Absolute horrible back office staff Please do your homework and make sure this is the doctor that's worth his office staff. They are an absolute zero. If I could give this office a zero I would..:. I know Dr. Ma a five star, but I'm now headed to the medical board to file a report against them as well. Absolute waste of time they let their clients lay in bed in pain, not able to move for weeks at a time and then push you out another eight weeks just to review an MRI. Absolutely illegal and absolutely disgraceful of this office. read more

Everything was great, I had my shoulder replaced he did a perfect job on it, and 4 months later I fell great His staff were awesome kept in touch with me daily before and after. read more

Love this doctor and his staff! I suffered a skiing accident and tore my ACL. I consulted a couple of ortho surgeons and chose the renowned UCSF Ortho Institute and Dr.Ma. From the very first appointment to surgery prep and surgery and post op, everyone has been really responsive and they explained the steps and answered all my questions and concerns thoroughly. Dr did the surgery very well, I didn't have any pain post op and progressed through rehab ahead of schedule. I can't thank Dr.Ma and the entire Ortho team from the anesthesiologist to the nurses enough for my smooth recovery. I'll come back one year post op to give an update. read more

It's been over two years since Dr. Ma performed reverse shoulder surgery on my right shoulder, and I just realized that I never did a review. I say "performed", because his surgery was like a Beethoven symphony: graceful, powerful, and perfect. When I went to see him, I could not put on a t-shirt or brush my hair with my right arm without experiencing excruciating pain. I now have full use of my arm and other than seeing the tiniest little scar, I barely recollect those bad days before surgery. When I first went to see Dr. Ma, he carefully explained the risks and the probabilities of a full recovery, especially with the more unusual reverse procedure, but I went on to have what I'd say was 99.9% recovery. Other reviews have mentioned Dr. Ma's positivity, and that was certainly true. I'm not into mysticism but I think that he did radiate some sort of karmic energy that transferred to me and aided my recovery. His "bedside manner" was extraordinarily positive (and I loved his signature white eyeglasses!). When your surgeon shows confidence, it makes you believe in yourself, too. I should point out that I am 71 years old, and my surgery was necessitated by arthritis. I have also had both hips replaced, at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago where we live most of the year. (We used to spend our winters in San Francisco before that beautiful city went seriously downhill.) I chose UCSF and Dr. Ma for the shoulder replacement on the recommendation of my Chicago orthopedic surgeon, who was considered to be a global authority in his field of hips and knees. Given my previous experience with serious ortho surgeries (three, including a recall of the Stryker Rejuvenate implant), I knew what to expect and had a basis of comparison with a superb surgeon who returned my hips to normal function. And Dr. Ma totally lived up to my expectations. I would recommend him to everyone looking to improve their quality of life. I honestly cannot think of a single element of my experience that was not positive. His staff was great to work with, and even with the pandemic we did a great Zoom follow-up. I guess that a telling point would be how disappointed I was that I could not see Dr. Ma and his big smile in person this year! Bravo to Dr. Ma! And thank you so so so much. read more

Dr. Ma and his staff are terrific. I suffered a grade 5 AC separation Summer 2020 after taking a major spill on my mountain bike. First time having a shoulder injury and this was a big one. I had no clue if I'd be able to regain my motion, strength, ability use my right arm for daily tasks, etc. I did my research and found UCSF's Ortho clinic and got into see Dr. Ma, he was very positive, knowledgeable and made me feel confident that all would be alright. My injury was not a common one so I still was skeptical of his assessment that I'd be fine after the 4-6 month tedious recovery. Well, it's March now and I've been mtn biking, snowboarding, playing basketball, doing push-ups, sleeping on my right side (probably what I'm happiest about) and living life like my injury never occurred. My scar looks fine and I have no complaints. Hopefully I won't have to see him again for an injury, but I'd go to him hands down. He always came into the room smiling and in a good mood - energy is contagious. P.S. - for those who are upset when a doctor is late (which I can be in the moment), imagine you needed some extra time and were given it, and then the next patient needed extra time as well. Injuries are serious and sometimes folks need a little extra time and care. read more

