Dr. Richard Lim is one of the finest Orthopedic Spine Surgeons in the Country, many surgeons did…read morenot want to operate on me because of the complicated nature of my case. I had a giant herniated disk with severe central canal stenosis along with complete effacement of the Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) around the nerve roots. Redundant nerve roots (RNRs) and the beginnings of Cauda Equina Syndrome and Arachnoiditis. I had terrifying pain in the hip, buttocks, groin and leg. Sound Complicated? That is because it was and the risk of surgery was high. Dr. Lim took on my case and performed an extremely successful Posterior Spinal Fusion with Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using a Titanium artificial disk also known as a Intervertebral Cage and a facetectomy on L2/L3 with a very Complex Decompression of Cauda Equina and Bilateral L1/L2 nerve roots and Hip Bone Marrow Aspiration with an Allograft Bone Graft plus 2 Bilateral foraminotomies along with an annulotomy. This was all done using a 3D computer-assisted stereotactic navigation system. I mention all this to demonstrate why even world-renowned Neuro Surgeons declined to take my case. Right after surgery 100 percent of my pre-surgical pain in the hip, buttocks, groin and leg was gone. At 3 months out I was walking 3 miles and at 4 months I was hiking in the forest on hilly and challenging terrain and had a zero-pain score. Also, his P.A. Michael Meeker is fantastic as is the entire staff at Midwest Orthopedic Consultants. So if you need simpler or very complex Lumbar or Cervical Spine surgery, please contact Dr. Richard Lim. Also feel free to contact me at george.pastorino@gmail.com. 2 pre-surgery and 2 post surgery pics attached

0 stars not available. I could make this a long story but I won't. Here is what you need to know…read more Dr. Lim did what was to be a simple surgery on my lower back. He left pieces inside of me and closed me up. Those pieces dug into my sciatic nerve for 7 1/2 weeks causing the most excruciating pain I have ever had in my life. He ran out of the surgery and jumped in his car so I couldn't ask him why I was in more pain when I woke up than when I went in. Then he wouldn't take any calls from me. Then when I was able to go to his office, he wouldn't come out of the back to talk to me. The front desk said they were told to tell me he was in meetings and was not going to see me. It took the CEO of Midwest Orthopedics to force him to meet with me. The arrogant, pompous ass that he is kept saying nothing was wrong even after new MRI's showed the debris and me screaming in pain. The surgeon from Rush who corrected the botched surgery took photos that he gave to me of what he had to remove that was digging into my sciatic nerve. He said he normally wouldn't do that but that I needed to save these for the attorneys. In all my life I have never met a worse doctor / surgeon. It's bad enough to ruin somebody's back but then to be so arrogant to never admit the mistake and get it fixed. Anybody who would let him cut into you would have to be insane. Find ANYBODY else!

My husband had a knee replacement on February 24,2926. He's 73 with a colostomy. The doctor told…read morehim to go to the surgical center). At 4:43 the nurse said btw if you don't pee in 8 hrs go to the ER. So 3 hrs later we had our first of 6 ER visits in 3 weeks. Apparently his nerve block shots damaged the nerves and shut down the bladder. He has had a Foley catheter since then. His quality of life has been forever changed. The doctor has never called to see how he is or why he never returned for his post op. I thought we picked a great doctor. Now I just feel guilt for sending my husband to Branavacki. Please research your surgeon better than we did. And Do Not go to Branavacki!

Thought I'd leave an updated review on this orthopaedic...let's start with the hips: new hip…read more12/18/25 hurts worse than the hip that still needs to be replaced!!! My hip felt better before the replacement and I never had a hip flexor problem. The pain is horrible and there are days driving (going from brake to gas pedal) hurts so bad. Other days I can barely lift that leg to dress. I was told by my new Doctor that I need to fix that hip (ok Dr Branovacki you told me my new hip will last 30 years and change my life!!! Ha) with the replacement before the hip that wasn't replaced due to the pain. Why wait you say?? My knee he replaced (NEVER REPLACE JOINTS IN 4 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER) on 5/7/26 needs to come and get replaced. Yup knee revision in 11 months!!! I cannot take the daily pain and pain all night!! Ok Dr Branovacki...you said my knee will last 30 years and my quality of life will improve. Well my quality of life has drastically declined. It has been a horrific year of pain. New Doctor did tests and the bottom piece is loose & the spacer too large (6 months after replacement!) no amount of physical therapy will help the knee. Multiple doctors to get it to bend and straighten. It has been a horrible year?? DO NOT USE Dr Branovacki or Midwest Ortho in Orland or oak lawn. It's packed with people, long waits and no care at all for patients. See as many as you can pack in (but don't expect an appointment for more than 15 minutes) and move them out. Dr Branovacki told me & my husband I "expect too much...I have over 1,000 patients" we'll start taking care of them!!!! Once he sees you ....passed off to one of his 3 PA's and forget talking to him after surgery or a PA....only a nurse who complains about all the work she has!!!! If you end up in the hospital with blood clots (extensive through leg with knee and traveled to lungs) because of a nurse who does not share pictures that were sent to her...Dr won't check on you. None of them will. Please do not use Dr Branovacki for hips or knee!!!!!!

