Very knowledgeable, my husband had meniscus surgery and it went well. Dr Chen doesn't recommend surgery if it it's not necessary.

This doctor is amazing! In fact all of his staff are wonderful - complement, on time, friend, extremely informative, accessible, etc. They have customer service down to a T! I had ACL surgery. My hamstring ligament was used to make a new ACL. I have two pin sized holes and one 1/2 inch incision. I walked out on my own after the surgery. I had no pain the first week and little after starting PT. Thank you!! read more

I was referred to Dr. Chen for a broken elbow. Dr. Chen let me know that surgery was required as to what was a "radial head arthroplasty". He said that once I had my surgery, I would have immediate use of my elbow/forearm, and this was exactly the case - not to mention the beautiful scar that I have. I could not be more impressed. The whole team is courteous, professional, and warm. Dr. Chen is an artist! read more

It's been awhile but I believe he did a meniscus repair on me. Looking at him again for another procedure.

My appointment with Dr. Chen was a complete waste of my time and money. I had been suffering with knee pain for a few months so I decided to go see a doctor and wanted to get an MRI. Dr. Chen refused to order me an MRI, at most they would send me for an X-ray but also felt that wasn't necessary. He seemed rushed and could care less about what was wrong with my knee since he felt I didn't require surgery. His evaluation of my knee was quick. I spent more time being evaluated by his nurse who kept telling me all I had was arthritis. All they told me to do was treat myself with Advil every day to help with the pain and learn to live with it as it was just a part of getting old. The official diagnosis he gave on my chart was "runner's knee". After the appointment I tried physiotherapy for a month and my knee got 100x worse - to the point where I could hardly walk on it. I went to see a different sports medicine doctor who's been great and immediately ordered me an MRI and will help me get to the bottom of what's going on. read more

Dr Frank Chen is very knowledgeable and friendly. I am fully satisfied with him. During my visit today, he explained the x ray results to me and checked my right leg fracture conditions. After that, he clearly gave me the guidance on what I can do and can't. His nurse practitioner is also very nice and knowledgeable. His office is in building D. There are multiple buildings using the same address and you need to realize this to avoid being in wrong building. The building D is also called as "Clark building". read more

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Dr. Chan is a fantastic surgeon but he is not for everyone. If you are looking for a doctor who will happily start cutting you up for a slightest need then look elsewhere. Dr. Chen is conservative and when possible will recommend first physical therapy or other less invasive approach, such as injections. He is very knowledgeable and will explain the problem, the options and the potential drawbacks of each in great detail. I've seen dr.Chen the first time for torn meniscus in both knees, having before seen other doctors whose only option was a surgery. Dr. Chen recommended specific physical therapy and 10 years later I didn't have any surgeries and my knees are doing very well. Yes it takes work and yes YOU have to do it, so not for everyone, but I am very happy that dr. Chen takes such cautious approach since every surgery is a risk. read more

My son went to see Dr. Chen for a separated shoulder. Dr. Chen barely assessed his injury, didn't ask any questions, talked the entire time, and name dropped athletes he'd worked on. He gave my son no hope of recovery, refused the surgery that would give him relief, and sent him away with nothing. Basically a lot of hurry up and wait. You won't get better, but until you've been in pain a lot longer than you have now, we won't do anything. I expected better. read more

He went in to take out some torn cartilage, brushed the meniscus with his razor (I have the x-rays!), ruined my knee for the rest of my life and refused to believe anything was wrong with me that a few cortozone shots couldn't fix. I had surgery with another doctor, my knee is bone-on-bone thanks to Dr. Chen. I live in some level of constant pain, all thanks to his ego and his refusal to believe anything was wrong with me when I kept telling him that there was. Oh ya, and him brushing my meniscus with his razor and turning it to mush. Way to go! I DO NOT recommend, at all, under any circumstances. read more

Frank S. Chen, M.D - Orthopedists Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Chen and his team were excellent, they took the time to review my history and address my health concerns.

