IS-02 - Diagnosis of Pain Generators - History, Physical Exam, Investigations - I

Thursday, November 13, 2025

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT

Location: Lone Star Salon C

CE: 2.0

Moderator(s)

Manikandan Rajarathinam, MBBS, MD, MSc, FIPP, CIPS, ASRA-PMUC (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
Western University
London, Ontario, Canada
Shalini Shah, MD MBA

Vice Chair and Enterprise Director, Pain Services
University of California Irvine
Nebojsa Nick Knezevic, MD, PhD

Vice Chair for Research and Clinical Professor
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Stephen Rodriguez, MD (he/him/his)

Staff Pain Physician
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States

Disclosure(s):

Jennifer Hah, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

Fassil Mesfin: No financial relationships to disclose

List the general components of the history to assess in patients presenting with chronic pain including the impact of chronic pain on physical functioning, occupational status, and mental health.
Identify the clinical presentations, exam findings, and additional diagnostics to differentiate radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, and other common causes of low back pain.
Demonstrate key physical exam findings that may differentiate common causes of low back pain.
Differentiate between persistent spinal pain syndromes (Type I and II) and discuss implications for diagnostics and therapy.

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM CT

Diagnosing Radiculopathy
Speaker: Shalini Shah, MD MBA – University of California Irvine
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM CT

Spinal Stenosis
Associate Faculty: Stephen Rodriguez, MD (he/him/his) – Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM CT

Chronic Low Back Pain (Disc, Facet, Multifidus)
Speaker: Manikandan Rajarathinam, MBBS, MD, MSc, FIPP, CIPS, ASRA-PMUC (he/him/his) – Western University
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM CT

Persistent Spinal Pain Syndromes - Type I and II
Speaker: Nebojsa Nick Knezevic, MD, PhD – Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center