I was reminiscing about my spine problems and my surgery with Dr. Ditsworth just today and thought I would write a long-term follow up review. I must have had my surgery about 8 years ago. I was in long-term excruciating back pain and had a 2-level lumbar procedure with Dr. Ditsworth - if I recall I had an 18 mm herniation. I was miserable prior to surgery. Today, 8 years later I forget that I ever had back pain. I am extremely active and very hard on my back - Dr. Ditsworth would probably scold me. I regularly engage in grueling physical work for my relaxation, such as digging, chopping wood, carrying 80 lb loads, mixing concrete by hand, moving rocks, remodeling my home, intermixed with long periods of time sitting on airplanes and at my desk or in meetings. I do not experience back pain any longer. If I strain my back doing something stupid like, I may feel a slight muscle strain for a day or two, but it takes a lot to even feel a slight muscle strain anymore. From an administrative and billing perspective, the experience was seamless and straightforward. Dr. Ditsworth and his staff were very pleasant and spent as much time as I needed with me. The truth about spine surgeries is that they have extremely low success rates (read the medical literature, traditional spine surgeries have abysmal outcomes), not everyone will have a positive outcome no matter how good the surgeon is, but Dr. Ditsworth's has pioneered a method that I personal believe has the highest probability of a successful outcome for most patients. I am not a surgeon (in humans at least), but have performed many spine surgeries on animals and thus understand and appreciate his methodology. In lay terms, the technique consists of "snaking" an extremely small surgical endoscope that he developed through the disc and/or natural openings of the spine, to decompress the spinal cord and nerves without cutting bones or ligaments, which is what many other surgeons refer to as minimally invasive. I highly recommend Dr. Ditsworth, I can't speak for anyone else, but at 40 years old, I feel like I am 16 again - well at least in terms of my lower back. It was a life changing experience for me and whatever anyone decides to do, I wish everyone the best with their back problems. Jesse read more

Dr. Ditsworth and his team armed with close 40 years of experiences treating herniated and bulging discs in the spine with his proprietary non-traumatic endoscopic spine procedure has treated my spouse's severely narrowed spinal canal and released him from daily numbness, dull pain and coldness in his legs and feet. read more

It's now been just over a year since I had my back procedure with Dr Ditsworth. It's just unbelievable!! I haven't had any back issues for that entire period. I don't even think about my back anymore. It's hard to remember how bad the sciatic pain was. I need to refer to some of my notes from the time. I was only sleeping 2-3 hours per night and even then I was in extreme pain. Within one day of my procedure my pain was greatly reduced, and within two weeks it was gone. I hope someone will read this and benefit from it. I'll try to remember to give another update a year from now. read more

At age 64, my sciatica due to spinal stenosis was so bad I needed a walker to get around. Both legs had pain level around 8 or 9. I got about 2 hrs of sleep each night, for 2 years. After many other treatments that were unsuccessful, I decided to take my chances with the Back Institute. The outpatient surgery was painless. I went home painless for 3 or 4 days. Then most of the pain returned. WAS I SCAMMED? No cuts, no stitches, no pain at the openings where they stuck the needles in, did they even perform any surgery at all, now that the needle scars had disappeared after 2 weeks. But WAIT!! After 6 weeks, suddenly within 3 or 4 days, all the pain went away and I felt the freedom of standing up straight for the first time in 2 years. I was able to resume playing competitive table tennis again. One guy I played with commented that I did not miss a beat. 14 years after the surgery, now at 78, I am still enjoying the sport a few times a week. Probably spinal stenosis takes longer to heal after the surgery than a herniated disc. I thank God every time I think about this amazing non-invasive surgery that Dr. Ditsworth did for me. If you have sciatica, don't wait 2 years like i did. read more

Dr. Ditsworth is amazing! I had back surgery with him two weeks ago on August 30, 2023. I had been having sciatic pain at some level for over a year and had been in extreme pain for six months. The pain was in my right buttock and extended down the back of my leg to my toes. There was some pain all of the time, but it was worse at night. Immediately prior to my surgery I was only able to sleep about 2 hours per night and I had to be in a sitting position with ice, 4-5 Advil, and a Lidocaine patch to do that. I had been working with my HMO, but was making very little progress. After reading many reviews I was impressed with the minimal level of invasion that was offered at the Back Institute and their very high success rate. I decided to send my MRI to Dr. Ditsworth. After review he explained to me that I had herniated discs at L4/L5 and L5/S1and how he would perform a discectomy to remove the irritating material. The only downside was that when I awoke from the surgery it still felt like I had the same level of pain. But that night I was able to sleep 4-6 hours in any position I wanted, and after three nights I was sleeping 6-8 hours per night. I still have some pain at night, but overall my frequency of pain has been reduced by 90% and when I do have some pain, the intensity is about 1/3 of what it was before. I have 6 more weeks of physical therapy and I'm optimistic about further improvement. All the reviews you read are true, this surgery and Dr. Ditsworth are incredible. read more