I was first treated by Philip almost 8 years ago. Each time I am injured, or something new breaks,…read morehe has gotten to the bottom of the problem and I have recovered. This time, I had torn four tendons in my hips, my gait was off, and I could no longer go up stairs. I was very discouraged, as I had already spent months with the PTs owned by the Ortho group that treated me. Philip was immediately positive and said he and Mostafa had plenty of things to try and I shouldn't get discouraged. I was able to walk normally at 1 week and climb stairs pain free at 1 month. I am thrilled!!!

Worst doctor experience in my life ! Had a knee replacement in 2024 I've had one before so I know…read morewhat it's like . He wouldn't address my issues five days after the surgery. He just kept reiterating " the X-ray show my work is perfect! I had to have the manipulation done 9 weeks later and his staff wasn't put on the schedule so they arrived late and he said " where the F--- were you not a pleasant way to start my procedure. He is rude egotistical and has a very negative reputation in Chicago . I'm in constant pain 24/7 I met two women at Life time who had surgery performed by him ... one had a revision done the other is in extreme pain as well I had a nurse tell me he's not even in th surgery room that he's in his office telling the attendees what to cut and whatever from his computer!

Dr. Levine replaced my knee a couple years back and it is just phenomenal. People always comment on…read morehow good I am doing and how wonderful the scar looks, you can hardly see it. He has a great bedside manner and is an outstanding surgeon. I have already referred five (5) people to him. He is excellent.

EDIT: I meant to post this at the oak lawn location. My experience stands but it wasn't this place…read more Please contact yelp to have my review deleted as I cannot. This place is astonishing. You can call to have the same order faxed over three different times, be told it's being faxed over three different times, rushed off the phone three different times, and then call the place you were referred to and be told three times that they have not received anything. You can call inquiring about your next appointment, be told you would be contacted in 2-5 business days once results were sent over, and then proceed to wait for 2 more weeks still without contact. This despite you having a copy of the testing results in your MyChart. This place is a joke and easily belongs in a museum of medicine's hall of fame, First-Team ALL-Medicine Lazy. I hate that I have to come here to be treated. I have to post this anonymously because I still have to come and fear retaliation. I plan to leverage the social media following I've spent the last 13 years gathering across platforms and make it my goal to make sure people from Shanghai to Chicago know that this isn't a place you should choose if you ever had a choice. Dr. James Leonard is a phenomenal surgeon but his front desk makes me hate that I have to be his patient.

Long long waits. I was told by someone that has worked there for years new patients get seen right…read moreaway. If you're a returning patient expect very long waits. Dr Branovacki replaced my right hip and left knee within 4 months...knee is getting replaced by another Doctor (11 months later!!!) and the hip has to be put on hold until I can get the knee revision and all the work after that. My "bad" hip feels better than the replacement. He is pleasant when he meets with you but don't be fooled!! He wants to do many surgeries (did 13-15 with both my joint replacements in a day!!! Unheard of after talking to multiple new doctors!) and tells his patients the replacements last 30 years!!! My knee lasted 11 months and the hip he replaced will be next!!! Do not use Midwest ortho in Orland or oak lawn!!!! Do your research...there's many better ones out there!!! Your time and quality of life matters!!! Dr Branovacki took my quality of life for the last 1.5 years!!! I've seen Dr Leonard for shoulders who has you wait forever and has probably also gotten too many patients and rushes you out of the office. Dr Emily mayekar for my hand...talk about no bedside manner...so rude. Please steer clear of this place!!!! Do not use Midwest Ortho!!!

Very thorough. Did not use medical terminology, made sure u understood the procedures. Did not…read morehave to speak with a nurse or assistant. Spoke with directly. Very personable. Also followed up post surgery. I would defiantly recommend

This Dr. performed uneccessary sinus surgery on me a few years ago …read more This was confirmed by my MRI. She nicked an artery in several places and refused to repair it leaving me with blood in my lungs. I had to have several blood transfusions and had the artery ligated at another hospital. The bleeding starting the same day she pulled out the gauze packing yet she said she could not help me and to go see my primary because the bleeding had nothing to do with the surgery she performed. The bleeding artery was the main sinus artery... She deserves to be sued and jailed. I almost lost my life and have delt with severe trauma from this. I spent 9 days in ICU.... She is lucky I am not the suing type although I contemplate it often.

omg. my back and leg pain is gone aftee a quick and easy adhusrment. i get it twice a week, to…read moreobtain and maintain a pain free body!!

A true genius! With the huge amount of chiropractors and holistic healers out there it may be hard…read moreto pinpoint one worthy of going to but Dr. Rick will blow you away. He has so much love for his profession and you can feel that in the first instant you meet him. He incorporates many different modalities into his practice and is patient beyond words. He doesn't rush you while you're there, answers your questions, and gives you info to consider to help heal your body.(in my case it was certain stretches to help the mid thoracic region of my spine) Dr. Rick is professional, personable and knows what he's talking about. I would recommend him to anyone.