One of the worst experiences with a Medical "Professional". I use the term Professional lonely in this regard. He is very dismissive and has poor edicate with patients. I know he's the head of the department, but he looks as his patients as another number. I have to go to another facility because I do not trust him to operate on my knee. First I was told to stay off my leg and not to do anything weight barring. after waiting a month to meet with him for the surgery; he proceeds to tell me that I need prehab for the surgery. As soon as I mention that it would be a "delay of care". He wraps up our appointment and calls the director of the hospital because he realizes that it will be a Malpractice issue. I do not have faith that he would take care of my situation with Malpractice on the horizion... so unfortunately my care will be further delayed because I have to find a surgeon I can trust.... His high status in the hospital is shown in his attitude. Please find a surgeon you can have a steady relationship with when searching. PS. I came in with MRI impression report stating there is a complete tear of the ACL. He proceeded to say it feels like your ACL could be fine... SMH read more

Before finding Dr. Ma, I consulted with two other orthopedic surgeons (Dr. Callendar at CPMC and Dr. Pyka at San Mateo Orthopedic Medical group). I just felt like I wasn't getting good care and had a really bad gut instinct about them. In Dr. Pyka's case, he wasn't able to give me a firm opinion whereas in Dr. Callendar's case he was like "let's schedule surgery for next week to fix you" without explaining anything. Interestingly, I almost had surgery with him. Even Callendar's admin staff was terrible; impolite, didn't returning calls. Dr Callendar wanted to shave out my torn meniscus and insisted on repairing my torn ACL with an allograft (cadaver tissue) without laying out all of the options. Dr Ma took a more detailed look at my MRI and concluded that my meniscus was repairable and that if I shaved it out as Dr Callendar wanted to do, I would suffer arthritis, pain and be at greater risk for another ACL tear. Depending on where you tear your meniscus, it can either be repaired (because that area gets blood flow - my case) or it cannot be repaired (because in the other part it doesn't) This was a small, but critical detail completely lost on Dr Callendar. Dr Ma laid out the pros and cons of each graft method (hamstring, patellar and allograft) giving me enough info to decide on my own without telling me what to do. Before surgery UCSF nurses called and prepped me, gathered info and I went in the day before to see Dr Ma. That day he gave me all of m prescriptions (Norco for pain, 600mg ibuprofen for swelling), a letter to the DMV to get a temporary handicap sign for my car (which I never ended up using) and spent time to explain the surgery. Oh, one other thing about Dr Ma I love; he gives out his email so you can ask him questions directly. He actually responds and is all around a rockstar doctor; super academic and residency credentials, tons of papers to his name, awesome bedside manner, accessible and most importantly, great results. I am walking, biking, doing yoga and barely even have a scar a few months later despite three incisions. UCSF is a world-class facility with the best radiology machines, the best staff, the best technology, the best residents, the best admin and best PT staff. Everyone was amazing. One day I even saw the receptionist go downstairs to place a parking pass on the windshield of an elderly woman's car because apparently, she couldn't figure out the payment system. Recently, two other friends have been to him; my friends Susan and Yuko, both for shoulder surgery. Both had great experiences. Another friend, Linda, went to Dr Feeley who's at the UCSF clinic with Dr Ma and had a great experience there too. read more

This guy has a perfect score on yelp for a reason. He's awesome. I would give him 6 out of 5 stars if I could. A little background: Went to UCSF Orthopedic Institute looking for what is wrong w/ my shoulder (from what I hear, Dr. Ma is the go-to guy in SF for shoulders). Dealt with an assistant professor & primary care doctor (Dr. Carlin Senter...also good) initially to diagnose and then met w/ Dr. Ma after my MRI. Dr. Ma doesn't do diagnoses. He's the chief orthopedic surgeon at the school. Busy guy, you have to pay a few co-pays to see him, but once you meet him, you would have thought he had all the time in the world to see you. The exam: The orthopedic institute is a teaching facility. So be prepared to get examined initially by a resident. They were good as well. Kind of freaked me out a bit by focusing on the wrong issue in my shoulder, but you know, they're residents. When Dr. Ma came in he corrected him and showed him why. I have a rotator cuff tear (and a significant one at that, 95% of one of the four muscles was torn) and he answered all of my questions. I was concerned that he wouldn't want to waste time w/ my questions so I asked his resident, but when he came in he answered all of my questions with much care and also included some analogies for those without medical vernacular. One of the best things about Dr. Ma, in my opinion, is that he caters to what the patient needs. Before seeing Dr. Ma, everyone that I talked to made it sound like a surgery was a must and immediate (which sucked because recovery time = 6 months). But Dr. Ma came in and listened that I was a sports player and didn't want to give up my sport. He explained that I could continue to play, but I was at risk. He then said that my age group (mid-20's) had a high success rate from the surgery and that I could play sports again, but this sort of injury is career-changing. Instead of saying I had to give up sports all together, he instead picked a route of suggesting that I reduce my level of competition. I don't know if he's a practicing psychic, but he knew exactly how to make me feel better about the injury, still knowing I wouldn't have to give up sports all-together. If you have any injury with the shoulder, knee, or anything that involves orthopedics, go to Dr. Ma. This guy seems as though he can do it all. He even was able to explain an MRI to me and I now know what to look for! Amazing. read more

