Christopher J. Centeno, M.D.,
Founder of The Centeno-Schultz Clinic:

Dr. Centeno is an international expert and specialist in musculoskeletal, spinal, and neurologic injury.  He is an M.D. who is double boarded in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well Pain Medicine.  He trained at the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center, and the Institute for Rehabilitation Research.  He utilizes a traditional medical approach blended with alternative and research based treatments.   He is medical director of The Centeno-Schultz Clinic and the Spinal Injury Foundation.  He is scientific co-chair of the International Whiplash Trauma Congress which draws scientists together from all over the world.  He is co-editor in chief of the new peer reviewed medical journal, Whiplash and Related Disorders, published by Haworth Medical Press. He is the author of the medical text, "The Spine Dictionary" and practices in Denver, North Denver, and Boulder, Colorado.

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Curriculum Vita

Education:

• 1989-M.D.             University of South Florida; Tampa, Florida
• 1985-B.S.               Florida State University; Tallahassee, Florida
•                                Cum Laude in Chemistry 

Post-Graduate Training:

• Residency:
  • Baylor College of Medicine/The Institute for Rehab Research, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Internship:
  • Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Hospitals. Denver, Colorado
• Licensure:
  • 1993-Present-State of Colorado
  • 1990-1993-State of Texas

Board Certifications:  

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Pain Medicine - American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Certifications:

• Level II Certified-Colorado Division of Worker’s Compensation
  • Initial-1993
  • Recertified-1996
  • Recertified-1999

Administrative and Medical Positions:

• - Program Chair - 2005 International Whiplash Trauma Congress; Breckinridge, CO
• - Program Chair - 2003 International Whiplash Trauma Congress; Denver, CO
• - Editor in Chief - Whiplash and Related Disorders (Peer reviewed medical journal)
• - Advisory Board - Center for Research into Automotive Safety and Health-San Diego, CA
• - Medical Director - Spinal Injury Foundation-501C3 non-profit
• - Chief Medical Officer - CustomMed Solutions-1998-2001
• - Medical Director - Progressive Insurance SC-PPO Program-1997-2001
• - Peer Reviewer - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• - Medical Director - QMC3 (Auto Injury PPO)-1994-1997
• - Executive Medical Director - Trauma - Care IPA (Statewide Auto and Worker’s Comp IPA) -1998-2000
• - Chairman - Physician Advisory Commission-QMC3-1995-1997
• - Co-Chair Boulder County Bar Association Medical-Legal Comittee-1997-1998
• - Board Member - Rehabilitation Associates of Colorado-1995-1997
• - Medical Director - Columbia Challenge Center Northwest-1995-1997
• - Emergency Room Staff Physician - Liberty Hospital; Liberty, Texas

Legislative Expert Testimony:

• - August 1996 - Testified as an expert witness on auto managed care to the State of Massachusetts Division of Insurance. 
• - February 2000 - Testified in front of the Colorado Senate Subcommittee considering SB 126.
• - January 2002 - Testified to the Colorado State Senate Subcommittee considering SB9
• - Provided written testimony on spinal injury to the Edmonton, Canada legislative assembly

National and International Presentations:

• - July 1996 - Auto Managed Care: CRA Managed Care; New York, New York.
• - March 1997 - AAPMR PASSOR mid-year update: Computers, Outcomes, and Musculoskeletal Medicine; SanDiego CA
• - June 1997 - Auto Managed Care (first national conference on this topic): The Future of Auto Managed Care; Atlanta, Georgia
• - May 1998 - Auto Managed Care: American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Annual Meeting; Boston, Massachusetts
• - June 1998 - Auto Managed Care (third national conference on this topic): Directed PPO’s in Auto Insurance; Atlanta, Georgia
• - July 1998 - Using Technology to Control Worker’s Comp Costs: National Academy of Occupational Health Professionals, San Francisco, CA
• - December 1998 - Managing the Cost of Auto Injuries.  Conference Chair.  Orlando, FL
• - November 1999 - North American Whiplash Trauma Conference: Cervicogenic Dizziness.  Victoria, British Columbia
• - May 2000 - Whiplash 2000: International Cohort Comparison of Functional Disability Following Acceleration-Deceleration Syndromes.  Whiplash 200 Congress: Bath, England
• - March 2001-2001 - International WAD Congress: An International Cohort of Functional Disability Questionnaires Collected Via Internet . Berne Switzerland
• - May 2003 - Prognosis in Whiplash Related Disorders.  Whiplash 2003 Congress: Bath, England
• - June 2003 - Sub-failure Cervical Instability.  International Spinal Trauma Congress: Chicago, Illinois
• - October 2003 - Moderator and Co-Chair; 2003 International Whiplash Trauma Congress: Denver, Colorado
• - February 2004 - The Neuromechanical Model of Late Whiplash. SPECT in Traumtic Brain Injury. Denver, CO
• - March 2004 - Neuromodulation for Axial Spine Pain. American Academy of Pain Medicine.  Orlando, Florida
• - September 2004 - Instability in Cervicogenic Headache.  1st International
  Conference on Cervicogenic Headache and Whiplash.  Oslo, Norway
• - September 2004 - Providing Information concerning Whiplash to Patients and Society.  1st International Conference on Cervicogenic Headache and Whiplash.  Oslo, Norway
• - October 2004 - Research Update: Eye Movement and Reading Comprehension in a Whiplash Injured Cohort.  Brain Injury Association of Colorado Annual Conference.  Vail, Colorado
• - February 2005 - Sub-failure Instability in Late Whiplash.  International Whiplash Trauma Congress.  Breckinridge, Colorado 

