Spine & Sports Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine &
Rehabilitation
Director, Penn Spine Center
Chief, Division of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
Director, Spine, Sports, & Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship
Christopher T. Plastaras, MD joined the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Professor of PM&R as the Director of the Penn Spine Center in 2009.
Dr. Plastaras received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his internship at Albert Einstein Medical Center and his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. He practiced for 9 years at Northwestern University/Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Spine & Sports Rehabilitation Center. He is board certified in Sports Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Dr. Plastaras specializes in Spine and Sports Medicine. His clinical interests are the non-surgical management of musculoskeletal conditions including spine related pain, shoulder/hip/knee/foot/ankle pain, and running injuries. His practice includes fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures treating peripheral joints, facet joints, epidurals, and radiofrequency ablation.
EDUCATION
Chief Residency, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Medical School / Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Residency, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Medical School / Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Transitional Internship, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
Doctor of Medicine University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor of Arts, Physics Emory University, Atlanta, GA
BOARD CERTIFICATION
Board Certified, Sports Medicine
Board Certified, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine
Board Certified, American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Fitzgerald CM, Plastaras C, Mallinson T. A Retrospective Study on the Efficacy of Pubic Symphysis Corticosteroid Injections in the Treatment of Pubic Symphysis Pain. Pain Medicine 2011 12(12), 1831–1835.
Bayruns TJ, Angiolillo F, Beery T, Plastaras C. Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Following a Two Level IDET Procedure: A Case Study. Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice Vol 23;4:2011: 198-202.
Plastaras CT, Schran S, Kim N, Sorosky S, Darr D, Chen MS, Lansky R. Complementary and Alternative Treatment for Neck Pain: Chiropractic, Acupuncture, TENS, Massage, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Feldenkrais. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 2011 22 (3): 521–537.
Plastaras CT, Joshi AB. The Electrodiagnostic Evaluation of Neck Pain. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 22 (2011) 429–438, 2011.
Plastaras CT, Joshi AB. The Electrodiagnostic Evaluation of Radiculopathy. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 22(1):59-74, February 2011.
Plastaras CT, Casey E, Goodman BS, Chou L, Roth D, Rittenberg J, Inadvertent Intradiscal Contrast Flow During Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections: A Case Series Examining the Prevalence of Intradiscal Injection as well as Potential Associated Factors and Adverse Events. Pain Medicine. 2010; 11: 1765–1773
Smuck M, Maxwell MD, MD, Kennedy DJ, Rittenberg JD, Lansberg MG, Plastaras CT. Utility of the anesthetic test dose to avoid catastrophic injury during cervical transforaminal epidural injections. The Spine Journal, 10 (2010) 857–864.
Plastaras CT, Casey E, Goodman BS, Chou L, Roth D, Rittenberg J, Inadvertent Intradiscal Contrast Flow During Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections: A Case Series Examining the Prevalence of Intradiscal Injection as well as Potential Associated Factors and Adverse Events. Pain Medicine, no. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.00943.x
McLean JP, Sigler JD, Plastaras CT, Garvan CW, Rittenberg JD. The Rate of Detection of Intravascular Injection in Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections With and Without Digital Subtraction Angiography. PM&R Journal. 1(7): 636-642, July 2009.
Fasen J, O'Connor A, Schwartz S, Watson J, Plastaras C, Garvan C, Bulcao C, Johnson S, Akuthota V. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Hamstring Stretching: Comparison of Four Techniques. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 23(2):660-667, March 2009.
Plastaras CT, Marciniak CM, Sipple DP, D'Amore KG, Garvan C, Zaman SM: Effect of interelectrode distance on sural nerve action potential parameters. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 87(3):183-188, March 2008.
Plastaras C, Heller D, Sorosky B, Houle T. “Pain reproduction during lumbosacral transforaminal epidural steroid injection does not affect outcome” Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 19(2-3): 57 – 60, 2006
Plastaras C, Rittenberg, J, Rittenberg K, Press J, Akuthota V. “Comprehensive Functional Evaluation of the Injured Runner” Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 16(3): 623-649, August 2005.
Slipman CW, Plastaras C, Patel R, Isaac Z, Chow D, Garvan C, Pauza K, Furman M “Provocative cervical discography symptom mapping” The Spine Journal, 5(4): 381-388, July-August 2005
Akuthota V, Plastaras C, Lindberg K, Tobey, J, Press J, Garvan C “The Effect of Long-Distance Bicycling on Ulnar and Median Nerves: An Electrophysiologic Evaluation of Cyclist Palsy” Accepted for publication in American Journal of Sports Medicine, 33(8), 2005
Sorosky B, Press J, Plastaras C, Rittenberg J “The Practical Management of Achilles Tendinopathy” Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 14(1): 40-44, January 2004.
Plastaras CT: “Electrodiagnostic Challenges in the Evaluation of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis” Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 14:57-69, February 2003
Slipman CW, Lipetz JS, Jackson HB, Plastaras CT, Vresilovic EJ: “Outcomes of therapeutic selective nerve root blocks for whiplash induced cervical radicular pain” Pain Physician 4(2): 167-174, 2001
Slipman CW, Lipetz JS, Plastaras CT, Jackson HB, Vresilovic EJ, Lenrow DA, Braverman DL: “Fluoroscopically guided therapeutic sacroiliac joint injections for sacroiliac joint syndrome” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 80(6): 425-32, 2001 June
Roth EJ, Plastaras CT, Mullin MS, Fillmore J, Moses ML: “A Simple Institutional Educational Intervention to Decrease Use of Selected Expensive Medications” Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 82 (5): 633-636, 2001 May
Slipman CW, Lipetz JS, Plastaras CT, Jackson HB, Yang ST, Meyer AM: “ Therapeutic zygapophyseal joint injections for headaches emanating from the C2-3 joint.”American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 80(3): 182-188, 2001 March.
Slipman CW, Plastaras CT, Palmitier RA, Huston CW, Sterenfeld EB: “Symptom Provocation of Fluoroscopically Guided Cervical Nerve Root Stimulation: Are Dynatomal Maps Identical to Dermatomal Maps?” Spine 23(20): 2235-42, 1998 Oct 15
BOOK CHAPTERS AND REVIEWS
Plastaras CT, Pang S. Cervical Spine Injuries and Conditions. in Harrast M & Finoff, J. Sports Medicine: Study Guide and Review for Boards. Demos Medical, 199-208, 2011.
Plastaras CT. F-Waves in Visco CJ, Chimes GP. McLean Course in Electrodiagnostic Medicine, New York, DemosMedical, 37-41, 2011.
Cifu D, Plastaras C, Prather H. PM&R fellowship training. PM&R. 2009 Dec;1(12):1104-8.
Plastaras CT, Sowa G, Sorosky B. Lumbar Degenerative Disc in Slipman CW, Derby R, Simeone FA, and, et al. Interventional Spine: An Algorithmic Approach, Philadelphia, Saunders Elsevier, 813-826, 2008.
Press JM, Plastaras CT, Wiesner SL. Physical Modalities and Pain Management in Rehabilitation of Sports Injuries. Frontera, W (ed), 204-231
Rittenberg J, Plastaras C. Invited Review on Radiation Safety for the Spine Provider, SpineLine 2006