In a former life, I was a pharmaceutical sales rep that called on orthopedic surgeons. There aren't many surgeons, orthopedists in particular, that I have found that are both excellent in their technical skills and also have excellent manner in which they treat their patients. Whether or not that patient ends up being surgical or not. Dr. Ma is one of those few unique individuals. I was referred to Dr. Ma by an acquaintence in the biz, for what we thought might be a meniscal tear. Turns out that it was recurrence of knee issues, to be treated with physical therapy. Dr. Ma was very patient and available through the whole process of original imaging, MRI, etc. He gave me his email address and responded to my questions very quickly. He referred me to an excellent place for physical therapy. If I ever have to have surgery, I would not hesitate, nor think twice about going to Dr. Ma. You will be in excellent hands. read more

I've had a lot of surgeries and Dr. Ma is definitely the best ortho and tied for first as the best surgeon I've ever had. The UCSF staff is absolutely amazing including X-ray techs, front office, recovery room nurses, anesthesiologists, you name it. All of them are top notch. I've even gotten follow up calls at 10pm on a Saturday night (after I left a message so it's cool) and it would've been an instant answer had the surgeon not been in the OR when I called. I'd send my mother here in a heartbeat. update: Luckily I haven't had to send my mother anywhere but I have sent people since and all have been very happy with his care. A++. read more

Dr. Ma recently did a major surgery on my shoulder (AC joint, 2 torn ligaments). I chose him because he came highly recommended, and his assessment of my condition was the most precise, and the most accurate, of any of the 3 surgeons from whom I sought opinions. Throughout our visits, he was always extremely pleasant, astute, and never rushed during my appointments--a quality that unfortunately is becoming increasingly rare. I can't recommend him highly enough. read more

Out of the gate: Dr. Ma is Ridunculous! In my maniacally thorough quest to find the Best Orthopedic Surgeon around, I solicited recommendations from my primary care physician (Adler, Chief Medical Officer at UCSF), my allergist (Gundling, Allergy Practice Chief), and a close friend (Will Wood, PA and medical rockstar). All recommended Dr. Benjamin Ma. Other ortho specialists had a hard time replicating my knee pain. But Dr. Ma asked me a couple of questions and pushed his thumb into my knee exactly where it hurt and said, "Is this where it hurts." Ouch! Yes! Skip to the end: Dr. Ma performed textbook-perfect surgery and it completely fixed my knee. A+! Fast forward two years. Now I had shoulder pain. Tried cortisone shots twice via Dr. Ma which yielded excellent short-term results, but eventually he surgically fixed that as well. Perfecto. This guy is my favorite doctor. Of all time. In the world. He's personable, friendly, interested, engaged, efficient and intelligent. If you have any knee or shoulder (or I assume, hip or elbow) pain, this is the guy you want to see. Bravo, Benjamin! ------------------------------------------- Note: Dr. Ma also works here: 1701 Divisadero St., Ste 240, San Francisco, CA 94115 415-353-7566 read more