I wish I had read the reviews more carefully before I scheduled the visit with Dr Chen. I broke my collarbone in an accident. During the new patient visit, Dr Chen was in a rush. We spent around 15 minutes with his assistant MD and around 10 minutes with Dr Chen. Dr Chen gave general advice on surgical and non surgical options. But he seemed have no time to detail on my specific situation. I was then sent home with all uncertainty and questions still in my head. I went another Dr and have my collarbone fracture treated. And then I receive the bill the visit is categorized as level 4 visit (2nd level in 5). The visit time is much less than a level 4 visit criteria(45 minutes). And I do not feel I received medical advice on that complexity level. For anyone who want to meet a patient Dr, and to my own view, not greedy, I recommend you search someone else. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Chen for many years. I wish I had come to him when I first experienced knee pain/limited mobility when I was much younger. I appreciate his honesty and how he never wastes my time. I also really appreciate, how, when I am in knee distress, he always finds time to fit me into his very busy schedule. He has never failed to resolve the problem at hand and has always left the final decision of what I want him to do up to me after presenting the available options for me given the realities of my knee. I have learned to seek him out as soon as a problem shows up. read more

I've now had 2 meniscus surgeries 14 years apart. Different knees, different doctors. The first one went pretty well and after overdoing it the first week, I had a setback. It took a few months until I felt comfortable playing sports and a year until I felt recovered. This time, I knew surgery was coming and I strengthened my leg in advance. I think that helped a lot. The surgery was successful and I fully active in a month. 4 months later, I am almost 100%.0 Dr Chen did the 2nd surgery but not the first. Both went well but I had to take some responsibility for my recovery time. My point is that both doctors did their job. I took better care the 2nd time and recovered quicker. The doctor can only do so much. If you don't give them good info, they can mis diagnose. If you are not careful, you can run their work. I'd recommend Dr Chen, but if you are not comfortable with a diagnosis, you should get a 2nd opinion. read more

I tore my meniscus playing ice hockey and Dr Chen did the surgery. He removed 50% of the meniscus. The incisions were tiny and my recovery was quick. I'm now back playing even more hockey than before at a very high/hard level 4X week with absolutely no issues at all with my knee and it has been about 10 years now. Dr. Chen is one of THE BEST ever. I found him willing to listen and discuss with me. I've also worked with him on tennis/hockey elbow and he has been patient and willing to try cortisone and PRP before moving ahead to surgery which he says is 90% successful. I find his bedside manner to be excellent and he is friendly and professional every time I have seen him. read more

I went to Dr Chen for elbow surgery several years ago. First had me do an MRI which showed a loose piece of bone from a prior injury and that was causing my elbow pain during tennis. He convinced me it was a simple surgery and to get it done. All seemed ok after the surgery, but the recovery was brutal. That's not his fault. What is his fault is that a nerve or muscle must have been affected during surgery because now I have a big divot in my elbow where a muscle used to be. Looks nothing like my left. He didn't mention anything and when I went back to him months later to show him, he completely blew it off and said that's the risk with surgery. He recognized that the elbow stability is suffering from the missing muscle, but was more focused on the pain that was gone from the removal of the bone fragment. Too much to ask for both stability from not cutting nerves in my elbow AND the bone removal? This was arthroscopy for a small loose body...and I'm a tennis player. Kind of need my elbow. Stay away. read more

I had Dr. Chen do a 2nd arthroscopy on my knee 10 years after Dr. Doug Blatz successfully did it. I didn't use Dr. Blatz because I changed to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. I was assigned Dr. Chen but felt confident he'd do a fine job from what I read about him (some self promotion) and that I had a successful 1st surgery experience (ran a marathon 3 months after it). Dr. Chen was quite cavalier. I wish they did a local anesthetic like Dr. Blatz used so I could monitor the procedure, which is very reassuring. I guess the surgery went okay. Dr. Chen gave me lots of instructions in post-op, which I could not register since I was still under the influence of the drug. After some time I noticed ongoing pain. In my post-op follow-up appointment, I mentioned it to Dr. Chen. He blew it off saying that my knee was a 1 on a 1-5 scale (where 5 is excellent) and then suggested a cortisone shot. Based on another review, I guess cortisone is his response to all less-than-optimal surgical outcomes. I am not happy with the results, but cannot blame Dr. Chen entirely. I should have gotten a second opinion, but thought this one would go this as well as the first. That I would do over and strongly recommend anyone thinking about him do the same. It's your life and it's worth the time and money. That said, I still can't recommend Dr. Chen. I thought by being a member of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation that I would have avoided this, but bottom line is that one should get 2 professional opinions, get several positive personal recommendations, and read all you can about the professional and procedure. read more

