Elly Laroque is not only an experienced professional who I trust explicitly - she's a really kind,…read morecaring and likeable person. She's empathetic and she entertained all my questions and concerns without condescension. I always felt empowered with regard to my health care after meeting with her. Many thanks for excellent care!

I am writing this review 2 weeks after my rotator cuff surgery. The doctor went out of her way to…read moreshow care and concern for my condition before and after the surgery. While I am not qualified to comment on the quality of her work during surgery (and I was anesthetized while that was being done anyway) her reputation as a surgeon is tremendous. I will try to remember to revise this review when I get six months out from surgery but, so far, (knock wood) I could not be happier. I know some people have expressed difficulties with her staff. Like any Doctor who is considered to be at the top of their field, you are going to wait a while. Otherwise, I found the pre surgery process to be reasonably organized and far from onerous. I will try to remember to come back in six months an add to this review but, so far, I am very thankful that Doctor Laroque sas my surgeon.

Dr. Halbrecht is simply the best. LOOK NO FURTHER!…read moreHe operated on my right rotator cuff several years ago from a sports injury. My outcome was perfection. I did precisely what he said to do to ensure full recovery. I was back doing push-ups, weights, lifting, everything and more I did prior to surgery, and only with a magnifying glass can you see 3 pin scars, basically no scarring. Further, my right shoulder hurt, I had to see a shoulder doctor close to my location. He recommended PT 10 weeks 2 X a week said it was a complicated, rare injury intimating surgery if PT didn't work. I saw Dr. Halbrecht today, he gave me a cortisone shot, would Not recommend PT, said I may need another shot would be fine back to training! Thank you Dr. H!!

I have a fractured tibial plateau near my knee from being the pedestrian in a pedestrian vehicular…read moreaccident. I got an MRI at Dr Halbrecht's office and then went for a first consultation with the doctor. Dr Halbrecht seems like a perfectly competent doctor and I'm sure his medical advice is sound. It's his communication style and "bed side manner" that I didn't connect with. I asked about something the MRI technician told me and he responded "oh mri technicians don't know anything about this". While examining my knee he put a lot of pressure on it which hurt, without giving me a heads up saying "this might hurt a bit". He was incredibly brief and didn't share with me any advantages and disadvantages of recommended treatment options. Any one of these may not be a big deal, but all of these together was a signal to me that i'd prefer a different provider. If Dr Halbrecht were my only medical option, I would use him, since again his medical advice seemed sound. However since he estimated it'll be ~6 months for treatment, I chose to switch to see a different doctor for my treatment.

Dr. Diao is a great doctor and did a good job repairing my wrist and shoulder. He was attentive. He…read morelistened to my needs. He was always on time. I would recommend him to any and everyone.

