor or a doctor for back pain?

For mechanical back pain without red flags, a chiropractic physician is a reasonable first stop and can treat the same day. Your medical doctor is the right first call for back pain with fever, weight loss, cancer history or neurological loss. Many Fort Lauderdale patients come here on their physician's suggestion after medication and rest have not helped.

What are the signs a disc is healing?

Centralization: pain that was in the leg or buttock retreats toward the low back, then fades. Sitting tolerance increases, morning stiffness shortens, and numbness recedes from the foot upward. These are tracked at each visit during the decompression program and are the signals used to taper the sessions.

How do I get to the office from Fort Lauderdale?

From downtown, Federal Highway north is about fifteen minutes; from the Galt Ocean Mile, Commercial Boulevard west to Federal then north is about twelve. I-95 to the Copans Road or Sample Road exit works when Federal is slow.