Doctor Profile: Karen Derr, DC

Dr. Derr: I am Dr. Karen Derr. I’m a chiropractor with Florida Orthopaedic Institute, and I’ve been in practice for 26 years. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Science and Biology, and then I got my Doctorate of Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College. In my practice I see patients with symptoms of joint, muscle, and nerve pain. This may involve the neck, into the shoulders, arms, hands, or the lower back into the hips, knees, and feet. This could be tingling, numbness, weakness, or any combination of those things. And I offer non-surgical, non-invasive treatment options for muscle-skeletal and neurological conditions. My approach to each patient focuses on structure and function. So I look for the physical reasons that may be causing symptoms or a delay in that patient feeling their very best.

What I like best about what I do is explaining to the patient in detail about their condition, reviewing MRI and x-ray findings, and answering questions so they know exactly what’s happening inside their body and how my treatment addresses that. It’s always rewarding to see my patients return back to work sooner than they thought or resume their activities that they once liked because of the result of my treatment. I chose the field of chiropractic because when I was younger, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which is an abnormal curvature of the spine. And at that time, the treatment options were to have surgery or wear a back brace, and my parents were able to take me to a chiropractor who gave me a different option. It was that alternative treatment that made a big difference in my life, so I wanted to be able to give back and offer people treatment options.