Hari Lakshmanan, MD

Bio

I am a first-generation American with my parents immigrating from India. I was born in Ohio but I moved to Davis, California at the age of three. After finishing my medical training, I joined Kaiser Santa Rosa in 2001. I have enjoyed living in Santa Rosa with my wife Janet (a native of Santa Rosa) and my 2 year old daughter.

I joined Kaiser Permanente because I knew I could focus on patient care without worrying about the hassles of authorizations and billing that can plague other medical groups/practices. My practice philosophy is fairly simple: provide the highest quality of care to my patients in a personalized manner. Kaiser Permanente has provided the ideal objective environment for me to do this.

As a Physical Medicine Specialist, the scope of my practice includes treating many common orthopedic and neurologic problems using a non-operative and rehabilitative approach. On a daily basis I treat patients with spinal disorders, joint and muscle pain, pinched nerves, and work/sports related injuries.

I also perform electrodiagnostic studies (EMG/NCS) to help diagnose nerve disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Please see my link to the left to learn more about these studies.

Part of my practice is performing x-ray (fluoroscopic)-guided spinal injections to help decrease pain in a variety of low back conditions.

I also have expertise in managing rehabilitation of chronic neuromuscular disorders such as stroke and spinal cord injury.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

Physical medicine and rehabilitation is a specialty that revolves around improving physical function. I personally like this specialty because it allows me to change patients' lives by treating musculoskeletal problems and improving their quality of life. It has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Current projects or research:

While at Kaiser Permanente, I had the opportunity to develop a carpal tunnel class with Mary Patane of the Physical Therapy Department. I'm very proud of this class as it allows me to provide a better forum to educate my patients about CTS without sacrificing the individualized care one would expect from a physician. The feedback from my patients who have gone to this class has been positive with a lot of them telling me they wished they had come to my class sooner.

An interesting story from my training:

Choosing to train at Tulane Medical school proved to be one the wisest career decisions I made. Not only did I get a great clinical medical education, but I was able to experience the City of New Orleans for four years. I made the most of my time in New Orleans, taking part in the cultural activities, fine Cajun food, and the great music whenever I had a chance.

Besides making some of my closest friends there, I was also able to learn how to sail on a 50-foot sailboat that one of our attending doctors was kind enough to let us borrow. We had some great sailing adventures on Lake Pontchartrain. (There's nothing like sailing in a thunderstorm on the bayou!)

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

Sailing in New Orleans

Sailing in New Orleans

Interests

Currently reading:
What to Expect the First Year (baby book to help me figure out how to take care of my new daughter!)

My favorite book or author:
The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran

Great movie:
The March of the Penguins

Hobby Photos & Links:

Tennis Player (Age 12)

2005 Kaiser San Francisco Half Marathon

Family & Friends

People in my life:

My best friend also happens to be my wife. I'm lucky to have such a great companion with whom to share my life. Like me, she is an avid runner. She used to work as a senior financial analyst for Kaiser Permanente but is now a full time Mom.

My role models are my parents, who have shown me the grace and art of living throughout their lives. My older brother, Rayan, and I were raised by them in Davis, California.

My children and people I care about:

I am a proud father of a two-month-old little girl named Sonia. She loves to keep me up at night but her smile melts my heart and makes it all worthwhile.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

My wife Janet and Me

My Parents

My Brother Rayan and Me

Sonia at the Pumpkin Patch

Sonia - 2 years old

We have a black cat named Magic that has been a welcome addition to our family. She has proven to be a great companion to our daughter Sonia and puts up with all her very affectionate hugs.

Travel

An adventure I've had:

River rafting in Nepal had to be one of my biggest adventures. I remember my guide being quite young and it had to be the first time he guided a group a people on the river. During our trip we had multiple run-ins with rocks, and the rapids toppled our boat on more than one occasion. Needless to say, our whole boat somehow managed to survive and the experience made me truly appreciate teamwork.

Favorite place in the world:

I have done most of my traveling in India and have toured up and down the country on multiple occasions. It is a colorful country with diverse languages and cultures. My favorite part is tasting all the different foods. I can honestly say I never had a bad meal in India!

Travel Photos:

River Rafting in Nepal

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Taj Mahal, India 2004

South India 2004