Five stars on Yelp is "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" and frankly I'm really in no position to make that call, as I'd never had any kind of surgery before, aside from a vasectomy long, long ago. I have no basis for comparison. Still, if there are better orthopedic surgeons around these parts, I'd be surprised. I tore up my right elbow pulling (while twisting) on an overloaded laptop bag in July 2009, resulting in damage similar to Tennis Elbow. It took a few months for me to realize it wasn't going to get better on its own. After first trying an experimental PRP shot, which was: 1) my idea, 2) of necessity excruciatingly painful, and 3) ineffective in my case, Dr. Chen did a surgical repair exactly one year ago and the results are essentially perfect. If I suddenly developed amnesia and couldn't remember the last two years, there's no way I'd ever realize my elbow had been seriously damaged. I have 100% mobility and no pain whatsoever; trust me, this seemed like an unlikely or even impossible outcome a year ago. All restorative surgery is a crapshoot; that's why no surgeon will ever guarantee or even speculate about results. If you are going to play The Surgery Game (and there are certainly combinations of symptoms and age that might lead you to pass on surgery), you best bet is to find someone who is up to date on all the relevant medical technology and who does a lot of procedures. That would be Dr. Chen, who is also a team doctor for the Golden State Warriors, which pretty much guarantees he's current on everything related to sports medicine. (It also guarantees he knows a lot about long-term suffering, but that's another, much sadder story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Golden_State_Warriors_seasons). Based on my own single experience, I can't recommend Dr. Chen highly enough. However, that unavoidable element of chance in surgical procedures favored me this time. I can completely understand why others who were not as fortunate might hold Dr. Chen responsible for that. They might be right, but I think that can be a bit like blaming the croupier because your number didn't come up this spin. That's hard to accept when it's your body we're talking about, but it's a fact in medicine and in life. Which, as I'm constantly being reminded, isn't always fair. read more

Dr. Chen operated on my knee for a meniscus tear and I had a lot of fluid on my knee after the surgery...he drained it 2 times, but the fluid came back. After the 2nd drainage he said "Lots of people live with fluid on the knee and I will not operate on your knee again and be happy you don't have cancer". WTF? Dr. Warren King operated on my knee and got rid of the fluid, but I now have bone on bone. I would not recommend Dr. Chen to anybody!!! read more

Dr. Chen is the consummate professional who knows his work in sports medicine! Four years ago my boyfriend tore his ACL playing basketball and Dr. Chen was his doctor. 2 years later my boyfriend is back playing basketball at the same level - if not healthier than before! Then this year it was my turn. I had broken cartilage and had to get micro fracture surgery. I would have chosen none other than Dr. Chen based on my boyfriend's results with him. Dr. Chen, Sarah and Beth are an amazing team and I trust them wholeheartedly! read more

I've had two surgeries (one arthroscopic knee meniscus repair, one torn shoulder labrum) with Dr. Chen and if I could stand on a mountain trumpeting his talents, I would. Instead I have to Yelp! it. Some of the reviews here puzzle me, I've always found him to be personable (but admittedly busy...he is a doctor after all). If he should decide to quit surgery, he'll always have a potential career in broadcasting with his baritone radio quality voice that rapidly describes your test results and treatment options. I need to emphasize that point, treatment options. He has plenty of people to cut on, and you are more than welcome to say no to his recommendations. Both times he explained to me what would happen if I did or didn't have the surgery, and he managed my expectations. My knee repair was minor, my shoulder was damaged rather severely. Both times they healed properly. Other reviewers may not have healed well, and sometimes that may happen because the damage was extensive. I feel for them, but it may not be the surgeon's fault, you can't always see what needs to be done from the MRI, and you can't fix something that is irreparably broken. All I know is that I followed his guidance to the letter and both my knee and shoulder are near 100%. His PA Beth is also awesome, she's more knowledgeable in sports medicine than some MDs I've met (who are not sports doctors). He's friendly, thorough in his descriptions and recommendations, and the quality of his work has given new life to my slowly getting older joints. read more