Look no further. Dr. MA is the best you can get. History: I had an ongoing rotator cuff issue, and was referred to a different Ortho by my GP doctor. The first guy talked about cutting me before he had ever done an X-ray.! I hated that experience. The shoulder got worse, but now with some research I found Dr. Ma. He is an Ortho superstar! He and his excellent staff are highly patient focused, professional, competent and caring. Surgery is the last resort for this team, and they do everything to try and heal you prior. And the Orthopedic Institute is a new gleaming state-of-the-art facility After Phsical therapy failed and multiple MRI's, it became clear surgery was my only option, Dr. Ma was the best. He was clear in setting my expectations and amazing pre, during, and post suregery. He is a remarkable doctor. Takes the time to help the patient understand what he is doing and why. I am 5 days out of surgery now with recovery ahead of me, but I am so glad I had Dr. Ma as my surgeon and I cannot recommend him and his team highly enough. read more

Never Fear, Super Doc is Near! I went to another orthopedic surgeon who advised me that my knee pain and instability can only be fixed with an ACL reconstruction. Being a super skeptical super critical patient I opted for a second opinion. I brought a copy of my MRI with me. They took some X-Rays. Dr. Ma and a fellow did some exam and decided that Physical Rehab is enough to fix me. He spent his time explaining my MRI, went over the questions I had, and has super fantastic bed manner. Hey when the doctor is as good as he they can be cocky but he is super nice and awesome. Just awesome, I will refer everyone I know who need ortho consult to Super Doc Here. read more

Not sure why my previous review was removed so I'll summarize. My experience at UCSF Sports Medicine is a rare exception to what are usually top notch providers. I spent thousands of dollars out of pocket because I thought I was getting the best help available for my knee pain. Instead I was talked down to, dismissed, and accused of faking or overselling my pain. I'm happy for the people who had successful surgeries, but I never got my chance, and being forced to keep trying to rehab an obviously injured knee may very well have ended my 17 year career in martial arts. Again I'm summarizing but I came in the office in my 30s limping, desperate to regain quality of life and practice sports again. But almost 2 years later, no surgery, a bunch of expensive shots and MRIs, and forced to continuously go back to physical therapy to strengthen an obviously injured knee, I was using a cane. One of the first things I asked for was arthroscopy to look for any issues that may not have shown up the last time my knee was checked. I was told no, that they're new 3 tesla MRI would show everything. I didn't have much choice at that point, Dr. Ma was considered the authority. A year after I left UCSF I lost my job and my insurance which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, I came distraught to Kaiser, expecting to be dismissed again even though I *knew* there was an injury because the signs were in the MRI, along with a finding of a medial plica which Dr.Ma had dismissed and told me to see a psychiatrist (yes seriously, I still have the business card). Thankfully this doctor did listen and agreed to do arthroscopic, they removed the irritated medial plica as well as a chondral flap. It took 45 minutes, my cost? $45 out of pocket. There was still remnants of damage after repeatedly being told to exercise the injured knee, but I was walking without a cane a month later after recovery. This was years ago, and unfortunately my knee never recovered to the point that I could resume martial arts. If I had gotten a simple arthroscopic years before like I had asked would things have gone differently? I will probably never know but it would have saved me years of trauma both physical and otherwise, and definitely would have saved me thousands of dollars. I contacted UCSF and complained about the misdiagnosis and unnecessary damage and they continued to be dismissive, saying there's no way to know what could have happened between then and now. Really? The evidence was all there in black and white. The real issue IMO was the hospital likes to brag about their advanced imaging and when I challenged that they were missing underlying issues which should have been very straightforward it hurt their egos. I encourage anyone else who has had a similar experience to share it, a hospital that is claiming world-class service and charging world-class fees should be listening to their patients and trying to help them. read more

I honestly haven't had such amazing and attentive service from a Doctor or for that matter, a surgeon before. He was so sweet and accesible and wonderful, and my knee has never felt better. Thank you Dr. Ma! read more