I hope this review will be of help to anyone needing hand surgery. Before deciding to proceed:…read moreALWAYS GET A SECOND OPINION. ASK: 1. How many and how recently have you performed this specific procedure? 2. WHAT exactly will surgery entail? 3. HOW LONG I will be immobilized? 4. WHEN will I start hand therapy and WHO will I see for therapy? 5. What will a good result look like? I had tendon transfer surgery to repair a ruptured EPL tendon. At our initial meeting, Dr. Diao stated assuredly that 90% I could expect very good function post-surgery and be able to perform all my usual activities well. I unfortunately trusted and deferred to his 'expertise', did not get 2nd opinions or ask the above questions. A year and a half post-surgery, I still have adhesions, significant limitations in thumb function I am completely unable to lift my thumb away from my palm (retropulsion). Some of this is due to an apparently POORLY EXECUTED SURGERY (he did not create the necessary tension in the tendon for me to activate the muscle to straighten and lift my thumb) and the inexcusable LACK OF NECESSARY POST-SURGERY TREATMENT. Therapy after EPL tendon transfer surgery is essential to protect the healing tissue, reduce adhesions, retrain brain to use the donor muscle for a new thumb movement, and restore hand function, while also protecting the integrity of the repair. It turns out that Dr. Diao does NOT believe in hand therapy. You can listen to one of the videos on his website where he says moving your hand in a bag of rice is preferable to hand therapy. I was kept completely immobilized 24-7 in one static position in a commercial split for 5-6 weeks, then told me to just go use my hand and only at my request did he hand me a list of locations for therapy. It took another 5 weeks to get an appointment (now 10 weeks post-surgery). The first therapist was not knowledgeable about my surgery and a complete waste of time.. At my multiple requests Dr. Diao was not able provide a specific place or name of an experienced hand therapist to address the concerns that I repeatedly shared with him. I should have immediately been referred to and started seeing a hand therapist WITHIN 2-3 WEEKS POST SURGERY who would have placed me in a CUSTOMIZABLE SPLINT allowing for adjustments in position, controlled movement to prevent severe joint stiffness and scar tissue buildup. I should have started doing passive movements with my thumb, gradually increasing to active mobilization. I should have been given progressive exercises to safely rebuild muscle strength and coordination. This process all should have started within 3 weeks post-surgery. NONE of this happened. I eventually called another doctor who immediately referred me to an experienced hand therapist. It was a now a full 6 months post-surgery before I began therapy. I am grateful that I did eventually got some pain reduction and improvement in function, but it is far from a good outcome. I am still completely unable to retropulse my thumb away from my palm, still always have some degree of pain or discomfort and limited function. The combination of a poorly executed procedure (He did not create the right amount of tension in the tendon) and the inexcusable lack of appropriate post-surgery follow-up has left me with continued adhesions, pain, and a poorly functioning thumb. I am now consulting with another doctor at the Buncke Clinic to see if at this late stage there is some way to improve my function. Do your due diligence before proceeding with any doctor. Do not just trust credentials and reviews. Many reviews are curated. One star for a friendly and helpful office staff.

I never thought I would need a neurosurgeon, let along at the age of 35. Ironically, I was…read morescheduled to take a week of vacation because I was planning my to go to Disney Land and finally explore the new Star Wars Land and Tiana's Bayou adventure. Instead, I needed a neurosurgeon. See, I use my hands for my job and I am hypermobile. I think this makes me prone to literally being being out of shape, and apparently there is a name for this rare, but somewhat-common-in-Koreans, arthritis: OPLL. Well, I've had neck pain pretty much my whole adult life and constant cervicogenic headaches. I've learned how to maintain myself for the most part but on August 16, 2024, I woke up and couldn't really lift my right arm. It kinda hung there limply by my side, but I just thought my shoulder must be exceptionally stiff from being overworked. I reverted to my routine of resting, stretching and applying heat and taking NSAIDs. It marginally got better but five days later at work, I couldn't lift my arm at all and had to use my left hand to keep my right arm up at work. So I went to the Parnassus ER, where (although I was gaslit by a very grumpy nurse who is burned out and I just appreciate showed up to her thankless job in the ER so people like me could get care) the triaging NP diagnosed my sudden neuro weakness and consulted neurosurgery. As you can tell from the photos, my spinal cord was being squished by a herniated disc at C5/C6. For YEARS, I've been having chronic pain and increased neurological deficits, just thinking I was aging and becoming middle aged. After a course of medrol and a new C5/C6 artificial disc replacement, I have a new lease on life. New neck, new life! I am so appreciative to Dr. Tan and his team for explaining my condition (as thoroughly as neurosurgeon can lol) and treating it promptly. He took my job into account, as well as my personal health, and he chose the best route for me - which was to remove the destroyed disc and replace it at that one level minimally evasively but not fusing the posterior/back part of that neck that had OPLL arthritis. Although Dr Tan warned me I'd still have posterior pain since he went in anteriorly and didn't correct the posterior compression, I got much better sensation in that part of my neck so the posterior compression is actually a lot better now too with surgery, PT, personal training and strict personal ergonomic adherence. I just had my one year follow up with Dr Tan's clinical fellow, and I really appreciated the explanation and care. I am so grateful to UCSF ER, neurosurgery, and peri/surgical teams taking care of me. From the house staff who shared with me how she lost her sense of smell that devastated her when she was an aspiring cook, to the resident who was working over 24 hours and still treated me with dignity and respect - I will never forget the simple kindness afforded to me in the hardest of times. That was the worst night of my life, but I wouldn't have wanted to have it anywhere else but at UCSF.