Just a disclaimer... I actually work with Dr. Chen occasionally, so you can totally ignore this, if you think it's biased. I know several orthopedic surgeons in the area, but when it came to having an arthroscopy on my shouler, it was a no-brainer... Dr. Chen is the man to go to. He actually spent time talking to me (who does that these days?), and had plenty of people in his office to facilitate my surgery. He's extremely talented, and very personable. Like I said... it might be my bias, and I might have gotten preferential treatment, but in my limited experience with his treatment of patients... I can't speak highly enough of him. I feel terrible for my fellow yelper who had a bad experience with Dr. Chen, and I hope you got everything worked out... but I really don't think that's the norm for Dr. Chen. read more

After reading up on Dr Chen's position as team physician for the professional basketball Golden State Warriors team, I consulted Dr Chen for my knee and was seen after a short week's wait. His PA took some history and notes and in stepped Dr Chen. I found him very personable and easy to speak with. He wasn't overly confident, which I appreciated, and even expressed some doubts of treatment given the complexity of my case. We spent a decent amount of time looking over the MRI, while barely examining my leg. Overall, I found good bedside manner and what seemed to be very cutter-happy kind of mentality. I'm not sure if my complex case is for him, but I wouldn't doubt Dr Chen's abilities for more generic orthopedics issues. read more

So, I used to play volleyball since for as long as I can remember and because of that, I managed to cause my shoulder to come out of socket! It sucked for a long time because I hadn't played volleyball in 5 yrs in fear of it coming out again. I decided that I should get it fixed since I have awesome medical insurance. lol. Since I was already a patient at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, I did some research there. My first search was Frank Chen. His credentials impressed me and some reading from yelp got me to get an appointment with his office. His staff was very helpful and nice. They went through all of the procedures and told me what to expect. On my first appointment with Dr. Chen, he explained to me the difference between types of surgeries for my shoulder. I chose to go with the arthroscopy procedure because it was less evasive and less scarring and Dr. Chen ensured me that was a better option to go. Anyway, my surgery was on May 14th and I'm happy to say that I'm still alive ;) and that my arm is doing great along with physical therapy, I'll get motion and complete use of my arm in no time. Dr. Chen is awesome and I'd recommend him if you need to get "sewed up." I know my comment was all over the place but if i had to do it all over again, Dr. Frank Chen is the man!! read more

Another excellent experience with PAMF. I injured my "ankle" in July, and like most athletic minded folks, I decided to just power through it. It got worse and worse, until in April, I could barely walk. I rested a bit, and decided to see a doctor. I got an appointment with Dr. Frank Chen in May. Dr. Chen checked me out, and told me he believed I had a stress fracture in my fibula, not an ankle injury. He ordered x-rays, and since they were inconclusive, a bone scan. After the bone scan, the stress fracture was evident, and he was able to tell me what I had to do get better. He was nice enough to let me skip the boot, as long as I didn't run. Come August, I felt as good as new. Dr. Chen was excellent with his diagnosis, and giving me treatment options, and trusting me to take care of myself after giving me his opinion. I hope I don't get injured seriously enough to visit again, but if I do, I'll look up Dr. Chen right away! read more

Surgery on my left shoulder healed and rehab'd great. Only bummer was that I was left with a golfball sized wound from an accidental tool scraping on my back during the surgery. Sounds bad... but happened on my later surgery (on my right shoulder) with Colin Eakin as well. How does this happen twice? Weird right? Long story short... I would recommend Chen. read more

Dr. Chen is highly competent, personable, and confidence-inspiring. I had two knee surgeries with him and am happy with the results. He provides good advice and is a straight-shooter. You never feel pressured to go under the knife. Also, his staff, particularly his nurse, are very courteous, professional, and nice. read more

If I can give it a zero I would Receptionist is rude with an attitude smdh. Need to learn how to talk respectfully to a patient or other people calling instead of giving so much attitude read more

Took my teenage son who was complaining about bad knee pain. Our on-call pedi referred us to him. He was over 30 minutes late, and when he finally arrived he seemed rushed during the whole appointment. He had no idea why my son had excruciating knee pain going on for 2 weeks (we had lab work and xrays done already) and could not offer me any suggestion on how to help ease his pain or next step we should do. He just kept repeating, "I am a knee surgeon", "I fix knees", and "There is nothing I see to fix" in a rushed manly tone. It was the worst doctor experience I ever experienced. I would never go back to him for a referral. I almost had to pick up my jaw after the appointment. I was in shock of how awful and insensitive he is for a doctor Also, we had to literally beg him for a doctor's note to (temporarily) excuse him from PE (which his on-call pedi was already okay with) and he reluctantly gave me one. read more