I feel really lucky to have found Dr. Ma. He and his team have been great throughout the diagnosis, surgery and recovery from a rotator cuff injury in my right shoulder (SLAP - Type 2 if you care to know). What I appreciate most about Dr. Ma (beyond his surgical competency) is his attitude. I've heard all the stories of surgeons with egos out to here who are "just too busy" [and self-important] to take the time to answer questions and help you understand what is going to happen to you and what you should do to heal quickly afterwards. Dr. Ma takes the time and genuinely seems to care. He answered at midnight(!) a not-so-important email I wrote him after surgery. He has an infectious sense of humor and likes to smile. I also like that he's a teacher. He has many students working with him and learning from him. They will often visit you prior to Dr. Ma - asking questions and doing initial assessments. In my mind, its a great investment of time if you believe that you're helping to turn out more surgeons like Dr. Ma. read more

Dr. Ma repaired my torn ACL about 12months ago and this week I went skiing for the first time, two days in a row. The knee felt great and completely normal. I did 3-4h each day, so enough to test it, and I am thrilled with the result. Like many others, I too, had my doubts and felt scared by the bad reviews. I decided to go with him after he was highly recommended by a fellow surgeon who I much respect and who had repaired my daughter's knee. All in all, great surgical skills, patient, even-tempered. I wouldn't say very pleasant, and I did feel irritated when visit after visit kept counseling patience and I thought he ignored my complaints. But the only thing that matters are the results, and the results are great. At 48, patience becomes key indeed. Sincere thanks, Dr. Ma!! read more

After 5 years of suffering with pain from right shoulder arthritis, I was given a referral to Dr. Ma. I live about 250 miles from SF, where Dr. Ma practices. Because I am a health care provider I knew that shoulder replacement surgery is more complex than other joints and I wanted someone who does this surgery frequently and has good outcomes. As I write this, I am 10 weeks out from a total shoulder replacement done by Dr. Ma and his team. I am nothing but pleased about my experience and the results. Dr. Ma is a kind and compassionate person and an excellent practitioner. UCSF is set up to accommodate patients from outside their area. Communication within the practice is very good. If I have to get my other shoulder replaced, this is where I would go. read more

Dr. Ma performed surgeries on both my shoulders which had to be redone by two other top surgeons who shook their heads in disbelief when they examined the work done by Dr. Ma. My latest was done only two weeks ago and the assisting nurse commented about the surgeon's remarks during surgery re Dr. Ma's work " even an inexperienced kid would have done a better job, this work was not done by a surgeon! ". Dr. Ma totally ignored the MRI reports and performed (or had an unqualified student do it) a sloppy surgery on an unrelated tendon to the cause of my pain. He put me through ten years of hell and pain. In my opinion he failed as a doctor, as a surgeon and if what he had done to my shoulders is an example of what he teaches to his students I am not sure what to say! Total negligence and lack of patient care, I feel I was treated as a dead cadaver to practice on. Patient BEWARE! read more

I was less than impressed with Dr. Ma's attitude or his diagnostic skills. I came to him for a 2nd opinion after still experiencing pain in my shoulder 6 months after my last surgery. It was a bit soon, but I was convinced something was still wrong, so I just wanted to find out what it might be. In our meeting, Dr. Ma refused to give an opinion even after studying my MRI. He just kept asking me, "well what did your other doctor say?" I answered him, but I just kept thinking, 'I know his opinion, I want yours Dr. Ma." By the end, he refused to give a diagnosis and just said to go with the recommendation of my first Dr. When I asked him about what could be causing my persistent pain 6 months out from surgery, he got assertive/ aggressive with me, leaned in a bit close and said emphatically, "I have no idea ! " Now this pissed me off not just that he was getting in my face for asking a basic question, but he should be able to give SOME idea as to what was causing my symptoms. Give me a guess man, you went to medical school. I want to hear what you think. It's why I drove 2 hours to see you. He then said, "well this just may be the best that your shoulder will ever be." It made me feel like he just couldn't be bothered. In the end, I went to another Dr. recommended to me and he took about 5 minutes to diagnose that I had a torn labrum. After he operated, he even showed me the pictures of it. He was right - I still had damage to the shoulder. I guess after all this I'd recommend that it's your body. You know when something is wrong after going through months of physical therapy and it's not getting stronger and you have pain. So don't take the word from a doctor simply cause of their title or reputation. Get someone who actually cares to take a good look at you. read more