Excellent treatment for my back on 2006. since recently been in car accident I need to come back again

I was a patient of David Ditsworth over 20 years ago when he did my back surgery back in 1995 I believe and found him to be a fantastic doctor and excellent surgeon and a terrific person and would recommend it highly to any of my friends who have back problems. To be honest I was in such a bad place with the pain and the depression he turned my life around. I cannot say enough good things about David. I'm sure today's technology is even more advanced than it was back then which at the time was a percutaneous discectomy for a herniation at L5 S1 read more

I called and faxed in my MRI report for review......waited 2 days....no call back. I called on the third day and said I was waiting......this went on for 3 consecutive days. They kept telling me they told "Darren" (in charge of reviewing the reports) that I had been calling and was wafting and they understood my frustration and they were sorry. Finally, in the fifth day...I stepped it up and finally caused a stick and got in touch with Darren. There isn't enough room here for me detail what an idiotic annoying individual he is. Asking questions like " what have your Drs in the past told you your condition was ?" WHAT ????? insane don't go here.... bottom line, if they don't return your calls...and you have to hound them...would you trust them with your back surgery?? read more

I have had two surgery's at the back institute for the same herniated disk(between L4 & L5 The first surgery in 2001 felt close to a miracle I went into the clinic in excruciating pain and woke up after surgery immediately being able to walk with out pain. this surgery was done by Dr. Ditsworth himself in a hospital setting. By 2006 the same hernia had me back in excruciating pain Dr Ditsworth had been unable to cut out all of the hernia because it was too close to my spine so therefore eventually the hernia grew back and I was back in pain. This time around felt very different from the start first of all the surgeries where now being done in the clinics own operating room and not the hospital like the previous time and I was introduced to an other surgeon that I was told would be assisting Dr Ditsworth with the surgery. the results were very different this time around I was in the worst pain I had ever experienced after the surgery I had suffered serious nerve damage could barley stand the pain it took months and a lot of pain medication to gradually be able to function again and I still suffer with pain daily but I am grateful to be able to move. Then in 2010 I received a bill from a collection agency in behalf of the Back Institute for an outrageous amount of money I had never received any bills or any type of correspondence that I still owed any money as far as I was concerned all expenses had been settled at that time I tried to communicate with Dr Ditsworth's staff and received no cooperation I found this bizarre and fought it with the collection agency it took months of work to resolve. Four Stars for Dr Ditsworth -0 for his staff. read more

David Ditsworth, MD - Doctors Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I had back surgery with Dr. Ditsworth in August of 2018. I had an 8mm disc extrusion at L4-L5 - worst pain I've ever felt in my life. I could not walk. I barely could crawl in to the surgery center. When I woke up from surgery, I felt NO PAIN. I was back to work (in Court) the next week without any pain meds! It was truly a miracle cure for me. I cannot thank Dr. Ditsworth and his team enough. When my own private health insurance failed me and did nothing to help, he cured me. read more

Experiencing severe back pain for nearly 15 years from a sledding accident that caused a fracture at the transverse process and herniated discs at L-4/L5 and L-5/S1 I eventually opted for endoscopic non-traumatic discectomy by Dr. Ditsworth in 2002. It has been 13 years post surgery and I can't begin to thank Dr. Ditsworth enough for returning me back to a normal and healthy lifestyle. I'm active and relatively pain-free. An occasional ache and pain: yes. Continuous excruciating pain and numbness: I forgot what that is like. I have referred my patients, friends and family to Dr. Ditsworth. It sounds corny, but he truly gave my life back to me. http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_David_Ditsworth/reviews#ixzz3kGpRsdwf read more

Dr. Ditsworth performed my back surgery on November 1, 2017. My experience with him was wonderful. As I did my due diligence on who would do my surgery I was told 3 separate times by different surgeons that my disc herniation required a fusion surgery. I do daily Bikram hot yoga and to me this would limit my ability to bend my spine as is required so I did more due diligence and found Dr. Ditsworth. I have had life changing results and I am still doing my yoga on a daily basis. As I read some of the other reviews I wanted to add one thing that I do that possibly could be helpful. I accept that I've had back surgery and am very careful not to do activities that could cost me my pain free state... I don't lift heavy objects and truly protect my back at all costs. I know what life was like dealing with high degrees of horrible daily pain for the 2 years prior to my surgery. I take the responsibility of my back very, very seriously now in order to maintain the results Dr. Ditsworth and Dr. Lombardi achieved. As for the Doctors they were some of the most caring, invested doctors I have dealt with in regards to my back. I live in Fallbrook and post surgery they let me Skype in for the follow up appointments. I was out with my hubby the day after my surgery for lunch, there were NO stitches, I was extremely committed to following their post operative instructions. The spine is a pandoras box, many people do not have successful back operations, I knew that going into surgery which is why I avoided it for so long. Dr. Ditsworth and Dr. Lombardi will always be my absolute number one choice. I had Blue Cross Insurance at the time of my surgery but chose to pay cash for the surgery because of how non traumatic the surgical process was. read more

