I've been having knee and back problems since I broke my already injured foot in 2023. I fell and hurt my knees again a couple weeks ago and have been moving around with a cane. This doctor told me I had no breaks and just some arthritis and that my weight was the sole contributor to my pain and dismissed me from his office in all but ten minutes. Told me 600mg of ibuprofen was sufficient for my 7/10 constant pain, and told me to lose weight and seek physical therapy. I've never felt more ashamed for seeking help with pain related issues. The front desk office folk were friendly, as were the nurses. read more

In 36 years of receiving medical care as an adult, I've never written a bad review of a medical provider. In fact, many, many times I've gone out of my way to express gratefulness for the care I've received across multiple health care settings in reviews, to managers and directly to the providers themselves. During COVID my daughters and I put posters in front of hospitals thanking frontline health care workers for their care during that critical time. Unfortunately I must break with my tradition given the experience I had with Dr. Garelick. In fact, it's been more than 6 weeks since my visit with him, and I've only now come to the decision that I need to share what happened. My original doctor suddenly became unavailable to evaluate a broken bone in my knee cap so I went to the IBJI clinic as a walk in and got Dr. Garelick. In the course of what was maybe a 5-minute total time he spent with me, he was hyper rushed every minute of that including interrupting my questions and walking out the door as I was mid-sentence asking a question. He sarcastically made fun of me for having a list of a few questions. In the couple questions I was able to ask, he mocked me for asking "stupid" questions to which he said the answers were so obvious. One of my questions was whether I could carefully keep moving the knee around because I'd actually been going on longer walks and doing yoga for a few days before I got an x-ray with no pain. He started pounding on the door, raising his voice saying "is this what you want to do to your knee!" You need to wear a leg brace for 4 weeks and don't take it off, he told me. I ended up calling back the next day to one of his physician assistants to ask other questions about what I could do or not do since Dr. Garelick didn't have time for me. The kicker to all this? 4 weeks later, I went to my originally scheduled doctor who x-rayed my knee and looked at the original x-ray from the injury. He gets this bewildered look on his face and says, "You were in a leg brace this whole time? You didn't need to be because no tendons (or muscles I believe he also said) are connected to the bone you broke." So I was in a leg brace for 4 weeks and am in the midst of 4-6 weeks of physical therapy for NO REASON AT ALL. Guess what one of my questions was that Dr. Garelick literally rolled his eyes at?: Are you sure I need to immobilize the leg when I've been walking on it just fine (again, with no pain)? There's no question I was going to lay off major knee impact for a few weeks, but I will have ended up being laid up 8-10 weeks longer than I should have. That has meant I couldn't teach my Spin class, I couldn't play in my softball league, and I couldn't play volleyball, among other things. And I'm paying for all those weeks of physical therapy for a knee and leg that never should have been immobilized. As nasty and rude and demeaning as Dr. Garelick was, I trusted him to be the expert. I shouldn't have. Last note here: I give people a lot of space to have a bad moment or bad day. Whether it's a friend, co-worker, loved one or someone in any business. It happens. To all of us. In this case, it seems that Dr. Garelick is just someone who likes to put people down. And that's not cool. read more

Related events? In Oct 2016 Dr Garelick did total joint replacement (TJR) on my left knee. My recovery in skilled nursing rehab was interrupted by a trip to the Emergency Dept of a nearby hospital where I was admitted and treated for blood clots. In Feb 2017 I visited another orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion on progress of my recovery; his finding was that my progress was within normal limits. A month later my last office visit with Dr Garelick was to present this finding and cancel future appointments. (It was not a pleasant experience.) In April 2018 I again was in the Emergency Dept with more blood clots; the doctors did not focus on why, only on preventing more clots. As of today I still am on a very expensive "blood thinner" prescription and will be for the rest of my life. The TJR was successful in relieving pain in my knee. As for other desired outcomes like walking without a cane? None. read more

Hi, I injured my knee the day before Labor Day, tore my patellar tendon in half playing volleyball. (I COULD NOT STAND ON MY RIGHT LEG AT ALL!) I went to Illinois Bone & Joint Institute and Dr. Jeffrey Ackerman and his Team were AWESOME!!!! his team cared for me thru surgery, and I didn't feel anything during my surgery. Dr. Jeffrey Ackerman was professional, caring and answered my questions, made sure any necessary forms you needed to be filled out concerning work him and his staff were THERE! Dr. Jeffrey Ackerman also made sure I understood the steps of the healing process, made clear of the do's and the don'ts and I followed them to the tee! I highly recommend Illinois Bone & Joint Institute for any bone injuries. Dr. Jeffrey Ackerman and his team had me walking without a brace in darn near 3.5 to 4 months! Thanks to ILLINOIS BONE & JOINT INSTITUTE, LIFE IS BACK TO NORMAL! Thanks, RonB read more

