Balaji (Bobby) Charlu, MD

Primary Specialty:
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (Board Certified)
Areas of Interest: Pain Management, Spine & Neck, Sports Medicine (Non-Operative), Human Performance, , Sports Medicine
Non-Operative Spine Care, Pain Management Physician
Non-Operative Orthopedic Care, Sports Medicine

Procedures & Conditions Treated:

Procedures:

Cervical Rehabilitation
Cervical Stellate Ganglion Sympathetic Blocks
Corticosteroids / Cortisone Shots
Diagnostic Blocks
Epidural Injections
Epidural Steroid Injections
Facet Joint Injections
Facet Joint Radiofrequency Rhizotomy
Facet Medial Branch Rhizotomy
Fluoroscopic Guided Epidural Injections
Fluoroscopic-Guided Hip Injection
Fluoroscopic-Guided Steroid Injection
Hyaluronic Acid Injection (Viscosupplementation)¹
Injections of Muscles, Bursae, Joints
Interventional Pain Management Treatments
Interventional Procedures
Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine
Lumbar Rehabilitation
Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks
Medial Branch Block
Musculoskeletal Injuries and Disorders
Pain Management
PRP Injections²
Radiofrequency Ablation
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Injections
Sacroiliac Joint Injection
Spinal Cord Neuromodulation
Spine Rehabilitation
Stellate Ganglion Sympathetic Block Injections
Trigger Point Injections
Ultrasound Guided Injections

¹ Check with your insurance provider prior to treatment as some insurance companies have deemed viscosupplementation as not being a "medically necessary" procedure.
² PRP Injections are not yet approved by the FDA and therefore are considered an experimental medical procedure and are not covered by insurance.

Conditions:

Arthritis
Bicep Tendon Rupture
Bulging Disc
Bursitis of the Hip
Cartilage Injuries
Cervical Fracture
Cervical Radiculopathy
Cervical Stenosis
Chronic Back & Cervical Pain
Chronic Pain
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome / Nerve Dysfunction
Compression Fracture from Osteoporosis
Degenerative Back and Neck Disorders
Degenerative Disc Disease
Disc, Facet and Nerve Root Pain
Dysplasia
Facet Joint Arthritis
Facet Joint Pain
Facet Joint Syndrome
Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS)
Failed Laminectomy Syndrome
Femoral-Acetabular Impingement
Golfer's Elbow
Groin Strain
Hamstring Strain
Herniated Disc
Herniated Discs
Hip Arthritis
Hip Bursitis / Trochanteric Bursitis
Hip Impingement
Hip Stra
Joint Pain
Kyphosis
Labral Tear of the Hip or Shoulder
Labrum Tear
LCL Injury
Low Back Pain
Lumbar Radiculopathy
MCL Injury
Muscle Strain
Musculoskeletal and Myofascial Pain
Neck Pain
Neck Sprain
Neuropathic Pain
Osteoarthritis
Patellar Tendonitis
PCL Injury
Peripheral Neuropathy
Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis Syndrome
Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
Radiculopathy
Radiculopathy / Pinched Nerve
Runner's Knee / Chondromalacia Patella
Ruptured Disc
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Dysfunction
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain
Sciatica
Scoliosis
Shin Splints
SI Joint Pain / Sacroiliac Joint Pain
SLAP Lesion Tear
Slipped Disc
Snapping Hip
Spinal Deformities
Spinal Stenosis
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolysis
Spondyloslisthesis
Sports Concussion
Sports Hernia
Sports Injuries
Synovitis
Tennis Elbow
Thoracic Conditions
UCL Tear
Whiplash

Biography

Balaji (Bobby) S. Charlu, M.D. is an Interventional Physiatrist who specializes in the non-operative management of musculoskeletal and spine related disorders. As an avid tennis and soccer player growing up in Michigan, Dr. Charlu was naturally drawn to sports and musculoskeletal medicine when choosing his medical specialty. “Physiatrists are experts in the rehabilitation of nerve, muscle, and bone injury. Treating injury, improving pain, and enhancing performance is the cornerstone of changing our daily movement and function. My goal is to offer any and all minimally invasive treatments to the sports and spine related pain outside of surgery.” In addition to performing basic spinal therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, Dr. Charlu brings a variety of advanced pain management therapies to Newport Orthopedics including radiofrequency ablation, discography, percutaneous discectomy, spinal cord neuromodulation, and regenerative PRP. He is currently active in Interventional Spine research, and is a teaching faculty member of the North American Spine Society.

Dr. Charlu is Board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) with sub-specialty Boards in Pain Management and Sports Medicine. Dr. Charlu attended Michigan State medical school and completed his residency in PM&R at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Texas where he was Chief resident. He completed his fellowship training in Interventional Pain Management at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2006.

In his spare time, Dr. Charlu enjoys spending time with his wife and three children in Irvine in addition to his active participation in sports including tennis, running, biking and a new-found passion for triathlons.

Dr. Charlu also enjoys giving back to the community by serving as the team doctor for the University High School football team in Irvine.

Dr. Charlu is assisted by Lindsay Baumhefner PA-C.

Education

Medical School
Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine (Medical Doctor)

Internship
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Medical School (Internal Medicine)

Residency
Baylor College of Medicine (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chief Resident)

Fellowship
University of Michigan (Interventional Pain Management)

Training
Emerging Technologies Spine Education Summit
International Spine Interventional Society | Advanced Lumbar and Discography Workshop
ASIPP Interventional Techniques Review Workshop
International Spine Interventional Society | Radiofrequency Ablation
International Spine Interventional Society | Cervical Interventional Techniques Workshop
Medtronic Neurostimulator Workshop
Northwestern EMG and Neuromuscular Medicine Board Review
RIC Sports and Medicine Spine Symposium
Spine Injection Workshop at Baylor College of Medicine
Joint Examination and Injection Workshop at Baylor College of Medicine
Prosthetics & Orthodics Workshop at Dynamic Orthotics

Board Certification

American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Pain Medicine Subspecialty Board Certification
Sports Medicine Subspecialty Board Certification

Associations

American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)
American Academy of Physicians of India (AAPI)
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP)
International Spine Interventional Society (ISIS)
Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports and Occupational Rehabilitation

Awards

Baylor College of Medicine: Lewis A. Leavitt Memorial Research Award (2004)
Baylor College of Medicine Critical Research Review (2003)
NIH-Society of Pediatrics Research Scholarship (2000)
Michigan State Wilber C. Wright Memorial Research Scholarship (1999)
Michigan State Leonard J. Luker Memorial Scholarship (1998)
Michigan State Academic Spartan Scholarship Program (1996)

Affiliated Locations

Hoag Orthopedic Institute
Hoag Hospital - Irvine
Hoag Orthopedic Institute Surgery Center - Newport Beach
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian - Newport Beach
Newport Orthopedic Institute - Irvine Orthopedics
Newport Orthopedic Institute - Newport Beach Orthopedics