Lance Mitsunaga, MD

Dr. Lance Mitsunaga is a board-certified, fellowship-trained spine surgeon specializing in adult and pediatric spine conditions, including spinal degeneration, deformity, trauma, tumor, and infection. He has a particular interest in minimally invasive and, specifically, endoscopic spine surgery. This involves using different instruments like tiny cameras and micro-instruments to address various spine pathologies.

While Dr. Lance Mitsunaga is an orthopaedic spine surgeon, his approach to spine surgery may be surprising: to avoid surgery if at all possible. He frequently works with non-surgical colleagues to see if his patients’ neck/back conditions can be addressed without surgery. Surgery is always the last resort, but if it is necessary, Dr. Lance Mitsunaga uses the most up-to-date techniques available to gain every advantage possible for a successful outcome.

Dr. Lance Mitsunaga completed his internship and residency at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA, and then completed a Pediatric and Adult Orthpaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship at The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional Spine Center in Oakland, CA. Prior to his orthopaedic training, he attended Stanford University for his undergraduate degree and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine for his medical degree.

Dr. Lance Mitsunaga has traveled around the United States and the world to learn from the masters of endoscopic spine surgery, also known as “ultra minimally invasive” spine surgery. This is a state-of-the-art surgical technique that has many advantages compared to traditional spine surgery.

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