My experience with Dr. Garelick and his team has been nothing short of fantastic throughout my injury and recovery process. I injured my knee in August (a meniscus tear that locked my knee joint at about an 80 degree bend). The first doctor I visited did not make my case a priority. After waiting a month for surgery and then having it postponed another 10 days, just 4 days prior to the initial scheduled surgery, I decided to see if I could get in to see Dr. Garelick. Dr. Garelick was able to see me right away and was able to schedule my surgery soon thereafter. Prior to surgery, Dr. Garelick listened to my concerns and took them very seriously. I made him aware that I had a similar injury on my other knee some 20 years earlier. He knew that I wanted a repair instead of a menisectomy, if at all possible. He advised me that he'd have to determine what he would do during the arthroscopy. During surgery, he determined that he could make an attempt at the repair. Despite some complications from living with a locked knee for a month prior to surgery (of course, no fault of Dr. Garelick's), my meniscus repair has held strong and I am continually growing confidence in it. I'm getting stronger and more flexible week-by-week and should be back to a normal athletic lifestyle by the spring time. I can't thank Dr. Garelick and his team enough and would recommend him to anyone with orthopedic needs. read more

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I went to see Dr. Garelick for an injury to my shoulder at Illinois Bone and Joint institute, because Dr. Fischer who is helping me with back issues (who is also at Illinois Bone and Joint institute and who I like) recommended him. Dr. Garelick seemed to want to make the meeting as brief as possible, and even though he had an MRI report of my shoulder issue (but I didn't), he didn't discuss the details with me. He basically said that there wasn't much wrong and that some physical therapy would fix the problem, yet he didn't give me an order for physical therapy, which I thought was strange. He did give me a cortisone injection. Since I never got an MRI report, I asked for a copy and then I saw that I had tears in several places, and bursitis and other issues and wondered why he never told me that or discussed the details with me; Instead he just minimized it and said there wasn't much going on. I asked him if areas in my thoracic spine could cause issues with my shoulder and told him that I have had pain, numbness, tingling and uncomfortableness in that area of my spine and shoulder blade. He said that he doubted that it would cause shoulder problems, but did give me an order to get an MRI in that area. I made a follow up appointment after the Thoracic MRI and asked him if he could discuss the details of the shoulder and thoracic report with me, and show me on my body the areas where there are problems and discuss what could be done about the pain and injuries. His attitude towards me wanting to know more about the report was arrogant and condescending. Like, How dare I ask him questions to want to understand more of what the problem was. It seemed that he did not want me to be informed or understand what was going on with my body, and acted like I was wasting his time and seemed annoyed that I wanted to know more about the MRI reports and what could be done about the injuries. He told me that I should just look at the general description and that what I was experiencing was normal wear and tear for my age. I asked him since there are tears, if anything could be done and if they could heal. He said not really. I asked him that if the physical therapy didn't work what could be done about it and he basically said, nothing. Nothing could be done beyond physical therapy, but then he added, after I pushed for an answer, that perhaps injections could help and cream. Four weeks after the initial cortisone injection, at my first appointment, the pain is slightly better, but not resolved. He did finally give me a physical therapy order, so I will get physical therapy, but I felt that my desire to know and get an understanding and solutions for, not only the pain, but also to heal my issues, was discounted and minimized. I have run into too many doctors who treat patients like an insect to shoo away and are arrogant and condescending, like Dr. Garelick. It makes me wonder if they learn this attitude in medical school and that this is par for the course. I am tired of doctors treating me this way. I have met some kind, caring doctors who want to help and want the patient to understand and they explain things in details. Dr. Garelick isn't one of them. He didn't want me to understand or be informed about my own physical situation, he just wanted to be superior and condescending and wanted me out of there. He scolded me for wanting to be informed and minimized what I was experiencing. I felt discounted and unimportant. Perhaps he is a good surgeon, I don't know, but his patient relationship manners are poor and he could do with a class to teach him how to interact with patients so that they feel that the doctor cares and wants to help. read more