I am really happy for everyone that had a great experience with Dr. Ma. I did not. Some background: I had been having significant shoulder pain for 6+ months. I had seen 3 different orthopods. No one could figure out exactly what was wrong. There was some disagreement as to what my MRI showed, my exam was not clear cut and I am very hypermobile, which apparently complicates matters. I had had three steroid injections, physical therapy and had even gone on disability to rest my shoulder. Despite all of this, my shoulder was worse not better. I will admit to having high expectations- I had heard that Dr. Ma was "the best". Boy was I disappointed. I left the office in tears. My experience: His resident was rude. He barely looked at me or asked me questions. He was more interested or perhaps distracted by their new computer system to pay attention to my case. Dr. Ma was dismissive. When he recommended that I continue doing the same thing that I had been doing for 6 months despite the fact I was getting worse not better, I got pretty upset. I tried to have him explain to me why he thought more of the same treatment would be better. He couldn't, just stated that it was his opinion and then he got up and left. I guess I got him on an off day. I found a surgeon in Palo Alto named Dr. Frank Chen who was able to help me. The Mission Bay Campus for Dr Ma is a five minute walk from my house, but I'll happily make that hour trek to Palo Alto again if I ever have a problem again. read more

The office is completely unprofessional in terms of notifying patients on wait times. My appointment was at 9am and was not able to see the doctor until close to 1030am, at which point I was lucky enough to steal 10 minutes of his time. For my 10 minute visit with Doctor Ma, the pre-negotiated outpatient visit was $774. I give the extra star (rather than 1 star) because in my incredibly short time with Dr. Ma, he seemed knowledgeable. I would not recommend. read more

I broke my shoulder six months ago, and thouoht I might need an operation. Dr. Ma suggested a wait and see attitude and said I could have the operation if my range of motion after several months was a problem. Imagine, a super surgeon who doesn't operate at the sign of a broken bone. l waited, and although my range is not perfect, it is certainly improving on a daily basis. He also suggested swimming as a good way to recover, suggesting breast and sidestrokes. I tried this and it made a fabulous improvement. He is charming, funny, and s most trustworthy surgeon. I'd say if he says operate, do it, but if he says wait and see do that read more

I am not sure where to start. After an initial ACL Patellar Tendon Reconstruction on my right knee three years ago in February 2014, I was unable to recovery fully and get back to my normal health as an incredibly active young woman. I could not get my full strength back, return to normal capabilities, rely on my knee, and endured chronic pain regardless of consistent and constant physical therapy over the years. At the point of quitting my job due to my increase in pain levels, I started back up with full-time physical therapy. Again, faced without significant improvements are a decrease in pain, I was recommended to Dr. Ma for a second opinion. I could not have more gratitude for Dr. Ma and my experience with his staff team at UCSF. He immediately listened graciously and made me feel like there were options and a pain-free life could be in sight. After the MRI and X-Ray results came in, Dr. Ma suggested we move forward with a revision surgery to remove a screw that appeared to be digging into my patellar tendon as well as clean up my ACL. The surgery went flawlessly, they took out the screw that my ACL had been draped over, and found a tear in the ACL that was twisted and pushed up against my patella and removed that section. I am writing this review five months after this second surgery overwhelmed at how grateful I am for Dr. Ma. This is the first time in three plus years that I have been out of pain. I was cleared to start running and went on my first 20 minute run without pain in sight this past week. I had started to give up on living without pain until I met Dr. Ma. By listening and taking action in a methodical, deliberate, and conscientious way, he was able to problem solve without telling me to just "do more physical therapy" as I had heard so many times before. His team was amazing and made me feel at ease throughout the whole pre, during, and post surgery process. Thank you so much Dr. Ma and team, I could not be more grateful for you! read more

He is wonderful! I came from Fresno to have Dr. Ma as my surgeon! I was very very lucky to have him. He called me today (on Sunday) to check up on me! They dont get any better! I had a level 5 shoulder separation. Cant say enough good things about him! read more

Went back to see Dr. Ma for a 2nd opinion on another issue in Feb. 2014. He really would not listen to what I was saying and made a totally off the wall diagnosis that was WAY OFF BASE. It was totally contrary to the MRI and totally contrary to two other Doctors who were shocked by his odd opinion. So, I really have to change my opinion about Dr. Mah. Way to dangerous to make such an off diagnosis without any tests to back it up. read more