Dr Lee Tan Excellent surgeon, great bedside manner, and…read moreknowledgeable. I had visited another doctor (orthopedic) in Walnut Creek that told me my lumbar was fine, not to worry. I couldn't lay flat on my back for more than 10 seconds. Dr Tan looked at my MRI and said I needed surgery. I am 2 months out from a L3 to S1 spinal fusion. No complications, very good instructions from Dr Tan and his office staff, and wonderful follow up. I felt looked after. Highly recommend. But most importantly, my back pain I've had for 3+ years is gone. Thank you Dr Tan and your staff.

My left knee needed replacement. I had a right knee replacement a couple years earlier, however…read morethat wonderful surgeon retired so this time I chose Dr. Barry. I have had an epically fantastic experience. Everyone involved has been professional, accessible & on schedule for appointments & any follow-up inquiries I had. I live in Marin so after the first appointment in SF, all other care, including the surgery occurred in Marin. Having had a prior replacement, which was relatively easy for me, I knew what to expect. If that was easy, this has been a breeze. I was standing without holding onto anything immediately after surgery. No trouble sleeping all night in a comfortable position. Followed all PT exercises as recommended. Now, at the 4-month mark I can walk 4-5 miles a day with no stiffness or pain & I'm walking up/down stairs the right way. Both of those took 7 months last time. I am extremely pleased. Highly recommend Dr. Barry. He's an excellent surgeon.

I have been seen there several times for both my shoulders and knees. I first met Dr. Ellie…read moreLaRoque, who put me at complete ease. She is compassionate, knowledgeable, skilled, listens and has top quality advice for guiding people through the process of understanding what their diagnosis is and what that means in practical terms. For me, it meant a reverse shoulder replacement and two complete knee replacement surgeries. She listened to my questions and the order of the surgeries, explained her thoughts and recommendations. I left with a plan. My confidence in her abilities was high. My husband subsequently had several major heart problems that required surgeries and long stretches in the hospital. It was over 12 months before I could get back to the plan Dr. LaRoque had established. I had been moving a man who weighed more than twice my body weight. I was in worse shape. She didn't judge or say anything other than that she understood. She ordered new tests and offered to meet via video call so I could be home caring for my husband. I had the tests done and she spoke with the surgeons she thought would be best for my surgeries. I just completed the reverse shoulder replacement surgery and am very pleased. I am going to meet with the knee replacement specialist soon. I couldn't be happier. I love that you get x-rays upon arrival, ultrasounds as required, and that the after visit summary is very helpful and reliable.

Good Dr and assistants, but they never start appointments on time, and you end up waiting in the…read moreexamination room for 20min, at least. I finally learned to leave 2hrs for an appointment so I don't stress out about what I have to do next, and bring a book. There is WiFi- Guest-SMMC, so you can poke your phone.

This is a follow-up to a review I posted in 2012 after a surgery Dr. Montgomery did for me…read morefollowing a major bike accident where I broke all 3 major bones in my shoulder. He did a second surgery a few months later to remove scar tissue. Now it is 2023, and I met with Dr. M. again. He told me that he has never seen such a bad shoulder break in his career! But I have recovered almost my entire range of motion, thanks to his amazing work plus physical therapy afterward. I am so happy I was referred to Dr. Montgomery. (PS. Who cares about sitting in a waiting room for a while when you can get life-changing surgery from an expert?)