I fractured my fibula in a sports injury and had x-rays performed at a local emergency room to verify. I was given crutches and advised to follow up with an orthpedic doctor. Dr. Garelick was found through a Google search as an orthapedic doctor in the Chicago land area. Emergency room X-rays showed a hair line crack in the fibula which he confirmed by viewing my X-rays. It seemed like a simple office visit as I hobbled my way in and out of his office and was given no advice other than to stay off the foot for 2-3 months. Something the hospital already told me. I was shocked when I got the office visit bill of over $1000! As I'm from San Francisco, I visited a local ortho dr. in SF as a follow up a week after my visit with Dr. Garelick. I was only charged the $25 co-pay with similar advice. No four figure follow up office charge. When I called Dr. Garelicks office to find out why I was charged so much the receptionist said that they were allowed to code the visit as a trauma visit even though it was a conventional office visit. I was in no trauma. I could walk on my leg with some pain. It was a technicality they were allowed to charge the insurance company a trauma visit to maximize their profits. I cannot recommend Dr. Garelick as his billing practices border on un-ethical. Buyer beware. read more

Took a PTO day to see the Orthopedic surgeon and my general practitioner since I had the day off. After sitting with the Ortho and listening what he had to say I almost told him off...but I held my tongue. He decided that since I am not actively playing football, soccer, basketball, hockey, or anything he considered a "real" sport, I could go on the rest of my life without my left ACL. I told him I am an avid bowler, averaging over 200, and I play golf in the summer and I am an an avid outdoors-man and enjoy camping, fishing, bike riding, hiking (and just taking long walks in the neighborhood in general), and deer hunting with bow and gun. He then proceeded to tell me that I am a drug addict because I take hydrocodone /acetaminophen which is prescribed to me for the uncontrolled pain I have in my right knee and leg since the last surgery I had for debridement to get rid of the infection which developed down to the bone and knee socket, which caused some nerve damage and I guess I am just supposed to stop being pussy and live with that. I have had 4 surgeries on that right knee and no doctor will touch that knee due to MRSA type the infection I picked up somewhere in one of their hospitals, and try to work on it any further to try to figure out what is causing the pain or fix it. The best answer I can get is that "You need a full knee replacement but you are only in your 30s and they only last 10-15 years with today's technological advancements in knee replacements, and you are still young and active so it won't even last that long." I guess this doctor expects me to just sit on my ass and watch TV/play video games for the rest of my days. He did offer me a course of physical therapy, which is not inexpensive and will never regrow a ruptured ACL, nor get me back to bowling in my natural form, swinging a golf club, or even walking without a limp...all sports he considered not "real" enough to take action on a painful ruptured ACL. He also told me today that I no longer need the immobilizer or crutches. I've already had my knee pop and gone down on it twice since taking that stupid advice. This doctor's name is Dr. David Garelick: http://www.ibji.com/physicians/garelick-david-md at Illinois Bone And Joint in case anybody finds themselves thinking about choosing him as your surgeon to take care of an important part of your injured body and get you back to your normal life as soon as possible, I would advise you get a second opinion. Orthopedic specialists I have dealth with throughout my life have all seemed to have a bit of a god complex, but this guy took the cake. Just be honest with me over the phone and tell me you won't work on my leg because I had an infection in my right leg several years ago and you are afraid that it might show up in the left leg during this repair somehow. Don't make me come spend $40 spedialist fees to sit in your office, take PTO time off of work thinking we were going to be discussing surgery dates to get this thing fixed and hopefully get me back in shape before bowling season starts so I don't have to miss league time and get myself back in shape before the start date, you smug bastard. Thanks for stealing my money, you give real doctors a bad name. His nurse/Medical Assistant Cathy/Kathy (sp?) is very nice and I have nothing against her. She always called me back, got my appointments set up efficiently, got my tests and results back to me right away. But I hope that he doesn't treat her as disrespectfully as he treats his paying patients who are coming to him in pain and looking for a lifeline. If he does treat her like shit than I give her an award for having so much patience to put up with an asshole like him. So I immediately went to my general doctor and he is getting me hooked up with the Infectious Disease doctors that saw me years ago so I can be cleared and hopefully not scare off future orthopedic surgeons and get this knee fixed asap. All I know is that the MRI doesn't lie and the ACL is ruptured, I still cannot bear wait on my left leg, and I will continue to take hydrodocone to control pain that ibuprophine/tylenol/aspirine will not touch. I fired this guy on the spot and told him I was going for a another opinion. His nurse asked me when I would like to be seen again and I told her, "Don't bother calling me." I honestly thought that Illinois Bone and Joint was supposed to be one of the best places out there to get this type of issue taken care of. Unfortunately the guy that did my original surgery on my right leg and did a great job and stood behind his work, Dr. Robert Patek, passed away in 2012 and his replacement is a sorry excuse for an orthopedic surgeon in every way possible. ***Maybe this guy developed a little compassion since 2014 when my left ACL ruptured...but I went to Rush for a 2nd opinion, they knew PT wouldn't help and would probably make it worse. They immediately scheduled surgery and PT follow ups post surgery. Rush was fantastic! read more

