This letter is to commend Dr. Graham Hurvitz, who is a world-class orthopedic surgeon at the Ryu…read moreHurvitz Orthopedic Clinic. Dr. Hurvitz has replaced both of my knees. (Right one in September of 2020 and the left one November 1st, 2021.) For both of them, the pain I had walking into the hospital was greater than all that followed in post-op and including physical therapy and occupational therapy. First, he is a doctor who will listen to you. He has the experience, skills, and knowledge to diagnose correctly the issues and offer the absolute best protocols to be successful in dealing with them. In my case, total knee replacement was the best and only procedure. Dr. Hurvitz is very down-to-earth and will take the time to make sure that you understand everything that will happen and any possible side effects. After each of my knee replacement surgeries, he would come by to answer any questions and to explain how the procedure went. His experience, skills, and surgical procedures enabled both knees to recover quickly and with less pain. In fact, the initial assessment by my home health physical therapist, just four days after the surgery, revealed that I had already met and/or exceeded the goals set by the home health physical therapist to exit their program. This is entirely due to Dr. Hurvitz's advanced procedural skills and protocols that he uses during his surgeries. I had positive outcomes for both knees demonstrating that he is consistent with his work as well. I highly recommend Dr. Hurvitz for any Orthopedic work. He is more than just a world-class orthopedic surgeon; he is an Artist of the Bones. Respectfully submitted, Mike A. Preslik Exeter, California

As I have worked in healthcare for 48 years I especially appreciate Dr Hurvitz's thorough and…read morethoughtful listening and presentation of my orthopedic needs.

When I sustained a bad knee injury, Urgent Care told me it was broken but that I should see an…read moreorthopedist to determine whether it would need surgery. I got a recommendation from my PT to see Dr. Yau, and when I called for an initial appointment, they were able to squeeze me in immediately to check me out! After examining me and my x-rays, Dr. Yau determined that my knee wasn't broken after all, and recommended that I follow a PT regimen in order to speed recovery and minimize atrophy and loss of mobility/flexibility. Thanks to his diagnosis and advice, I got back to 100% and am now back to distance running and my regular workouts with no trace of pain or weakness. Dr. Yau was kind, knowledgeable, and you could tell he wants the best outcome for his patients. I always saw athletes in the waiting room, which is just another indicator that this is the place to go if you are active and want to have the best results.

It has been almost 2 years since i broke my fibula and became a patient here. I was a triathlete…read moreand equestrian and never slowed down after an injury happened and healed. But the lack of care i received here basically crippled me. I first saw Dr Yau (who didnt even look at my xray and just read the interpretation from Radiologist) then I saw Dr Thomas who left on maternity leave shortly after telling me to give it more time. Both dr's were NICE but didnt successfully treat my injury.I kept returning to tell them it still hurts and i am not healing/walking right and they kept telling me not to worry and let the broken bone naturally heal and keep walking on it in walking boot. Forget about running again. I am still in pain walking almost 2 yrs later. I went to another dr who said this injury needed surgery at the time. I am so depressed about how much this has affected my life and lifestyle.

Wow, what a Magnificent experience! From the moment walking…read morein the door, until bidding Goodbye w/tremendous gratitude, I felt that I was exactly where I needed to be----the smiles, warm & welcoming friendly atmosphere, meeting my new compassionate, pleasant, caring "medical family" of Elsa, Ana, Oliver & the phenomenal Dr. Gallivan, I was convinced & reassured that my pain would know relief & I would find a rainbow connection, a happy ending w/the expertise, professionalism & thoroughness of this Amazing team, & the guidance on this journey of Dr. Gallivan, who patiently answered all of our questions & concerns, clearly explained all options, discussed scans & best possibilities w/treatment. It is evident, throughout the entire office, that this staff enjoys what they do, are passionate about their work, upbeat in their ways & commitment to others, to giving the best care & advice to all patients, focusing on positive outcomes & healthier results. We, my family, could not be more thrilled to be in the care of Dr. Gallivan & staff of Orthopedic Institute of Santa Barbara, & I look forward to having my active life back, be the Best it could be at 77, & going forward--continuing to "row North" many more years! Many thanks to all of you, & loving appreciation for all of the October Pink you each wore in honor & remembrance of breast cancer month, it did not go unnoticed! B

Dr Gallivan is seriously the best if you are contemplating knee replacement surgery I had both done…read more3 months apart and a year later I couldn't be happier

I had Dr Pifer attend to my broken wrist. It was a very…read morepainful break but within a very short time it was much better. I now how full mobility. Takes his time and is very thorough.

