Chiropractor or Phys Therapist

Lower back dying. Months now. Anyone good in the area. I don't want to get on the chiro hamster wheel for life so looking for a solid recommendation.

Physical therapist Andrew Quirk in the Map Building on Valley.

What's wrong with your back?

Primary care doctor will send you to PT or a specialist.

Massage by Nate Cimmino, West Orange. Spend decades with bad lower back till I found him. Now cured. Problem is that you (might) have knots in your butt and lower back that are so tight they cause back pain. They need to be released and PT and chiro won't do that.

Cannot recommend him highly enough.

Agree with cubby: have you been diagnosed? Has anyone done imaging to take a look at discs? Where you go from here depends on the results of that.

Yes. Get a diagnosis from an MD first. Back pain does not always have a muculoskeletal cause.

Chiro is not always a hamster wheel. Mine works magic on my lower back. I see him about every 9-12 months if I don't stretch as he instructed me. If I did his stretches, I'd never need him. Your results may vary. My issue was misalignment due to tightening hamstrings (common with desk jobs).

Courtney Centrelli (http://www.aprcnj.com/) is also not a hamster wheel. She has referred out to PT as well and I, like Woot, only need to get in when I have really increased my running and stopped being as diligent with my stretches. She has helped me with hip, knee, foot, and back stuff.

I was just about to reco Courtney Centrelli too! She's awesome and does adjustments unlike any I've ever had before. Feels like a sports medicine chiropractor. I know her group doees adjustments for the Jets and Red Bulls.
I used to work for a chiropractic group doing marketing long ago and have seen several chiropractors for a neck injury from a car accident 13 years ago. Nobody's been able to have any lasting impact on my neck injury until now. It's pretty exciting to find out after so much time has passed, it's still possible to find relief. I actually went to see her for back and leg pain that was remedied in 2 to 3 visits. But like everyone else said, you need to do the exercises that are given to you in order to make it count.

+3 for Courtney! She also helped me with severe chronic lower back pain, largely by recommending exercises to strengthen and stretch on my own. She also helped Mr. Jmo through a bad running injury. Def not a hamster wheel.

Another for Courtney. I've known her for a few years, both in her practice as well as out in the real world. She's a very well rounded health practitioner when it comes to musculoskeletal problems. She's also quite the badass yogi and teaches it as well so she's familiar with putting one's body into routines that can cause problems if not done correctly. That knowledge helps her have unusual empathy with patients. At least I think so.

I can highly recommend Millburn Chiropractic Arts-Dr. Rachel Baluyot-Escusa at 68 Essex Street in Millburn, 973.467.3993. http://www.suburbanessex.com/listing/millburn-chiropractic-arts-536cf79c78e8e.html. She has helped all my family members at one point or another. I have seen her for the problem and then, after obtaining relief, don't see her until the next time. My physical condition has been immensely helped by her adjustments. For overall physical therapy, JAG, numerous locations, really helped me overcome a tendon injury. While you'd want to check that both are in your insurance, usually you need a referral to physical therapy.

Physical Therapist: Dara Avila in Maplewood. http://dka-pt.com/about.html
973-310-2919

Another vote for Courtney and anybody in that office especially Jason levy. They practice active release therapy so it combines massage, physical therapy and chiropractic techniques all in one..

bigorangesplot said:

Lower back dying. Months now. Anyone good in the area. I don't want to get on the chiro hamster wheel for life so looking for a solid recommendation.

It is necessary to know the manner in which your lower back is dying before you can get it treated successfully. What works for some back conditions can make other back conditions a lot worse. See your doctor, get a diagnosis, follow through on the doctor's advice which can be anything from exercises you perform on your own to back surgery, with a lot in between.

ETA: If the problem is relatively new ["months now"], can you identify what may have triggered the back pain? This can help your doctor make the proper diagnosis since many types of back pain do not show up on x-rays/scans. In my case, bed rest and muscle relaxing medication worked best.

I would suggest no treatment until you know what's wrong. The wrong treatment could do more harm than good.
Hope you feel better soon.

Actually, you need to have a prescription from an M.D. before a P.T. will treat you.

Not so, New Jersey is a Direct Access state.
http://www.apta.org/StateIssues/DirectAccess/Overview/

Since 2003, under the Public Laws of New Jersey, in most cases a referral will not be required to start Physical Therapy. You can have your injuries evaluated and treated immediately by a NJ licensed Physical Therapist without a referral. However, after 30 days / 10 visits, if you aren't progressing, the PT will refer you to a doctor. Of course, the PT is ethically bound to refer you and/or confer with the doctor of your choice regarding treatment at any time – especially if further evaluation via X-Rays, etc are needed.

I go to Metrosport PT (Dr. Tim Olson) in Kearny. He doesn't submit to insurance, but gives me a receipt that I submit to my insurance – out of plan – and I have always been reimbursed.

I have a chronic condition that makes me a "frequent flyer". I am very grateful for the Direct Access law in NJ as it saves me LOTS of time and money to just deal with the PT directly.

Really then I stand corrected, my mom had to have a prescription for her P.T. or she could not be treated at her seniors' residence, maybe because of her advanced age?

From my understanding you don't need a referral but you need a prescription from the doctor to let the PT place know what to treat.

You do not need a prescription!
The PT can evaluate you and is bound to refer you to a doc, etc if PT is not what you need, is not working, or you need further evaluation.

http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/APTAorg/Advocacy/State/Issues/Direct_Access/DirectAccessbyState.pdf

Any recommendations for a physical therapist to treat lateral epicondylitis ("tennis elbow", though my elbow hasn't played tennis in forever)?

The requirements re prescriptions and/or referrals may depend on your insurance company.

I have gone to Andrew Quirk for several different issues and been very pleased.

Jasper, accelerated hand therapy in West orange on Northfield ave

Accelerated Hand works with problems in the arms, not just hands BTW. While I was there for a broken wrist, there was a woman with a broken elbow. They do seem to be pretty good. My surgeon was pretty adamant about my going there.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn my insurance has a separate process for chiropractic visits that does not require a referral - which is not the case for physical therapy under my plan. I can see a chiropractor 30 times a year for a lower fee than the usual specialist rate.

Thanks, sac, ace, and gerry. I'll make some calls. I thought this would heal on its own, but its been a solid 3 months already, and while it's not as bad as it was, it's still very bothersome.

Accelerated Hand Therapy told me they only do occupational therapy, and my prescription was for physical therapy, so I went to Quirk (gotta love that name : - ) ), who's conveniently around the corner from my house, and so far, so good.

Hopefully a few visits plus following his at-home/work recommendations will help after not heeding some of the same from my doctor. I'm a terrible patient when drugs are recommended but now I'll give the NSAIDs a go.

Thanks, all, for the recommendations.

Oh, that is right about them being OT. BTW, a part of pain involves memory, so getting relief from NSAIDs will not only help alleviate the pain, but help it subside earlier too.