Dr. Ma is an orthopedist who specializes in shoulders and also works on knees and other injuries. I had torn my rotator cuff nine months earlier and gotten no help at all from the arrogant and dismissive orthopedist I had been seeing. Dr. Ma was recommended to me by two friends who had used his services, and I quickly got a referral to see him. What a wonderful guy! Listens, responds, and helps, with warmth and understanding. He gave me his e-mail address and was more than accessible. I will never go to another orthopedist but him, until he retires. Luckily, he's really young! read more

im going to keep this short and sweet. I was involved in a motorcycle accident at the end of 08 and had a level 5/6 AC separation of the shoulder. Dr Ma was very professional and attended to all my questions and recommended me to go through surgery and im glad i did because my shoulder is feeling alot better. He is said to be the best at what he does and i even saw him on than the new regarding how he was regarded as being a innovator in his field of medicine. read more

I'm not an athlete, but I am accident prone. When I fractured my tibia, cracked my tibial plateau, and required my ACL to be reattached, I did some research and found Dr. Ma who has glowing reviews. He is truly an outstanding doctor. He is very friendly, understanding, caring, takes plenty of time to go over everything and answer questions, and has a really personable and fun demeanor. He had a way of making me smile and joke around even when he gave me bad news (like you require surgery and can't walk for 10 more weeks). All around the guy is good. Well respected by physical therapists around SF and other UCSF doctors I have spoken with. I have very minimal scars and am recovering quickly. His staff is knowledgeable and friendly including office, nurses, and Xray tech. Plus, he gives you a DVD of your surgery!!! Now that is fun! read more

Dr. Ma and his staff gave me excellent treatment for my broken collarbone. I was resistant to surgery, and I got 4 opinions to confirm the need for surgery - which he supported. Turns out, he had trained the 3 other surgeons I got opinions from - he seems to be the guru. (And all those guys had great things to say about him.) The surgery itself went smoothly, and their facility functions as a well oiled machine. The follow up visits were also efficient. He and his team are real pros. read more

Dr Ma operated on my (then)13 year old daughter two years ago for a torn ACL and both menisci. 6 months later she was still in great pain so we went back and he an did an MRI and told us she had a new tear, which didn't make sense to us since she had done nothing active since the surgery so we sought a second opinion. The new surgeon asked for a copy of the pre and post surgery MRI's and told us to ask for the surgery report, something we didn't know existed. It turns out Dr Ma only repaired one of the torn menisci in the first surgery, even though both were torn! And then he tried to cover it up by saying it was a new injury, when the MRI showed it was the same initial injury that he failed to repair. She has had two surgeries since then and is facing even more. We lost the best window of time to repair a meniscus, which is within 8 weeks of injury--the one he did repair is fine, but the one he didn't has never healed. At the age of 15 she has significant arthritis and deterioration which could and should have been avoided. read more

if you ever need an orthopedic, go see Dr. Ma. He was recommended by 3 other friends who are either doctors or nurses and who went to him for help. I was very happy with everything. read more

Tremendous. Go here and you will in the same hands as our U-21 US Women's Olympic Development Soccer team. Dr. Ma and his staff are great - conservative with regard to avoiding any potential surgery and highly informative about what you are dealing with. Go here! read more