Dr Chen had decent bedside manners, explained things well and appears to be competent but I am damn glad I got a 2nd opinion. If you are facing surgery, no matter what get a 2nd opinion and seek the best possible surgeon possible. I am writing this years later as I stumbled on the notes I wrote after having an appointment with him. Here's what happened I had an injury skiing where I fell forward and my right elbow slammed into hard packed snow and directed the load straight to my shoulder. There was sharp pain and it gradually got about 70-80% better over 2 months but not acceptable. I saw Dr Chen and he was confident I needed surgery. I wrote that on my notes I typed up afterwards. He stated that I tore a ligament on the front and rear and had a rotator cuff problem. What struck me was that he was very confident that only surgery would correct the problem. Not PT. I would have gone for it but the recovery time was very long like 6-9 months where I shouldn't even lift a suit case. That would have killed my work travel. So as a matter of my own policy I seeked another opinion. So not knowing who the best really is I decided to contact an orthopedic surgeon for a professional sports team. I am not going to say if is in the NBA or NFL and I won't state it as people may think I am endorsing a particular doctor. So for that reason I am leaving it out. I figure if the doctor worked for a pro sports team that he'd have to be at least better than average. I saw him and he said that we should try physical therapy first and thought we had a good chance that I would not need surgery. Imagine a doctor NOT recommending his services. To be honest, I was skeptical that PT would fix the problem in part because Dr Chen was so confident that surgery was the only solution. But I decided to try it. So I did PT for about 6 weeks and to my surprise it fixed the problem 100%! 4 yrs later and I am fine. So no surgery, no general anesthesia risk, no 6-9 month recovery, no secondary surgery to remove scar tissue! I am not saying that Dr Chen is incompetent. I am saying that I don't think he is the best. If he was he would have tried PT first to avoid surgery. But he was so confident that he disregarded it. He should have said "let's try PT, it probably won't work, but if it did, you can avoid surgery that has negative consequences". Since he didn't offer this reasonable approach, I give him a 1 star rating. Sorry Dr Chen but I think you failed on this one. But no one is perfect. Please be conservative with patients because the fall out from surgery is sometimes bad. Try PT first. The moral of the story is you the patient have responsibility of managing your medical care. If you are facing surgery of something that has some negative consequence, you must get a 2nd opinion no matter what. Doctors are very smart but they can definitely be wrong. Contact me if you have any questions. read more

I'm a 23 year old female athlete. Tore my ACL and did some serious damage to the other ligaments and tendons around my knee in a sports injury. Dr. Chen had absolutely NO bedside manner. Always seemed to have a frantic, rushed manner and did not take the time to listen to me and answer my questions about surgery and recovery. Did not give detailed explanations before or after surgery of the procedure. After going through extensive physical therapy and personal training, (about a year after surgery), I still could not run. I went back in for an appointment to tell him about my concerns. He had me get x-rays, which he deemed were "fine", and yanked on my knee in several directions before telling me it was totally fine and I was probably just having trouble adjusting to it. Finally, I saw a different surgeon, who had me get MRIs and told me that Dr Chen made my tibial tunnel way too short, pinned the new ligament on the end when he really should have done it in the center, and put the bone screw in insufficiently, causing it to protrude out of the bone. I now have to have a notchplasty surgery to correct the mistakes Dr. Chen made, and if that doesn't solve my problems, or if the ligament is already too damaged, I have to have complete reconstruction surgery again with a new ligament. I do NOT recommend Dr. Chen. read more

I got arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear that left me worse off than I was before the surgery. Even though Dr. Chen and his staff warn you about the downsides of surgery up front, they were adamant that it was the best solution in my case, and they were dismissive when I asked about alternatives (i.e., PRP, just PT, etc.). There is nothing worse than coming to the sickening realization that you just had a surgery that has harmed you, and you can kiss your formerly active life goodbye. Really think twice before getting meniscus surgery. You are getting rid of a cushion (however damaged) that your body relies on. Nothing will ever take its place. Get a second and third opinion before you decide to do surgery, because the decision is irrevocable. read more