I had spine surgery with Dr. Burch last month and am very pleased with the process and results…read more Parking was easy since I was supposed to be outpatient surgery but ended up being hospitalized overnight for pain control. Dr. Burch and the orthopedic spine team are a well oiled machine. My neurosurgeon at UC Davis Medical Group essentially gave up on me and didn't want to do further surgery even though I was in horrific pain and had God awful nerve issues in both feet and legs due to a terrible disc herniation. Dr. Burch was kind enough to see me as a second opinion and was able to see me much quicker than I've ever been seen at UC Davis. He told me it wasn't fair to either of us to formulate a gameplan without updated imaging which I completely agreed with. Upon getting fresh CT and MRI scans he recommended a L4-5 foraminotomy and microdiscectomy. I agreed and we tentatively scheduled surgery that day for a few months later. I checked in to outpatient surgery and was told they were running a little behind. No biggie; things happen and sometimes there are minor complications or hiccups. I've been that person before so I'm empathetic. I was brought back some time later and changed into my gown and had an IV administered. Dr. Burch came by a bit later and we went over the established gameplan one last time. The anesthesiologist came by a bit later and we went over things one last time before they brought me into the operating room a short time later. I woke up in a little worse pain than I'd anticipated and hoped, but sometimes that's the reality of having multiple spine surgeries in a 10 year period and having scar tissue. They closed me with staples which was a first and they were a little uncomfortable and took a little getting used to but they weren't terrible. They recommended admitting me overnight for pain control and my wife and I agreed. I slept better than I have in any other hospital. UCSF Medical Center was clean and easy to navigate. All of the medical staff were so kind and empathetic. I was discharged fairly early the following morning and we made the trek back to the greater Sacramento area. I've been dealing with chronic lower back pain since 2017 when my car was struck by a distracted driver. I had an open microdiscectomy in 2018 and a endoscopic microdiscectomy in 2025. I feel better than I have in years and my nerve issues have vastly improved. Spine surgery typically doesn't always improve your lower back pain but it oftentimes is successful in improving other issues such as nerve pain or weakness in your feet or legs. I couldn't be happier with the results and I can't thank Dr. Burch, Ariana, the orthopedic spine team, and everyone at UCSF Medical Center for taking great care of me. Dr. Burch and Ariana both have a great bedside manner and treat you with common courtesy and respect. They're both very knowledgeable and give you terrific advice to set you up for success as well as give you realistic expectations while informing you of the potential complications and side effects. A special kudos to Ariana and May for helping navigate everything, particularly the curveball my insurance company decided to throw us when they denied the surgery 36 hours beforehand due to "medical necessity." Ariana was able to schedule a peer to peer consultation with my insurance company the following day and helped advocate for the procedure to be done at UCSF since UC Davis couldn't perform it until October. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for a great experience and giving me renewed passion for life. Living with chronic pain is awful and something I wouldn't wish upon anyone and I'm looking forward to beginning physical therapy in the coming weeks and fulfilling my goal of taking my daughters for their first bike ride with daddy on my daughter's 10th birthday in February. I taught both of them how to ride their bikes but have never been able to ride alongside them due to spinal instability and pain.

It's been over three years since Dr. Shane Birch performed…read moremy lower back depression surgery, I can't believe from using a cane all the time. now I walk around like I've never had a back problem. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Birch and the UCSF team and the whole staff the way I was treated. Unbelievable

This review is for Mila in Dr. van Warmerdam's office. Mila went way!!! beyond providing patient…read morecare I would expect when she called me this morning to say she noticed I had requested an appointment today with Dr. Allen. For some reason, I was told by someone else, that he didn't have any openings which I could understand. Mila called to clarify that he wasn't in the office today was the reason he couldn't see me. That clarification was really a nurturing thing to tell me because her call was letting me know that his unavailability was due to his absence not that his schedule was full.

Thoughtful, considerate, well informed orthopedic surgeon and doctor…read more I have been in the same office with a different doctor, but I like Dr. Jennifer Van Warmerdam much much better! We discussed options, She was considered of my wish to not do surgery, unless it was absolutely Recommended as the last option. I recommend Dr. Jennifer Van Warmerdam