Dissection: A Spine Blog

Dissecting the latest in spine health and life at Dr. Katsuura’s Spine Clinic.

I try to share interesting and educational concepts in spine care and focus on the joy of medicine and surgery.

This blog is 100% human produced.

Simple or Sinister?
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Simple or Sinister?

Dr. Katsuura is a board certified spine surgeon practicing in Main, Novato, Sonoma, Mendocino and San Francisco explains common conditions that cause neck pain.

Does neck pain indicate normal muscular pain or something more sinister?

In this post and video Dr. Katsuura discusses some common ailments that affect the neck (cervical spine) and cause pain. Learn what symptoms to look out for and when you should seek medical attention.

We learn about the anatomy of the cervical spine and some of the ways things can go wrong.

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First Day In the OR
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

First Day In the OR

In this Post and Video, Dr. Yoshihiro Katsuura, a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon practicing in Marin, Mendocino, Novato, San Francisco, Sonoma shares the first impressions of his premedical student entering the world of surgery.

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The Bad Guys: The Evil Cast of Characters Hell Bent on Taking Down your Spine
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

The Bad Guys: The Evil Cast of Characters Hell Bent on Taking Down your Spine

In this Post and Video, Dr. Yoshihiro Katsuura, a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon practicing in Marin, Mendocino, Novato, San Francisco, Sonoma explains the evil cast of characters that are hell bent on taking down your spine. They include conditions such as stenosis, spondylolisthesis, myelopathy, osteoporosis and radiculopathty. He also describes the amazing treatments that are available to fight back.

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Preventing “Burnout”
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Preventing “Burnout”

Dr. Yoshihiro Katsuura, a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon practicing in Marin, Mendocino, Novato, San Francisco, Sonoma explains how the structure of the lumbar vertebra can be used as a tool to help prevent burnout in patients and physicians.

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Exercises for Acute/Chronic Low Back Pain/Injury Prevention
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Exercises for Acute/Chronic Low Back Pain/Injury Prevention

Dr. Yoshihiro Katsuura, a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon practicing in Marin, Mendocino, Novato, San Francisco, Sonoma explains a simple exercise routine to help keep your back healthy. In this video we explore why exercise is so critical for low back health, common pitfalls and the three components of a low back exercise program. Please check with your doctor before starting a low back pain program. If you have had prior surgery, please check with your surgeon if these exercises are right for you.

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Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI): What Your Surgeon Wants You to Know
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI): What Your Surgeon Wants You to Know

Dr. Yoshihiro (Yoshi) Katsuura, a board certified orthopaedic spine surgeon serving Marin, Mendocino, Novato, Sonoma, and San Francisco explains epidural steroid injections and how they are used to treat spine pain.

Epidural steroid injections are commonly used, but patietns have many misconceptions about what they can and cannot do. Here I provide a summary on their use from the perspective of a spine surgeon.

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Top 5 Causes of Low Back Pain
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Top 5 Causes of Low Back Pain

Dr. Yoshihiro Katsuura, a board certified orthopaedic spine surgeon serving Marin, Mendocino, Novato, Sonoma, and San Francisco explains the most common causes of low back pain.

In the post we discuss, lumbago, spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, spondylosis, scoliosis, flat back and more

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