Dr Cole is the best orthopedic surgeon ever. He repaired my meniscus tear back in 2022 and in just…read morea few months I was able to regain full mobility of my knee. I've been snowboarding and skating as much as I used to like if I never had a knee surgery. But the most important thing is that he's the most knowledgeable Orthopedist I've ever met in my life. I had a problem with my knee locking since I was kid and I went through so many Orthopedist. Not a single doctor was able to tell what was going on and after chatting with Dr. Cole for just a few minutes he gave me that diagnosis that changed my life. Now I know exactly what happened all those times I was clueless and now I can be prepared to protect my knee from certain movements and understand why it hurts sometimes. I am so happy that I choose Dr. Cole for my surgery and as my orthopedic doctor. My surgery went so perfect. I recommend a call for anyone with a knee problem. Another reason why I am so happy I chose him is his Bedside manners. The first time I met him he listened to me very carefully and he reassured me that he was going to help me and cure me. An indeed he did. Dr Cole is was blessing for me, and at all times I felt so comfortable and taken care of by him. He's the absolute best. Also his entire team of Orthopedists and assistants and nurses were amazing. They responded to my thousands of questions very respect respectfully and clearly. They were always there to help me with anything I needed. Answering mails day and night. Give me useful information and checking on me after the surgery. Thank you, Dr. Cole and team for being the best orthopedic surgeon I ever had.

I can no longer remain silent on Brian Cole, MD, as too many friends and patients have had…read moreunpleasant encounters and unfavorable, if not disastrous, outcomes over the course of 15 years. Not unsurprisingly, if you have ever met him, they have spoken to me of his arrogance and self-importance, of his cavalier attitude about surgery and of his brusque and dismissive bed side manner. In the words of one friend, who has endured chronic pain and stiffness in her right knee since a minor surgery at the hands of Dr. Cole, 'Brian is all about Brian, not the patient.' Ironically and regretfully, I count myself among his former patients, a fact that revisits me almost daily with anger and bitterness for nearly 17 years. To be brief, I moved to Illinois in 2007 in order to be in closer proximity to my parents living in the Chicago area. One day while working out at a local fitness center I injured my knee while doing a partial squat with a relatively low amount of weight; initially, I gave it little thought, but the next day, my knee significantly swollen and very painful. I had not yet established a relationship with a primary care physician and so, after a search on the Internet, I found Dr. Cole: He billed himself as 'Dr. Cartilage,' boldly publicized on his Web site that he was the Bull's team physician, that he was NBA's physician of the year, that he appeared on the cover of Chicago magazine's "Best Doctors' issue, and had he published multiple papers and made many presentations at national and international conferences. I figured that it seemed reasonable that if Dr. Cole is operating on million-dollar knees, it would be a good bet he would be a great choice for the microfracture procedure on my left femoral condyle - it was supposed to be a simple and quick procedure with a quick recovery: he even promised that I would be able to return to running and playing tennis and soccer within one month. I followed his post-op PT protocol faithfully, was the model patient, but month after month, the pain and swelling continued, and even weight bearing was at times intolerable, and month after month he kept reassuring me to be patient and wait: despite this long unusual and delayed recovery, Dr. Cole displayed no concern or curiosity, demonstrated no interest and ordered no tests - he simply advised NSAIDs and ice. Finally, after five months, I went to another orthopedist, this time one associated with the University of Chicago, who immediately ordered imaging studies, which revealed significant osteonecrosis (dead bone) at the site of the microfracture -- there was bone destruction about the size of thumb. This was a serious condition which required an OATS procedure, months of PT, a full year of wearing a post-op knee immobilizer, and a follow up chondroplasty. What borders on the negligent was that Dr Cole did not even consider a set of X-rays, despite my repeated reports of severe pain and the failure to recover as promised. When I confronted him with failed microfracture, Dr. Cole never made an apology, never displayed even a hint of sympathy, and with a shrug only offered a total knee replacement. My trusting this surgeon's judgment and advice was absolute stupidity. Since the efforts to repair the damage of Dr. Cole's surgery, I have not been able to jog, much less run, not been able to play pickle ball, much less tennis, and now even standing for any length of time is extremely uncomfortable, and it forced me to abandon a job where I was on my feet for 8 - 12 hours a shift to a job where I am mostly seated throughout the day. Though this fiasco happened over 15 years ago, I still hobble around in pain and try to endure with the aid of gel and PRP and stem cell injections with little success and great expense. An ironic footnote to this story is that I actually met one of Dr. Coles' former OR nurses several years later. I had never disclosed my experience and opinion of her former boss, but she told me at dinner, that in effect, he was always rushing from one OR to another, or one airport to another, and was hardly ever available for questions; and apparently soon after my surgery Dr. Cole was a plaintiff in a whistle blower lawsuit involving Medicare. Over the years, I have found that many of my patients have found that not just Dr. Cole, but many of the orthopedic surgeons at RUSH Midwest to be equally arrogant and they are equally disappointed, even demoralized, by the unspoken RUSH motto, 'Surgery is the best and only solution and we are the best and only surgeons.'