Dr. Sireen Gopal, MD

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Get to know Physiatrist Dr. Sireen Gopal, who serves patients throughout the State of New York.

Dr. Gopal is a top physiatrist who is triple-board certified in the areas of physical medicine & rehabilitation, pain medicine, and neuromuscular medicine. He is the President and Founder of New York Spine & Sports Rehabilitation Medicine PC and Vitality Medicine of New York.

Presently, he and his team practice at five locations: three in the North Bronx (Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Weiler Hospital area) one in lower Westchester (St John’s Riverside Hospital area) and one in Manhattan (Grand Central area).

New York Spine & Sport Rehabilitation Medicine PC is dedicated to bringing patients back to their optimal level of function through a multi-disciplinary approach – providing individualized pain management solutions. Focus is on quality and outcome of patient care with emphasis on communication with the patient and the patient’s referring provider to facilitate continuation of care in the patient’s home community of the Bronx and Yonkers.

Vitality Medicine of New York specializes in primary & multispecialty medical care, integrative & functional medicine, regenerative medicine & aesthetics. Dr. Gopal’s goal in this endeavor is to aim to better address the underlying causes of chronic illnesses to help prevent future disease states with a patient-centered rather than disease-centered systems-oriented approach.

A specialist in the non-operative management of spine and musculoskeletal disorders, Dr. Gopal’s practice has a novel approach to treat musculoskeletal pain early with multidisciplinary options as needed. The key is in combining rehabilitation medicine, including targeted disease and patient specific therapeutic exercises and other physical therapy modalities, with advanced interventional pain management and regenerative medicine (stem cells & PRP therapies) to offer a new era in spine and joint care. This management approach is key for favorable outcomes such as early improvement in physical and emotional function and return to work. Multidisciplinary approach may include clinical psychological, nutritional, and weight management consultations.

In treating spine patients, Dr. Gopal works to help avoid surgery in most cases and, when indicated, he works closely with spine surgeons to help identify the source of pain and to help make surgery more precise.

For precise diagnosis of the pain source as well as for its treatment, the doctor further specializes in interventional pain treatments for spinal and musculoskeletal conditions such as disc herniations, bulges, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, joint arthritis, degenerative conditions, sciatica, low back pain, neck pain, spinal pain of multiple origins, joint pain, pinched nerves, carpal tunnel syndrome or other nerve entrapment and sports injuries.

Acute, subacute, and chronic pain depending on its severity and functional limitation may need to be treated with potent medications at the source of the spine or joint condition, heat waves (radiofrequency for arthritis pain), electricity for chronic pain syndromes (spinal cord stimulation trial & implantation), cement for vertebral compression fractures (balloon kyphoplasty), regenerative therapies such as PRP/ stem cells, and other technologies. The interventions are administered precisely using state-of-the-art digital fluoroscopy or ultrasound to the painful source or interface target. This often allows for spontaneous recovery from the painful condition and facilitates physical rehabilitation with early return to normal function. This approach of early interventional pain management also allows for breaking or avoidance of the 4D cycle of Drug dependence, Disuse, Depression & Disability that can often result from development of the chronic pain syndromes.

A graduate of Medical College Baroda, Dr. Gopal completed his internship and residency at the Montefiore Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. After completing his training, he joined the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department at Montefiore Medical Center in 1996. Awarded the distinction of Teacher of the Year in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Residency Training Program in 1997, he has since maintained a Clinical Assistant Professor position at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

He held the position of Clinical Associate Director of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Services at Jacobi Medical Center until June 1998. He then held the position of Medical Director at the Outpatient Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Einstein Weiler Division, Montefiore Medical Center until 2002. To date, he maintains clinical hospital privileges as a Voluntary Attending Physician at Montefiore Medical Center (since 2002) and at St John’s Riverside Hospital (since 2016).

A firm believer in practicing what you preach, Some of Dr. Gopal’s published scientific work includes a Chapter on the “Work up of Neck Pain and Low Back Pain” published in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, Volume 8, No 1 February 1997. 

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as physiatry and physiatrics, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. Physiatrists treat a wide variety of medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. 

On a more personal note, Dr. Gopal is a big fan of sports, especially soccer, tennis, and skiing, which he continues to actively participate in. Born in India, he has lived in many countries but his love for New York City is endless, viewing it as the true social and cultural capital of the world.

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