About Roger Kasendorf, DO

Physician

Roger Kasendorf, DO, is a board-certified osteopathic physician and physiatrist whose clinical work centers on physical medicine, rehabilitation, and pain management. Practicing in the San Diego area, he treats patients with musculoskeletal and pain conditions that range from recent injuries to chronic problems that have remained unresolved for years. His professional responsibilities also extend beyond patient care. He teaches at three osteopathic medical schools, serves as a board examiner for his specialty boards, and provides independent medical examinations and expert witness services in medicolegal matters. Since residency, his philosophy has focused on identifying and treating the abilities a patient has lost rather than relying solely on the diagnostic label of a condition.

A Career Rooted in Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Kasendorf completed a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science at a university in College Park in 1999. His studies provided an early foundation for viewing the body as a connected system rather than treating its individual parts in isolation. He continued his medical education at an osteopathic medical college in Old Westbury, New York, receiving his Doctor of Osteopathy degree in 2003.

He completed a traditional rotating internship at a university hospital in Plainview before beginning a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at a medical center in East Meadow, New York. He served as Chief Resident from 2006 to 2007. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Management. His medical licenses include California, Nevada, Texas, Wyoming, and Alaska.

Clinical Practice

Dr. Kasendorf's professional experience in physical medicine, rehabilitation, and pain management includes work on both coasts. From 2009 through 2015, he operated his own practice in Long Beach, New York, and La Jolla, California. He also held the roles of physiatrist and Director of Sports Medicine at a medical practice in Carlsbad, California. Since January 2026, he has practiced with a medical group.

He has maintained a hospital affiliation since 2014. His areas of clinical care include osteopathic manipulation, management of acute and chronic pain, arthritis and rheumatological conditions, cancer pain management, regenerative medicine, and rehabilitation services.

His procedures include trigger point, joint, spinal, facet, and hyaluronic acid injections. He also uses Botox to treat migraines and muscle spasticity. His diagnostic methods include electrodiagnostic evaluation with EMG and musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Treating Function Rather Than Labels

Dr. Kasendorf's clinical approach begins by examining how a patient's condition affects everyday functioning. Instead of concentrating only on the diagnosis, he considers the particular activities that pain or injury has made difficult. A patient may no longer be able to comfortably manage a flight of stairs. Another may struggle to remain seated at a computer throughout a workday. Others may have difficulty getting out of bed, experiencing a prolonged, painful start to the day.

He considers these functional changes an important part of determining which treatment to address. This requires examining how tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, bones, nerves, and the brain interact. His treatment strategies are developed around these connections to improve function while addressing the cause of discomfort rather than simply covering its symptoms.

Collaboration is also part of his approach to patient care. He coordinates with physical therapists, occupational therapists, other physicians, and appropriate healthcare professionals so that treatment can incorporate different areas of expertise while remaining focused on the patient's needs.

Medicolegal Consulting and Independent Evaluation

Since 2016, Dr. Kasendorf has maintained a legal consulting practice and worked as an expert witness in osteopathic and pain medicine. His consulting experience covers pain medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, musculoskeletal disorders, spinal conditions, interventional pain management, personal injury, medical malpractice, disability and impairment, causation, standards of care, and life care planning.

His work includes independent medical evaluations, case merit reviews, medical record reviews, expert reports, depositions, and trial testimony. He provides expert services for both plaintiff and defense matters involving civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings.

Dr. Kasendorf has conducted numerous independent medical examinations and qualified medical evaluations involving workers' compensation claims and insurers. He has served as a Qualified Medical Examiner since 2022 and has participated in utilization review since 2015. He was an invited speaker at the California Applicant Attorney Association in 2026.

His opinions in medicolegal matters are grounded in clinical experience, scientific literature, and analysis rather than advocacy. An important part of his consulting role is making complicated medical evidence understandable to attorneys, judges, juries, and insurers.

Teaching and Academic Appointments

Medical education has remained an important part of his professional career. Since 2016, he has served as an Associate Assistant Professor at three osteopathic medical schools. From 2018 to 2021, he served as an Associate Program Director at an osteopathic medical school.

Earlier, Roger Kasendorf, DO, served as Associate Program Director at another osteopathic medical college with a medical center from 2009 to 2012. He had also been a Clinical Assistant Professor there beginning in 2008. He was recognized as Attending of the Year at the medical center in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

His educational work includes extensive lectures on acute and chronic pain management. He served as an invited national CME speaker at national osteopathic conventions in 2014 and 2016. During those same years, he was also a CME speaker at an annual assembly of the osteopathic medical society.

He continued his CME speaking activities as an invited speaker for an organization of osteopathic physicians and surgeons in 2024 and 2025. He also delivered keynote addresses at medical center Grand Rounds in 2007 and 2016.

Board Service and Professional Governance

Since 2023, Dr. Kasendorf has served as a board examiner and question writer for specialty boards covering physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain medicine. These responsibilities allow him to participate in the evaluation and credentialing of specialists within his areas of practice. He also works as a medical board reviewer for a state osteopathic medical board.

His leadership experience includes chairing a national physical medicine and rehabilitation conference in 2018. From 2017 to 2019, he also served as a board member of an osteopathic medical education conference.

He holds professional memberships in organizations associated with osteopathic medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, ultrasound medicine, and pain. His participation in these areas complements his responsibilities in clinical practice, education, board examination, and professional service.

Published Work and Recognition

Dr. Kasendorf has contributed to the clinical literature in his specialty. His published work includes a 2021 case report concerning the long-term effects of gadolinium deposition disease. The case report was presented at an annual physical medicine and rehabilitation assembly.

He has also published work in a pain management publication examining the treatment of chronic pain with the OSKA Pulse device. Another contribution involved co-authoring a case report addressing atypical diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

His professional recognition includes being named a La Jolla Top Doctor in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In September 2020, he was recognized as a California Top Osteopathic Physician. He was also listed by a professional recognition organization in 2020. In 2021, he was named Best Osteopath at the GHP Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards.

Looking Ahead

Dr. Kasendorf continues his medical practice in the San Diego area while maintaining the functional approach that has shaped his work throughout his career. Rather than measuring treatment solely through diagnostic terminology, he considers what patients can regain in their everyday lives. His experience practicing on both coasts, board certifications, academic appointments, specialty board responsibilities, and medicolegal work represent different parts of the same professional focus.

His ongoing responsibilities include treating patients, educating future physicians, contributing to specialty credentialing standards, and providing medical analysis in legal matters where careful evaluation can have meaningful consequences. Through each of these roles, he continues to emphasize function, evidence, collaboration, and practical improvement. For Roger Kasendorf, DO, the purpose of his work remains centered on helping patients recover abilities that allow them to participate more fully in their daily activities.

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