Biography
Dr. Mehul Garala is a double board-certified, fellowship-trained physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Sports Medicine, with special interest in non-operative spine management. He has been working at Illinois Bone and Joint Institute (IBJI) in Glenview, Illinois since August 2018.
Dr. Garala has extensive experience evaluating patients with neck and back injuries, and comprehensively managing them through education, prescribing medications, overseeing their physical therapy program, and performing spinal injections if warranted. He believes in building rapport with a patient to help make an individualized treatment plan specific to that particular patient’s needs.
Dr. Garala received his undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, and subsequently obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA. Dr. Garala completed his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia/Cornell in New York City, where he served as a chief resident. His rotations included other renowned institutions including Hospital for Special Surgery and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Garala then pursued additional fellowship training in Spine and Sports Medicine in Elmhurst, Illinois under the tutelage of nationally recognized physiatrist, Dr. Larry Frank.
CONDITIONS OF TREATMENT
- Neck pain
- Midback pain
- Low back pain
- Buttock pain
- Peripheral joint pain (shoulders, elbows, hips and knees)
- Strains/Sprains
- Osteoarthritis of the spine
- Osteoarthritis of the peripheral joints (i.e. hips, knees)
- Spondylosis
- Spondylolysis
- Cervical/Lumbar facet syndrome
- Radiculopathy (pinched nerve)
- Degenerative disc disease
- Cervical and lumbar stenosis
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- Sacral insufficiency fractures
- Spinal compression fractures
- Lumbar stress fractures (pediatric/adolescents)
- Myofascial Pain
- Coccydynia (tailbone pain)
- Sports Injuries
- Fractures
INJECTIONS/PROCEDURES PERFORMED
- Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar facet joint injections
- Cervical and lumbar medial branch blocks
- Cervical and lumbar radiofrequency ablation
- Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar epidural steroid injections
- Sacroiliac Joint injections
- Intraarticular hip joint injections
- Greater trochanteric bursa injections
- Ischial tuberosity bursa injections
- Peripheral joint injections (shoulders, elbows, hips, knees)
- Ultrasound guided joint/soft tissue injections
ACCEPTED INSURANCE
- Aetna EPO, HMO, PPO, POS, NAP
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO, HMO
- Aetna Whole Health
- Beech Street/Concentra/Viant PPO and Workers’ Compensation
- Blue Advantage PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, BlueChoice PPO, HMO, HMOI, HMO Advantage, Blue Precision HMO, Medicare Advantage, MMAI Plan (some physicians)
- CareIQ, Rehab for Workers Compensation
- CCN POS
- CCN PPO
- Cigna HMO, PPO, POS
- CorVel PPO, Workers’ Compensation
- Coventry Medicare Advantage PPO, HMO
- Coventry PPO, Workers’ Compensation
- Encompass (surgery network for injured workers)
- First Health PPO
- Healthcare’s Finest Network PPO, Workers’ Compensation
- HealthLink Plans HMO, PPO
- HMO Illinois (some physicians)
- Humana MMAI, HMO, POS, PPO
- Imagine Health/Smart Network (MRI/CT Services, Rehab Services, and some Physicians)
- Longevity Health Medicare Advantage HMO
- Medicare
- MedRisk (Rehab services for injured workers)
- MultiPlan/Private Health Care Systems PPO
- One Call Medical Network (Imaging services for injured workers)
- One Call Care Management (Rehab services for injured workers)
- Orchid Medical (Rehab services for injured workers)
- PPO Next (aka HealthStar PPO, Preferred Health Network PPO)
- Preferred Network Access PPO
- Preferred Plan PPO
- Premier Comp Solutions (imaging services only)
- Savility
- Sunrise Advantage Medicare Advantage Plan
- Therapy Direct (Rehab services for injured workers)
- Union Health Service
- UnitedHealthcare HMO, Open Access, POS, PPO
Workers’ compensation Preferred Provider Programs (PPP):
- CorVel
- Coventry
- Healthcare’s Finest Network
- MedRisk (Rehab/Work Comp)