CME

• - February 2005 - International Whiplash Trauma Congress.  Breckinridge, Colorado
• - October 2004 - Electronystagmography Test Administration and Interpretation-GN Otometrics. Chicago, IL
• - September 2004 - 1st International Conference on Cervicogenic Headache and Whiplash.  Oslo, Norway
• - Advanced Cardiac Life Support Recertification: St. Anthony’s Central. July, 2004
• - American Academy of Pain Medicine Annual Meeting.  Orlando, Florida.  March, 2004
• - International Whiplash Trauma Congress.  Denver, Colorado-Oct 2003
• - Center for Research into Accident Safety and Health-CRASH 2003.  Occupant Kinematics and Live and Dummy Instrumented Crash Testing. San Diego, CA, July 2003
• - International Spinal Trauma Congress.  Chicago, IL  June 2003
• - Level III International Spinal Injection Society Cervical Course.  Memphis, TN-Nov 2002
• - Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Avista Hospital, Louisville, CO-2002
• - Basic Life Support. St. Anthony’s North Hospital, Thornton, CO-2002
• - Level II International Spinal Injection Society Thoracic Course.  Chicago, IL-2002
• - Center for Research into Accident Safety and Health-CRASH 2002.  Occupant Kinematics and Live and Dummy Instrumented Crash Testing. San Diego, CA, July 2002.
• - Level I ISIS Course. San Francisco, CA-2002.
• - Center for Research into Accident Safety and Health- CRASH 2001. Occupant Kinematics and Live and Dummy Instrumented Crash Testing-General Motors/Texas A and M. San Diego, CA-2001
• - PASSOR Spinal Injection Workshop. San Francisco, CA-2001
• - 2001 Annual Meeting of the AAPMR. San Francisco, CA-2001
• - ETPS/Acupuncture-Acumed Medical-Chicago, IL-2001
• - Prolotherapy-University of Wisconsin College of Medicine. Madison, WI-2001
• - 2001 International WAD Congress-Berne, Switerland-2001
• - Whiplash 2000-Bath, England-2001
• - ETPS/Acupuncture- Acumed Medical-Boulder, CO-2001
• - 2000 Annual Meeting of the AAPMR. Chicago, IL-2000
• - Segmental Spinal Stabilization: Specific Assessment and Treatment for Low Back Pain.  Paul Hodges PhD BPhty(Hons). Denver, CO-1999
• - North American Whiplash Trauma Conference.  Victoria, British Columbia-1999
• - Manage the Cost of Auto Insurance through Effective Cost Containment Strategies-Orlando, Fl-1998
• - National Academy of Occupational Health Professionals, San Francisco, CA-1998
• - American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Annual Meeting; Boston, Massachusetts-1998
• - AAPMR PASSOR mid-year update: Computers, Outcomes, and Musculoskeletal Medicine; San Diego CA-1997
• - Auto Managed Care: The Future. Atlanta, Georgia-1997
• - Manual Therapy Seminars of Colorado-Lumbar Spine and Pelvis.  Denver, CO-1996
• - Manual Therapy Seminars of Colorado-Thoracic Spine and Ribcage.  Denver, CO-1996
• - Manual therapy Seminars of Colorado-Cervical Spine. Denver, CO-1996
• - 1993 Annual Meeting of the AAPMR. San Francisco, CA-1993

Active Research Grants

• - 2005 Australian Research Council Grant LP0560611 in conjunction with University of Queensland Multi-Centre Predictive Study in Acute Whiplash-U.S. Site

Research, Publications, and Invited or Juried  Presentations:

• - Bock S, Centeno C, Eliott J.  The presence and interrater reliability of thoracic allodynia in a whiplash cohort – a case series report.  Pain Physician. 2005 Volume 8: pages 267-270
• - Freeman M, Croft A, Nicodemus C, Centeno C, Elkins W.  Significant spinal injury resulting from low-level accelerations: A case series of roller coaster injury.  Accepted for publication in The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Summer 2005.
• - Freeman M, Croft A, Rossignol A, Centeno C, Elkins W.  Chronic neck pain and whiplash: a case/control study of the relationship between acute whiplash injuries and chronic neck pain.  Accepted for publication in Pain Research and Management.  Fall 2005.
• - Centeno C, Freeman F, Elkins W.  A Review of the Literature Refuting the Concept of Minor Impact Soft Tissue (MIST) Injury.  Pain Research and Management. 2005 Summer;10(2):71-4
• - Centeno C, E.J., Elkins W, Freeman M. Fluoroscopically Guided Cervical Prolotherapy for Instability with Blinded  Pre and Post Radiographic Reading. Pain Physician, 2005. 8(1).
• - Centeno C, Elkins W.  Research Update: Eye Movement and Reading Comprehension in a Whiplash Injured Cohort.  Brain Injury Association of Colorado 2004 Annual Conference.  Vail, Colorado
• - Centeno, C.J., W.L. Elkins, and M. Freeman, Waddell's signs revisited? Spine, 2004. 29(13): p. 1392; discussion 1393.
• - Elliott JM, Galloway GJ, Jull GA, Noteboom JT, Centeno CJ, Gibbon WW. Magnetic resonance imaging analysis of the upper cervical spine extensor musculature in an asymptomatic cohort: an index of fat within muscle. Clin Radiol. 2005 Mar;60(3):355-63.
• - Centeno C, Thacker J, Elkins W.  A Practical Guide to Cervical Radiofrequency Lesioning of the Medial Branches.    Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management, Vol 8, No 1 (January), 2004: pp 10-16. 
• - Centeno C., Elliot J, Elkins W, Freeman M.  A Prospective Case Series of Fluoroscopically Guided Cervical Prolotherapy for Instability with Blinded Pre and Post Radiographic Reading.  Pain Physician, 8(1) pages 67-72
• - Centeno CJ, Elkins W, Manniko E.  Eye Movements and Reading Comprehension in a Whiplash Injured and Control Cohort.  Brain Injury Association of Colorado 21^st Annual Conference; Vail, CO October 2-4, 2003
• - Freeman MD, Croft AC, Centeno C: Fatal head injury cases in a rural Oregon county. Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of the International Traffic Medicine Association, Budapest, Hungary, September 14-17, 2003.
• - Centeno C, Fleishman J. Degenerative Disc Disease and Pre-existing Spinal Pain.  Annals of Rheumatology.  April 2003
• - Elliott J, Jacobsen E, Centeno C.  Cranial Manipulation in a Patient with Possible Neurovascular Contact Injury at the Cerebello-Pontine Angle: A Case Report.   Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.  July/Aug 2003, Vol. 9 No. 4 pages108-112.
• - Croft AC, Herring P, Freeman MD, Centeno C, Haneline MT, Baric JJ: Late (chronic) whiplash injury. Public health perspectives amidst a controversial literature. JACA 40(8):26-32, 2003.
• - Elliot J, Zylstra E, Centeno C, Emerson P.  The Presence of a Psoas in a Patient with Congenital Absence of the Hip: A Case Report.  Manual Therapy 9 (2004) 109–113
• - Freeman MD, Croft AC, Nicodemus CM,   Centeno C, Haneline MT. Significant Spinal Injury Resulting From Low-Level Accelerations; A Case Series Of Roller Coaster Injuries. Presented at the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2001.
• - Freeman M., Sapir D., Centeno C, Croft A.  Whiplash injury and occult vertebral fracture; a case series of bone SPECT imaging of patients with persisting spine pain following a motor vehicle crash. 29th Annual Meeting of the Cervical Spine Research Society, Monteray, CA
• - Centeno C, Freeman M, Croft A.  A COMPARISON OF THE FUNCTIONAL PROFILE OF AN INTERNATIONAL COHORT OF WHIPLASH INJURED PATIENTS  AND NON-PATIENTS; AN INTERNET STUDY. 2001 International Whiplash and Associated Disorders Congress.  Berne, Switzerland
• - Freeman M*, Centeno C, Croft C, Nicodemus C.  SIGNIFICANT SPINAL INJURY RESULTING FROM LOW-LEVEL ACCELERATIONS; A COMPARISON WITH WHIPLASH.  2001 International Whiplash and Associated Disorders Congress.  Berne, Switzerland
• - Centeno C, Freeman M.  Functional Disability in European Whiplash Patients versus a Conference Sample of Normal Controls.  Whiplash 2000, Bath England
• - Centeno C, Jaccobsen E.  Cervocgenic Dizziness.  North American Whiplash Trauma Conference.  Victoria, British Columbia-1999
• - Reilly K, Williams W, Roth H, Centeno C, Entin H, Biskner J: A 3 Year Prospective Study of Isometric Strength with Chronic Low Back Pain Syndrome
• - Patients.  International Association for the Study of Pain, 7^th World Congress, Paris, France.
• - Centeno CJ, Badal l, Martin J: Internalized Tenodesis.  Annual Meeting of the
• - American Paraplegia Society, Las Vegas Nevada, September 1991.
• - Centeno CJ, Clearman C: Iliopsoas Syndrome in Classical Ballet Dancers.  Annual
• - Meeting of the American Academy of Physical Medicine, San Francisco, California, November, November 1992
• - Centeno CJ, Long C: The Normal Rate of Diadochokinesis of the Human Hand.  Annual Meeting of the Southern Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Memphis, Tennessee, May 1989