Dr. Mathew Pifer is a shoulder magician!…read more I had rotator cuff surgery with him, and the results were flawless. As someone who's very active, I feared losing the ability to enjoy my favorite sports--but Dr. Pifer set clear expectations, communicated everything thoroughly, and delivered beyond what I thought was possible. His staff is top-notch and made me feel completely at ease. Post-op, my recovery was incredibly fast. He even provided a detailed step-by-step video and high-res images of his impeccable work using advanced technology. His PT regimen was spot-on. Now, just 90 days later, I'm back to playing pickleball, mountain biking, and golfing. I'm beyond thrilled. Dr. Pifer is the only person I'll ever trust with my shoulder! BC

Dr. Birch. He is wonderful. He has tried to help me with a doctor that messed my knee up really…read morebad. He has done his best to make me well over the last five years. I really appreciate his help. He is a great doctor. I cannot speak for the rest of the people there but I know Dr. Birch is wonderful. I think him a lot. We've been through many surgeries together.

Most of the doctors I have seen over the years at Alta are pretty good. I made an appointment with…read moreDr. Birch (took about a month to obtain a time) and 4 days before the appointment the office tells me that seeing Dr. Birch (altho have seen several Doctors at Alta) constitutes a new doctor visit- which is insane. So now I have to wait an additional month to get an appointment with Dr. Birch . . . why didn't the office tell me that when I made the first appointment??? I have decided NOT to see him and booked an appointment with Dr. Emmerson out on Patterson!

To say that this year is all about improving and focusing on my own health is an understatement…read more Simply look at all of my most recent reviews! It seems that once I turned 30 my body began to give up and health declined...and the reason I'm seeing an orthopedic doctor/surgeon is proof. Last week I ended up unintentionally rupturing a tendon in my non-dominant (thank goodness) hand. As someone who works as a nurse and an online Yelp Community Manager, I am required to use my hands constantly. Dr. Hollstein and his medical assistant Carol were able to fit me into his slammed busy schedule. I conveniently completed the registration paperwork online prior to my appointment. I checked in with Laura at the front desk who is absolutely a doll; welcoming everyone who comes in the door with a smile. While I wait to be brought back to an exam room, Laura and I had a friendly chit-chat. Upon going back to the exam room, Carol was lovely and easy going. Dr. Hollstein followed her and has such an amazing bedside manner and great sense of humor. Between the "eeks" and "ows" of him moving my hand/fingers and going over my medical information, we shared some good laughs. In the end, he ended up needing to immobilize and place a cast on my arm. Fast-forward a week and the first cast was uncomfortable by rubbing on my hand and fingers. Carol was able to get me in the same day to replace the cast with a new, better-fitting one. All in all, I would recommend any of the medical providers in this office when it comes to orthopedics and sports medicine. They truly care!

Holstein is a good doctor, his medical assistant is horrible. She is hard to get ahold of and rare…read morereturns calls,

From their front desk staff, their trainers, and the Dr. himself I've had a great experience…read more I was looking to increase my overall athleticism and functional strength both for performance as well as injury prevention. I wasn't really concerned about aesthetics. Another thing I wanted was to make sure of was that the trainers approached everything from a science and research based perspective and seeing Dr. Brisby's background as a fellow Bruin and a trainer for the UCLA Sports Medicine Department was very encouraging. I met with Dr. Brisby to talk about my situation and then I was setup with my first training session with a trainer. I was thoroughly impressed with Cliff's knowledge and experienced and scheduled my second session before before I left. I will be scheduling a third. The facilities are excellent, clean, well maintained, lots of room and parking. There are showers, locker rooms, and it's really just a phenomenal space! Highly recommended!

Everyone is super friendly, facility is very clean, and the equipment is extensive. This is a great…read moregym!