I have had beyond an excellent experience with Dr. Chen and his staff at PAMF. I found him to be very informative and very skilled at what he does. His nurse, nurse practitioner and physician's assistant are ALL excellent. Call their office and they get back to you within an hour. Quite impressive! And best of all, my problem was taken care of! read more

Dr. Chen was great! He had an amazing bedside manner. My mother decided to tag along for my first visit with Dr. Chen after I had finally finished off my ACL while in dance class. Needless to say, my mother asked...for lack of a better word...really STUPID questions based off of her internet research which she did not quite understand. Dr. Chen very patiently and graciously answered all of our questions regarding my situation and helped me decide what was the best course of action. In the end, I decided to go ahead with the ACL reconstruction surgery. I called Dr. Chen's nurse to set up a date, and to my surprise, she had me booked by the end of the month. The day of the surgery, I remember going into the Fremont surgical center at 7am. They had me change into a gown, took a urine sample, weighed me, and sent me off to a room to get prepped for surgery. The nurses there shaved my knee and had me write a big fat YES on the knee that was to be operated on (just in case *wink*). The anesthesiologist came in and described what she would be doing during my surgery. Then Dr. Chen came in to answer any last questions I might have. All I could think of was "I'm SCARED!!". Dr. Chen just smiled and told me he had done this surgery numerous times, and I had nothing to worry about. OK. Cool. I'm calm, I'm calm... They had me walk over to my surgical room. I remember walking through metal doors into a bright room with a surgical bed right in the middle. I think I saw the cadaver ACL they were going to put in my knee sitting right there on ice...ready to go. Wonderful! I hop onto the cold surgical bed, they stick monitoring pads on my chest....and next thing I know, I'm struggling to regain consciousness in the recovery room. Dr. Chen comes in and says something...not quite sure. I was still hazy from the anesthesia. All I remember was that he said the surgery went great. Good thing my parentals were there to take notes on post-surgery instructions. The pain after surgery was tolerable. I was off the hydrocodone within 3 days. I would rather feel a twinge of pain than feel nauseous from meds all day thank you very much. Dr. Chen also prescribed me with a CPM machine which basically moves the knee joint for you to maintain a certain range of motion. Apparently many doctors see this as unnecessary, but I'm really glad that I got to use it. The CPM machine made physical therapy much smoother, and my therapist was surprised at how quickly my recovery progressed. After 4 months post-surgery, I was able to get back to light exercise, and within 6 months, I was able to *carefully* return to my dance training. It has been one year since Dr. Chen operated on my knee, and I am still doing great! My knee still bothers me at times when I dance or exercise, but nothing I can't handle. Dr. Chen tells me that full recovery takes up to 2 years, and assures me that over time, the pain will completely subside. Other than that, my knee is strong and very sturdy. So, for those of you looking for a doctor to do ACL recon on you...here is my long story short. Dr. Chen is the best. He uses a cadaver graft (as opposed to a patellar or hamstring graft which comes out of your own body). Compared to other ACL reconstruction survivors, Dr. Chen's recovery time seems to be much shorter. His incisions are also smaller, leaving smaller scars. He has a good bedside manner, and is very confident in his own work. Don't worry! You will be in good hands :) Thanks Dr. Chen! read more

Dr. Chen said some magic words to me as we talked about how to deal with a small rotator cuff tear: "We treat the patient, not the MRI". My decision to try physical therapy before having surgery was fully supported, and when I went back for a final check in, and I confirmed that I was ok with the minimal amount of ongoing issues I would have to deal with if I opted not to have the surgery, he was supportive then, too. He confirmed that, at any time if I changed my mind and wanted to have the surgery, just to let him know. I felt like I had a team-mate working with me to find the best solution for my situation, not just an every-problem-is-a-nail hammer wielder. I highly recommend Dr. Chen, his PA Beth, and the whole PAMF team! read more

Dr. Chen performed my second shoulder surgery. I wish I had found him the first time around and it would have saved me so much pain and recovery time. I had a labrum tear, bursitis, and bone spurs. First off my appointment was on time. Right away he diagnosed the injury when two other doctors didn't know what was wrong. He answered all my questions and recommended the second surgery. I am 3 months post op and feeling great. After the surgery his nurse walked me through all the photos and explained the procedure. Dr. Chen was very compassionate and knowledgeable. read more

