Publications

• Pain and Opioid Addiction: What is the Connection?
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Pain. An Evidence-Based Review
• CRPS Review Book Chapter
• Chronic Pain in Torture Victims
• CRPS Book Chapter: All I had was a knee bursectomy; Now do I have RSD / CRPS?
• Scientific Contributions: Research Gate Link
• Can Minor Trauma Cause CRPS: A science-driven discussion of minor trauma, biologic plausibility, and vulnerability
• CRPS Diagnostic Certainty vs Legal Proof: A concise, litigation-focused overview explaining why clinical diagnosis does not automatically establish causation, permanence, or disability.
• Why CRPS Cases Fail in Court: A practical guide outlining the most common medical and evidentiary pitfalls that undermine CRPS claims — and how rigorous analysis strengthens them.
• Carinci Expert CV 2026.docx

Interventional Spine, Pain, CRPS Expert (MD/JD)

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Dr. Adam J. Carinci, MD, JD, MBA is a board-certified Pain Management physician with an active, full-time clinical practice specializing in interventional spine procedures. He evaluates standard of care, causation, and damages in medical malpractice, personal injury, and workers’ compensation cases nationwide. His clinical expertise includes epidural steroid injections, facet interventions, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, and the comprehensive management of acute and chronic spinal pain conditions. Dr. Carinci is frequently retained in matters involving procedural complications, nerve injury, failure to diagnose or appropriately treat spinal pathology, and issues related to informed consent, documentation, and clinical decision-making. He brings additional expertise in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and opioid prescribing and monitoring. Dr. Carinci serves as Chief of Pain Management and Director of the Interventional Spine and Pain Treatment Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center and is an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He previously served as Director of the Pain Medicine Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He trained at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School and earned his JD/MBA from Louisiana State University – Novus Law School, providing a unique dual perspective at the intersection of medicine and law. Dr. Carinci has been involved in over 150 cases as an expert witness for both plaintiff (35%) and defense (65%) and has qualified as an expert in both state and federal courts. He has authored more than 100 expert reports and has provided sworn testimony at deposition and trial nationwide. His forensic work spans the full spectrum of interventional pain medicine and medical malpractice, including evaluation of procedural technique and complications, appropriateness of interventional and medical management strategies, and analysis of medical causation and damages. He has particular experience in cases involving epidural injection complications, nerve injury following pain procedures, spinal cord stimulator placement and outcomes, and the assessment of complex chronic pain conditions. In his role as a forensic expert, Dr. Carinci prepares comprehensive written reports, develops detailed visual aids, assists with case strategy, deposition preparation, and cross-examination, and provides clear, authoritative testimony grounded in medical literature and real-world clinical practice. He is recognized for his ability to communicate complex medical concepts effectively to juries and legal teams and has participated in numerous high-profile cases involving major institutions and corporations. Dr. Carinci is ABIME-certified and has performed over 1,000 independent medical examinations across workers’ compensation, personal injury, disability, and motor vehicle accident cases, with extensive experience in impairment assessment, functional capacity evaluation, and causation analysis. Pain management expert witness, interventional spine, medical malpractice, standard of care, causation, damages, medical record review, expert reports, deposition and trial testimony, personal injury, workers’ compensation, IME, disability and impairment evaluation. Epidural steroid injection complications (cervical, lumbar), nerve injury after procedures, iatrogenic nerve damage, spinal cord injury, epidural hematoma, facet injections, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), spinal cord stimulator (SCS) complications. Failure to diagnose or treat spinal pathology, delayed diagnosis, spinal stenosis, herniated disc, radiculopathy. CRPS/RSD, Budapest criteria, CRPS diagnosis, causation. Opioid prescribing, monitoring, regulatory compliance, opioid-related injury and death.