I can give a direct comparison between Dr Ma and a "famous" sports medicine orthopedic surgeon. At the ER, I was told I had a possible pectoralis tear. I went first to the "famous" orthopedic surgeon I'll call Dr K, who has a reputation as the sports doc to the athletic stars. He does not take insurance. Dr K did an clinical exam, brushed off my question about older women having this kind of injury, saying "a pec tear is a pec tear." He said he needed MRIs of X and Y. He mentioned surgery was a possibility and was vague about what he suspected. I read what he thought based on the MRI order. Then he handed me over to someone in PT, and even though he did not yet know what I had, he told her to work on me, but did not tell me why I needed that today. The bill mounted. I had to pay $550 before I left. I did not feel comfortable about his knowledge, attitude, and costs. A friend at UCSF recommended Dr Ben Ma, saying he was the best shoulder guy around. To get a regular appointment I would have had to wait weeks. He's a popular guy. He's also chief of Sports Medicine. Because I had an acute injury I was able to get in the next day. Dr Ma seemed much more knowledgeable from the start than Dr K. He knew about the bruising pattern, the range of motion, strength of my arm, the nature of the tear. I had been concerned that if I needed surgery, I would be immobilized and one-armed for 6 weeks. At the end, he said, "Good news. I don't think you need surgery. He suspected I had a partial tear of my pectoralis major at the muculotendinous juncture of the humerus, but that it probably was not torn off the bone. Then he said he also suspected a tear of the long head of the bicep tendon. That same day I had MRI scans done. I finished at 6:30 pm, Dr Ma sent an email at 10:30, saying the MRIs confirmed his suspicions Wow! Bull's eye. First, I was impressed with his clinical skills. The other surgeon was going for MRI views of something else and completely missed the bicep tear. Dr Ma was interested in me as a patient, whereas the other guy seemed bored, was taciturn and dismissive. I was grateful that Dr Ma was able to clearly give me a summary of his suspicions rather than brushing off my questions, like the other surgeon. And I was astonished that he emailed me, rather than having me make another appt, as the other doc would have required for me to hear what the diagnosis was. Dr Ma said in his email that he would be happy to answer questions and that he was sure that I might have some. It was so late at night I did not want to trouble him. I did send a thank you email the next day and mentioned I had an appt in two weeks and would ask questions then about PT and regaining strength. He responded that day to say he got my email. He is a dream doctor. Top clinical skills, direct and informative, responsive....amazing in this day and age. read more

I'd been suffering from some rotator cuff issues for several months. The Workers Comp doctors I was seeing just weren't getting anywhere and I never felt like they were really even listening or trying to help. Rather just give me pills and out the door. They eventually wanted me to have surgery. I checked on the surgeon and he was very poorly rated. Unhappy with the service thus far I decided to go outside of the Workers Comp program. I found Dr. Ma on here with great reviews and gave it a shot. I took the same MRIs to Dr. Ma and he said surgery was not necessary and referred me to a great Physical Therapist. Had I not chose to pay out of pocket and get a second opinion, I would have had needless surgery and never would have known. You really get the feeling that you're in good hands with Dr. Ma and his staff. I wouldn't go anywhere else. read more

I went to Dr. Ma for a shoulder problem. I was told something that is scientifically medically false. I desperately wanted a physical examination of my shoulder Dr. Ma did a perfunctory exam lasting 15 to 30 seconds. He did not seem to have physical exam skills. He uses x-rays MRIs and does surgery. This is not good diagnosis pictures then surgery .....a physical exam is most important. Dr. Ma was arrogant dismissive and discounted my real symptoms and said it was "impossible" . I knew he was head of the Orthopedics and expected the best and got shocking surprise. I consider myself lucky to be out of his orbit. read more

I had to have rotator cuff surgery back in December before meeting Dr. Ma I was dealing with Concentra (this is a work related injury), once the dr at concentra realized my rotator cuff was torn (this was after 6 sessions of PT and finally an MRI) I found Dr. Ma through my Primary Care doctor. No offense to Concenetra but they were not going to touch my shoulder. So happy I saw Dr. Ma, my shoulder feels better. Not only is Dr. Ma great but his staff was so helpful. If you need to see an orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ma is the person you want. I was concerned about scarring - my shoulder doesen't look bad at all. read more

Dr. Ma just rocks -- all these reviews are accurate. He is knowledgable and personable, highly competent. I felt like I was in excellent hands. I had meniscus tear surgery 2 weeks ago and while it's soon to tell how well I'll heal, the experience was nearly stress-free thanks to Dr. Ma and the entire team at UC Ortho. His assistant Lisa is the most accommodating and helpful human being I've met in a long time. read more

We were referred to Dr. Ma for my daughter's knee. Dr. Ma DIDN'T ask for an MRI and said she had a torn MCL, to put on a brace, do some PT and it would be fine in 6 weeks. Two months later, my daughter was still in pain and sought a 2nd opinion. That doctor scheduled an MRI which showed she actually had a torn ACL and her knee was fractured in 2 places!!! Horrible, horrible doctor! And we've made numerous phone calls to his office and no one has returned our calls. read more