I would never recommend Dr. Chen to anyone. Not only does he not even do his own exams but he rushes through his appointments and makes assumptions. I had seen him 1.5 years earlier for swelling and fluid build-up in my knee due to surgery I had when I was 16. At that time they did x-rays and an MRI. He sent me for PT and over the next 1.5 years still has the same issue on and off. Fast forward to today I went and saw him finally fed up with the swelling and fluid build-up from doing simple things like strolling down the beach. I wanted to discuss the possibility of surgery. After being 45 minutes late to the appointment his assistant did the exam and then reported her findings back to him. When he finally did come into the room he never once examined my knee himself, never sent me for new x-rays or a new MRI (a lot can change in 1.5 years) and just assumed that I had no cartilage left in my knee. He told me he can't give me back cartilage and aside from knee replacement surgery, which he was quick to tell me nobody would due because I am only 38, my only option was cortisone shots or stemcell shots (which there's no proof works and isn't covered by insurance). He said I would probably never run again and that I should stick to spin or the elliptical and zero impact exercises. What amazed me was that had he done the exam himself he would have heard me say that the elliptical had triggered one of the swelling episodes. He talked so fast it was like he was trying to rush through my appointment and I wasn't worth the time. I will not be going back to Dr. Chen. I am seeking a 2nd or 3rd opinion. I refuse to believe there aren't options out there for me and that I still can't live an active like. His assistant should be getting the credit for the work, not him. His name should be removed from the list of doctors on the building. read more

Scheduled an appointment with Dr. Chen for a second opinion for my knees. He listened to my concerns, did a few tests on my knees, walked me through his analysis of my x-rays & MRIs, and gave me his recommendations along with their estimated costs. With 100% confidence, I'd highly recommend Dr. Chen to all friends and family. read more

Luck counts in life, both good luck and bad. I had the bad luck of getting my heel caught during a fall and rupturing the tendon that connects the quadriceps to the knee. Then my luck changed; I have been a patient at Palo Alto Medical Foundation for quite a while. The next morning after the ER visit (my first ambulance ride too) I called, got a referral to the Sports Medicine department and Dr. Chen. He performed surgery the next week. He and his staff were very kind and considerate, explained everything clearly, and to date everything has been as predicted. I had no problems contacting him for additional information. He predicts a full recovery and I am quite confident that is what will happen. Others here have indicated a problem with his attitude. That was not my experience, but even if it was, I'd take competence over attitude any day. He probably does not need this positive review. I'm writing it mostly because if you are like me; find yourself in a situation where "doctor shopping" can't happen due to time issues, and look at Yelp after you already have an appointment, just relax He's good. read more

I am a retired surgeon of 39 years at Stanford. I saw Dr. Chen for a torn medial & lateral meniscus in my knee and torn rotator cuff tendons (needed 3 repairs). He recommended surgery but said I could try Physical Therapy first, especially since I didn't like the 6-9 month recovery of the shoulder surgery. Sadly, PT was not very helpful. Surgery was done in February and now 7 months later all is perfect. He did surgery on the knee and shoulder at the same time and after the 3rd night, I could sleep supine and get in and out of bed fairly easily. Knee rehab was easy, back on stationary bike at 6 days posy op. Shoulder -well a much more difficult and lengthy rehab. Glad I had it done by this great surgeon and I'd do it again if needed. Yes, I read other reviews and can only say I liked his no nonsense approach. His staff, Beth & Kirsten and Nurse, are terrific. If you need a lot of hand holding, Dr. Chen may not be the best for you. But if your a regular patient, he's wonderful. read more

I was referred to Dr. Chen by two different friends, each of whom had different surgeries. Both results were excellent. I was having trouble with my knee; it would swell up after playing tennis. Dr. Chen was right on time and predicted that I probably had a meniscus tear. Surgery went smoothly and I recovered quickly - back on the courts in no time. I started raising my game and lo and behold, two years later I tear my rotator cuff. Dr. Chen diagnosed it right away and it was confirmed by MRI. Surgery was right before Christmas and went as smoothly as the last one. I am six weeks out and progressing nicely. I have had four other surgeries in my life so I know a good experience from a bad one. Never in my life have I experienced such genuine care from both the surgeon and his staff. What other surgeon stops by in pre-op to reassure you AND greets you when you wake up! Believe me....you can't go wrong.... read more