Dr. Sakai obtained his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Sakai then completed ACGME accredited fellowships in both sports medicine and pain medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital, affiliated with University of Texas Southwestern. He served as chief fellow during his pain fellowship training. Dr. Sakai is ABMS board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation with subspecialty certification in sports medicine and pain medicine.

Dr. Sakai is a member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is a former contributing editor for Rehab in Review and his research has been presented at national conferences.