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Balaji (Bobby) Charlu, MD

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 Procedures
  • Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine
  • Lumbar Rehabilitation
  • Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks
  • Medial Branch Block
  • Musculoskeletal Injuries and Disorders
  • 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