Published Editorials in The Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders:

• - Freeman MD, Centeno C. “Whiplash education: getting the word out”, Editorial for volume 3 number 1 issue of Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders JWRD 2004; 3(1):1-3.
• - Freeman MD, Centeno C. “Whiplash and Peer Review”, Editorial for volume 2 number 2 issue of Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders JWRD 2003;2(2):1-3.
• - Freeman MD, Centeno C. “Whiplash and Secondary Gain”, Editorial for volume 2 number 1 issue of Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders JWRD 2003;2(1):1-4.
• - Freeman MD, Centeno C. “Placebo” Collisions and Whiplash, Editorial for volume 1 number 2 issue of Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders JWRD 2002;1(2):1-8.
• - Freeman MD, Centeno C. Inaugural Editorial for volume 1 number 1 issue of Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders JWRD 2002;1(1):1-4.

Ongoing Research: (Not yet presented, published, or submitted for publication)

• - The Prediction of Outcome Following Whiplash Injury - A Multicentre Prospective Longitudinal Study.  U.S. site in collaboration with The University of Queensland School of Physiotherapy.  Prinicipal investigator-Michelle Sterling. Ph.D.  Funding completed, papers signed with Australian Research Council, implementation in progress.
• - Double Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial of Intra and Extra Articular SI Joint Injections of Dextrose vs. Steroid.  Passed IRB.  In progress.
• - Boulde Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial of Cervical Prolotherapy.  Passed IRB.  Patient recruitment phase.
• - Cervical Segmental Atrophy in Patients Exposed to Auto Accident Trauma versus Normal Controls-In process in conjunction with Ph.D. thesis at University of Queensland.  Passed IRB.  Phase I and Ii accepted for publication.  Phase III in progress and recruitment.
• - Double Blind Analysis of Standing Postural Sway in Whiplash vs. Chronic Low Back Pain Patients-Planned retrospective IRB approval.  In data analysis phase.
• - The Effects of Pulsed Radiofrequency on Thermal QST:  A Marker for Recovery? - Passed IRB.  Grant obtained.  In recruitment phase.

Texts in Print:

• - Centeno CJ. The Spine Dictionary  Hanley and Belfus.  1998
• - The Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders - Editor in Chief-Haworth Medical Press (2002-Present)
• - Centeno CJ, Thacker J, Elkins W. A Practical Approach to Cervical Radiofrequency Lesioning.  Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management.  Submitted to Editor for publication.
• - Centeno CJ.  Emerging Trends in Traumatic Spine Injury Care.  Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries Second Edition: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Management.  Aspen-Submitted to editor for publication.

Teaching Positions:

• - Instructor - Progressive Insurance CR2 Whiplash Course
• - Instructor - Manual Physical Therapy Seminars of Colorado-Instructor on differential diagnosis of spinal disorders for physical therapists.  1995-1997

Professional Organizations:

• - Member of the International Association for the Study of Pain
• - Member of the International Spinal Injection Society
• - Member of the American Society for Interventional Pain Physicians
• - Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• - Member of the American Academy of Automotive Medicin

Honors and Distinctions:

• - 1989, Editor of Medical School Periodical, Cum Laude-FSU; President Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity, President and Dean’s Lists at FSU; FSU Chemistry Dept. Scholarship