I just had a knee replacement surgery with Dr. Garelick and I could not be happier. When I had my initial consult, Dr. Garelick was very thorough with explaining the procedure in full detail and asked what my questions or concerns were. He listened to me and treated me like a human being and made me feel safe and welcomed. The only downfall is you wait forever to see him when you have an appointment, but most specialist are like that so I didn't care too much. I would definitely recommend him to anyone I know needing knee replacements. I am already waiting for my next knee replacement which I hope to schedule for sometime in June of 2018. read more

Dr. David Garelick is definitely the doctor to go for if someone has an injury in their bone, especially the knee! He has taken care of my grandma, uncle, cousin, and myself. He is great, takes care of his patients well, and treats them well! read more

I am a patient of Dr. Garelick's and couldn't be happier with the care I received. I injured my knee while playing football in a touch football league and came to see Dr. Garelick a few days later. He spent a lot of time with me asking me about the injury, examining me, and then going over the x-rays. He then sent me for a MRI which showed an ACL tear and he recommended surgery. My surgery went extremely well and I am now rehabbing my knee at the physical therapy department below his office on Peterson (the therapists are GREAT!). I have seen other orthopaedic surgeons for previous injuries which I have had and find Dr. Garelick's caring approach to be much better than I had experienced in the past. He really took a lot of time explaining my problem in a way that I could understand. In addition, he really made me feel comfortable and went the extra mile to introduce me to other patients in the office that had the same surgery which I was going to get. Having the opportunity to talk with them was really helpful. I refer all my friends to Dr. Garelick and will definitely see him in the future if needed (I really hope not but you never know). read more

Hi, I happen to be a patient of Dr. David Garelick's who is an MD and Orthopedic Surgeon. I would like to express my feelings with regards to how Dr. Garelick brought me through my surgery. In January 2016 and February 2017, I had total knee replacements on both the left and right knee. I got to know him through my visit to the office of the Union Medical Center, where he sees me as a patient. I gained confidence in him through our conversations on how the surgery would work for me and the healing process. I want to let everyone know that I am fully healed from the total knee replacement that was done in Jan. 2016 and am walking with absolutely no pain. I am on my way to healing with the second total knee replacement surgery with the help of Dr. David Garelick and therapy. I am indeed pleased with how he has removed the pain of arthritis in my knees. I would recommend him to anyone who reads this comment and is in need of an Orthopedic Surgeon. He's a great doctor! Thanks Dr. Garelick for all of the great work you are doing to give people a better quality of life. Your patient, Alice Langston Jones read more

I've had three appointments with Dr. Garelick at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute. He is nice enough, if somewhat quirky, and seems relatively competent. However, his time-management skills are horrendous, even by physician standards. The first two times, I waited an hour for a 5-minute visit (if that). On the third (and final) appointment, I waited a full 90 minutes before I decided to walk out and find another doctor; the most amusing thing about that visit was the doctor's staff asking me if I wanted to schedule another appointment. I suppose you could do worse as far as doctors are concerned, but you if plan on scheduling an appointment with Dr. Garelick, you better have a half-day to kill. read more

i brought my mom to come see dr. david garlick for an orthopedic condition that she had, he was great with my mom, right away he made her feel at ease, told her not to worry about having surgery, that he would try alternatives methods in ordr to avoid surgery. he treated her for several months and sure enough my mom did not need surgery,a nd she got better, he has a wonderful bedside manner. i would recommend him to my friends and family. read more

Hello, I tore my ACL playing basketball in late December of 2015. I went to Illinois Bone and Joint Institute for an MRI and X-rays. Dr. David Garelick was recommended to me. He was very helpful answering my questions and concerns. I was happy to have him based on his knowledge and confidence of performing an arthroscopic knee surgery. I had the surgery on January 26th 2016, I'm very glad to say it went great. After a few months of physical therapy, discipline and the help of Dr. David Garelick and his staff i was back to playing basketball in no time. My knee feels as good as ever and couldn't be happier of how it turned out. read more