Bruce Shigeharu Katsura, MD

When I changed health plans, I had to change physiatrists to follow up on a condition that involved inflammation of connective tissue. I had been treated for it for a year and progress was slow due to stomach conditions that prevented me from taking NSAID's. This was documented in my medical record, which he had received, and I told him about it verbally, multiple times. In spite of this he prescribed a succession of 5 NSAID's. When I talked to him about trigger point therapy (which my previous physiatrist had treated me with and which had been somewhat successful), he said it wasn't a good idea because he didn't know exactly where the problem was. I reminded him that there was a digital xray image in my medical record. He said the image was too big and would take too long to load on his computer (yet I could load it on my home computer in about 3 minutes). By my fourth visit, he was frustrated and asked me what I wanted him to do for me beyond the PT he had prescribed, I asked him to continue with my trigger point therapy. He then gave me four new prescriptions for NSAID's (yes, four!) and sent me on my way. I called my PCP and asked her to recommend a different physiatrist. My new physiatrist was phenomenal, and with his patient help and continued PT, my issues were resolved. My PCP says Dr. Katsura is a good doctor, but his inability to understand that NSAID's trigger my IBS and while this is perhaps not dangerous, it causes so much discomfort that I can't sleep, eat appropriately, work, or carry out my normal activities. I guess he figured that would be some other doctor's problem. If you are going to Dr. Katsura, please make sure that he listens to your concerns and don't allow him to override your better judgement. I carefully checked the cautions and side effects for the prescriptions he gave me and only actually ordered 2 of them, because the others did not seem wise.