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.

Fire Chief Conquers Cervical Stenosis
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Fire Chief Conquers Cervical Stenosis

In this post we learn about a Fire Chief who battled with a condition known as cervical stenosis that resulted in the loss of use of his arm.

Dr. Katsuura, a board certified spine surgeon practicing in Main, Novato, Sonoma, Mendocino and San Francisco treats a wide range of back and neck conditions in his spinal clinic. He is an expert in minimally invasive, reconstructive and motion preserving procedures.

Read More
“I Couldn’t Put on My Jewelry”
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

“I Couldn’t Put on My Jewelry”

In this post we learn about a condition known as cervical myelopathy which can result in devastating neurological consequences if left untreated.

Dr. Katsuura, a board certified spine surgeon practicing in Main, Novato, Sonoma, Mendocino and San Francisco treats a wide range of back and neck conditions in his spinal clinic. He is an expert in minimally invasive, reconstructive and motion preserving procedures.

Read More
Feeling 30 Again.
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Feeling 30 Again.

Dr. Katsuura, a board certified spine surgeon practicing in Marin, Novato, Sonoma, Mendocino and San Francisco, discusses his approach using the microdiscectomy procedure for the treatment of lumbar disc herniations.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More
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

Read More
A New Lease on Life
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

A New Lease on Life

Dr. Katsuura, a spine surgeon serving Marin, Sonoma, Novato, San Francisco, and Mendocino uses minimally invasive techniques to get an 83 year old man back to what he loves to do most.

Read More
One Year Down!
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

One Year Down!

Spine surgeon serving Marin, Novato, Mendocino, San Francisco and Sonoma counties in California celebrates first year down in solo private practice.

Read More
Treating Neck and Back Pain 🩻
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Treating Neck and Back Pain 🩻

Spine surgeon treating patients in Marin, Novato, San Francisco, Sonoma and Mendocino discusses the latest treatments in neck and back pain.

Read More
Osteoporosis, The Silent Killer
Yoshihiro Katsuura Yoshihiro Katsuura

Osteoporosis, The Silent Killer

Learn about why osteoporosis is so dangerous from a spine surgeon who treats patients in Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco and Mendocino counties.

Read More