I don't think I've had more pleasant interactions with office staff than I've had at Hayashida. I…read morehonestly don't get the bad reviews, they must have gotten new people or something? Every single time I go in they already know who I am and are very kind and friendly. They've called with last minute cancellation openings and even texted when I was unable to answer. As for the provider, my therapist (Dr. Jon Sakoda) has also been amazing! I had a full ACL and meniscus repair and he has answered all of my questions, worked with me on building strength in a reasonable timeline, and I have always felt like he listened and made adjustments whenever necessary. I truly feel that everyone I've come into contact with at Hayashida genuinely cares about my health and wellbeing, and that can be hard to come by in a medical setting! I'll be forever grateful to everyone at that office and will actually be sad when my treatment ends.

This review pertains to the practice, not the therapist. My physical therapist is wonderful, but if…read moreI need PT in the future I will go elsewhere. The issue is administrative - Sutter dictates that you can only make two appointments in a row instead of scheduling further out. The problem is that very often there is no availability. My therapist has instructed me to return weekly, but, for me, half the time the appointments end up being every two weeks. That has made it more difficult for me to meet my treatment goals - the therapist says we will add something new next week, but it ends up being two weeks later. That not only means that it takes much longer to complete your treatment, but the long gaps can lead to a less successful result. Update: I found this note in my Sutter chart: This patient got all rude as soon as she couldn't get an appt when SHE wanted. She is non post op and doesn't understand why Sutter Health has a policy of only 2 appts at a time when SHE needs to get in. She said she wrote a bad review about our practice and will continue to talk bad about our practice, but not the therapists. She is very unhappy and says she will probably look elsewhere. It is not like it was a matter of my convenience and I insisted on mornings when they offered afternoons or I wanted a Monday and they offered a Tuesday. I was trying to comply with my therapist's instructions to return weekly - it had nothing to do with what "I" wanted - but it is true, I don't understand why they only make two appointments ahead. I have had lots of PT over the years and they have always scheduled multiple appointments at the start of treatment and sometimes even all of the appointments for the duration of the treatment plan. In addition, I absolutely did not say that I talked "bad" about the practice. What I said is that I could not recommend it to others because of the way they schedule appointments. I stand by that opinion, and I should I need PT in the future I will absolutely seek care elsewhere.

I'm so appreciative of the level of talent, caring and honesty these surgeons have. At 53 years…read moreold, I was rushed to the hospital after a brain hemorrhage and subsequent fall that destroyed my shoulder causing a two part surgery that Doctor Eric Sheppard and Thomas Romero collaborated on to repair. The level of care and efficiency from the office was so professional and the surgery and many follow up visits were positive, informative and incredible helpful. I highly recommend this practice. So grateful to have the ability to strength- train after such a heinous injury to this old body. There is no way I would have been able to do it without their positive support, kindness and (most of all!) surgical talent! Thank you Doctors Sheppard and Romero!

The office contact ability is severely impaired and virtually unusable. Incoming calls to the…read moreoffice is limited with most calls dropped, going to an infinite ring, department transfers disconnect ... major phone system issues. Several reviews express the same and honestly imagine you just had surgery and need followup support from YOUR doctor or the medical team!!? NO Bueno. Messages both voicemail and email go unanswered. Had my chart sent over in less than 24 hours from Ventura Ortho for a second opinion and evaluation here. Appointment with Dr. Romero went well and we rescheduled a surgery consult and prep recall out a few weeks. We just don't feel comfortable proceeding with this medical group when there is NO confidence in receiving responsible access to records or the doctor's office. Potential patients beware... Canceling today and moving forward elsewhere so we can be assured of quality care and a professional medical team.

I am a physician, and I have had three EMG's (electromyography tests) these past few years for…read moreevaluating my muscle weakness in my legs and foot drops. Dr. Dirkx did the last one. He is very kind, gentle and enjoyable, for what can be a difficult test. He is by far the best of the three. I can't recommend anyone more than him for this procedure. Top notch!

I tried on several occasions to make an appt. with Dr. Dirkx…read more The first time I called they needed insurance and general information from me and I gave it to them over the phone. They said they would contact me within 3 days. Four days later I called back. This time they said I had to get copies of x-rays and MRI's I'd previously had. I ran around getting those and took them to the office myself. When dropping them off, I asked to make an appt. and the office staff said they would contact me within 24 hours. A week later not having had a call I called the office back. This time they said they needed to contact the insurance company and would get back to me within 24 hours. Needless to say I've NEVER heard from them. I give up. Such a terrible way to do business.