Now, 8 months after my review they break HIPAA law to disclose my health information........It took them 8 Months!!!! That should tell you how long it takes them to do stuff.... PS Been to Stanford since last post.....they were less than impressed with the "DR's" work........I know your probably in pain if reading this...don't go for the snake oil salesman....find a real DR..... read more

The staff were very professional and I didn't have to wait long. Dr. Ditsworth was willing to take his time and was thorough in explaining the procedures they offer. His knowledge, honesty and Yale Fellowship impressed me a great deal. read more

I cannot thank Dr. Ditsworth and his staff enough for the miracle performed on my spine. It may not be the cheapest place around, but be assured that it'll be well worth it in the long run. Just being able to live normally again is breathtaking. Highly recommend this doctor! read more

Dear Dr. Ditsworth Our humble gratitude and appreciation to you and the Back Institute team. Thanks for all your guidance and support. Best wishes from Vasko and Victoria read more

Proceed with caution. I had this "minimally invasive" procedure after confirming with both Ditsworth's office and my insurance company that his procedure would be covered by insurance (less the max out of pocket, etc.) only to get a bill for the entire procedure 5 months later from the insurance company demanding immediate payment (this procedure costs ~$50K). You really need to read through the forms Ditsworth wants you to sign and consider your options. I suggest getting a copy of all forms Distworth wants you to sign on the day of the surgery ahead of time so you can either read through them yourself or have your lawyer do it for you. Ditsworth describes his procedure in such a way that it's different than medical insurance company terminology for the same procedure so it's difficult for you to determine accurately if it's covered. Insurance companies have a code for everything and you need to determine code for this specific type of surgery (don't believe the code Ditsworth's office provides). Only then can you accurately determine coverage...because the insurance company won't talk with the doctors office (or vice versa) and make the determination for you. You don't really discover what Ditsworth is doing to you, and how that aligns with the insurance company codes, until after the procedure and you read the procedure report. Really slimy business practices going on here for both insurance companies and doctors. The patient is really caught in the middle. By the way, when going through the lawsuit to avoid the huge medical bill Ditsworth's office was non-responsive to information requests. I sent registered letters that were not responded to and several calls were not returned. read more

I am Henry from Ghana. My name is Henry, I'm 66 years old, I'm Ghanaian, I'm live in Ghana and I came visiting my son in Canada, because I'm having this problem of my back. Doctor told me it's vertebral degeneration, pinched nerve and a lot of tense. It's difficult to walking even for 10 yards without sitting down, even 3-4 minutes standing I have to sit down. Eventually we're directed to come over here to Back Institute, we had earlier contacted by others who was going to do it by laser open back surgery. But we though approach which we will have with Back Institute is better. We came and in fact it's true. What they do is great and I encourage everyone who has such a problem, not to go for big major operation which will traumatized you, but to come here because it was done and here I am now, smiling, thanking the lord. read more

I am a patient here and this outfit is very money hungry. When you sign up as a patient, they demand every insurance card you have. They also charged by over two hundred dollars for a medical report summary of my injuries that does not have either doctor's name nor signature and they knew that I was requesting this document for a legal case. I spent more than $500 at this facility with nothing to show for it. Caveat Emptor. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

I just had surgery yesterday by Dr. Ditsworth and it is almost too good to sound true but no back pain! In fact, after surgery yesterday I was able to go have lunch with my wife on the way home. If you do your research and realize that typically herniated disk surgery will require 6-12 months of rehab and a very slow recovery process vs. this state of the art procedure then why would you put yourself through this. The process is different then typical back surgery in that the go around your spine to get to the problem instead of through it. This eliminates cutting of bone and muscle. All I have to show for the surgery is a bandage, no stitches. The tools they have developed are state of the art and no one else have them. Do your research and then go meet with Dr. Ditsworth. If you're living with pain like I was with an 8mm L4-L5 herniation then you may be a perfect candidate for this procedure. I am telling you this with less than 24 hours post op and can't believe the results. read more

He did back surgery on me in 1995. I went from not being able to walk to being able to do jumping jacks the next day. I'm going in for another surgery on another disk in 2012. Very happy. read more

My name is Michelle. I am from Long Beach, CA. I had a disk herniation on my L5-S1 for about two years. I was then told by my local doctor that I would need fusion surgery. I did not want to do that surgery, I was afraid about the risk of being paralyzed afterward. Recently, about 6 months ago, I started getting worse pain that went down to my left leg. I did my own research online and I found the Back Institute. I had my surgery and I feel great. Have no pain on my left leg, my pain from my back is gone. I do feel absolutely great. It is a great blessing, very emotional, I am able to do things that I was not able to do before. It's great. I really recommend people to see Dr. Ditsworth. read more

Excellent caring compassionate Doctor. He is a miracle worker. Totally pain free. Before procedure pain was excruciating. Not cheap but worth every penny! Now I have my life back. read more