SHORT TAKES : Estefan Is Out of Intensive Care

Doctors moved pop singer Gloria Estefan out of intensive care today and a spokeswoman said she was in excellent condition after surgery to fix her back.

“She’s excellent . . . feels well and is not in a lot of pain,” said Mary Costello, a spokeswoman for the Hospital for Joint Diseases.

Costello said the 32-year-old lead singer for the Miami Sound Machine had been kept in intensive care as a precaution and was being moved back to a private room.

Surgeons operated on the singer for almost 3 1/2 hours Thursday, implanting steel rods in her back, which was broken in a highway accident in Pennsylvania. She was expected to remain in the hospital for 10 days.

Costello praised Estefan for her unflagging spirit and her concern for other patients in the hospital. She kept two dozen white roses and asked that the dozens of other floral arrangements and other gifts from fans be shared with fellow patients.