Dr. Mikiko Murakami serves as a Medical Expert Witness in and QME cases involving Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R). She provides independent, evidence-based opinions for both plaintiff and defense, grounded in careful medical record review, detailed clinical evaluation and current scientific literature.
Expert Witness
Dr. Murakami’s expert witness services include:
- Education to attorneys to help understand the medical aspect of the case
- Medical record review and analysis
- Written expert reports
- Deposition testimony
In addition to her background in expert cases, Dr. Murakami’s background as a long-standing Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) helps inform her expert witness work, with a strong emphasis on defensible medical reasoning, functional analysis, and standard-of-care considerations.
Qualified medical evaluator (QME)
Dr. Murakami has been a Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) for the Department of Worker’s Compensation (DWC) since 2018.
Check the DWC physician database (link) for up-to-date clinic addresses for Dr. Murakami’s QME evaluations.
- San Jose | Morgan Hill
- Oakland | San Leandro | Hayward
- Tracy | Vallejo
- Livermore | Manteca
Areas of Expertise – Pain Medicine & PM&R
Dr. Murakami has extensive experience evaluating a wide range of musculoskeletal, neurologic, and pain-related conditions, including:
- Falls and slip, trip, or stumble injuries
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Construction and industrial accidents
- Premises liability injuries
- Ladder, rooftop, and elevated-surface injuries
- Forklift and heavy machinery accidents
- Cumulative trauma and repetitive use injuries
- Product liability injuries
- Crush injuries and entrapment injuries
- Abuse-related musculoskeletal and pain conditions
Clinical conditions and diagnoses frequently addressed include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Spinal cord stimulator complications or failures
- Low back injuries and lumbar disc disease
- Neck injuries and cervical disc disease
- Shoulder injuries and rotator cuff tears
- Knee injuries, meniscal tears, and ligament injuries
- Hip injuries and labral pathology
- Fractures and post-fracture functional outcomes
- Amputations and prosthetic-related functional limitations
- Degenerative arthritis and chronic joint disease
- Soft tissue injuries and lacerations
- Headaches and post-traumatic headache syndromes
- Traumatic brain injuries and post-concussive symptoms
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Chronic pain syndromes and centralized pain
- Functional impact of depression, sleep disturbance, and cognitive or memory complaints in the context of injury
She can be retained as an expert for both the Plaintiff and Defense.