Dr. John Belzer is the best of the best. He performed three orthopedic surgeries on me, from 2004 to 2006. Rotator cuff shoulder surgery, and knee surgery on both knees. I have never had any issues since!! Thanks to the excellent surgical procedures completed by Dr. John Belzer. Ruth D Dawson October 2026 read more

As with so many others here, I am deeply grateful for the good fortune of having Dr. Belzer as my surgeon. I suffered a traumatic injury last summer when I tore my hamstrings from my pelvis. My primary care physician referred me to a local surgeon who, politely but very clearly, declined to perform the surgery, explaining that the repair was more complex than he felt comfortable taking on. When I mentioned that I had a consultation scheduled with Dr. Belzer the following week, his immediate response was, "If you were my wife... I would only have John Belzer do your surgery." It's not just Dr. Belzer's extraordinary skill and reputation that set him apart -- equally his kindness, compassion, and refreshingly measured lack of ego. I am not the easiest patient. I don't tend to accept information at face value, regardless of how accomplished the professional may be. I ask questions, and I need to be fully informed. On top of that, I was deeply traumatized by the impact of my accident on my life for my reasons. Lots of anxiety and even more questions. At every step, Dr. Belzer continues to be patient, respectful, and present. He takes the time to listen, to answer my questions thoroughly, and to reassure me about the healing process. Whether you're facing a traumatic injury repair or an elective procedure I recommend without hesitation Dr. John Belzer (and his team esp. Joshua MA - always incredibly helpful and prompt to respond). You'll already be on a successful path to recovery! Good luck! read more

Feedback for Dr. John P. Belzer, M.D. and His Team I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. John P. Belzer, M.D., for his outstanding care and expertise. He is truly the best orthopedic surgeon in town. My left knee replacement surgery was very successful, and I am extremely grateful for the excellent results. Dr. Belzer's professionalism, skill, and compassion made me feel confident and well cared for throughout the entire process. His office team is equally wonderful -- friendly, supportive, and always ready to help. They also have a great sense of humor, which made every visit a pleasant experience. Thank you, Dr. Belzer and your amazing staff, for your dedication and exceptional patient care. Best regards, Michael Wong read more

I met Dr. Belzer earlier this year after a nasty knee injury that involved tearing the majority of the ligaments in my knee, splitting my mensicus in half, and a few fractures in my femur/tibia plateau. While his reputation definitely proceeds him, Dr. Belzer also came extremely highly recommended from friends and acquaintances. I was so impressed with the urgency that California Pacific Orthopedics operated with in that I secured an initial appointment 2 days after I called (and during his lunch break). Going in I did not know truly know the extent of my injuries and Dr. Belzer took his time going through my MRI and shared each injury and my options for repair (including his recommendations). He was approachable, kind, and made a stressful situation feel much more manageable. We developed a plan that we both felt great about. My surgery was booked for a few weeks later at the Presidio Surgery Center and the entire day went so smoothly! Dr. Belzer and I chatted for awhile day of and quickly remediated a paperwork error. His entire team was so personable and helped soothe my nerves. Nothing felt rushed and I felt prepared (mentally/physically) going into the OR. Post-op it became aware that the injuries were worse than the MRI presented and Dr. Belzer had to make a few decisions while I was under that were aligned with what I was hoping to get out of the surgery. All in all I have been so impressed with him and it is always a pleasure to see him at my check-ups - he seems to always remember something that we spoke about from the time prior and it just shows how much he cares for his patients. read more

Dr. John Belzer is the best!!!!! Five stars isn't enough. I had a serious fall with major injuries. I broke my hip (ouch) and did major damage to my ulna and radius (two bones in the forearm that affect the function of the hand) I came into CPMC as an emergency and I was so incredibly lucky to get Dr. Belzer. He truly cares about his patients well-being. He called in the head of hand surgery at CPMC and tag teamed with him for the surgeries. Dr. Belzer did my hip and Dr. Green did my hand. He did this to get me the absolute best results and reduce my time in surgery. Talk about a caring surgeon with no ego. His surgery on my hip was nothing short of amazing. It was more complicated than a regular hip replacement because I already had a hip replacement on the other hip, 10 years prior by a surgeon in Vail, Colorado. He had to work on matching the size and placement of the old prosthetic (he even matched the incision) in addition to getting my legs to line up properly. The day after surgery, I had to stand up with a walker (designed for an arm cast) and walk. It was amazing, my legs are perfectly even. Also, the surgery was done so well that I was walking without any assistance from a walker, cane, etc. on the 13th day after surgery and he removed all restrictions. My first hip surgery took several months before I could really start exercising, this one took less than 2 weeks and without any pain. I was so despondent when I realized the extent of my injuries, that I wasn't sure I could (or wanted to) go through it again. I am so very grateful for Dr. Belzer, he truly gave me my life back. read more

Dr. Belzer is an exceptional surgeon. He managed my expectations and took a lot of time to explain my injury and what to expect with my surgery and recovery. His bedside manner couldn't be more comforting and reassuring. I'd recommend anyone I care about to see him. My ACL replacement is perfect. He is an extremely detailed and thoughtful surgeon. His entire office staff was a pleasure to deal with. read more

I am four years out from a shattered humerus that Dr. Belzer put back together with a metal plate and nine screws. I was 62 at the time. He advocated taking the hardware out once the bone had healed (3 months later). I was very fortunate to have this talented surgeon. I have full use of my arm, and it is virtually pain-free. read more

Dr Belzer walks in and begins to tell me that there's no cyst and there's nothing wrong with my knee--he had apparently looked at my MRI. Well, he should have read my history a bit closer: I have a herniated bulge on my hamstring behind my knee that sticks up when I hyperextend my leg back. I told him that I never thought the cyst was causing me pain in the first place. I told him I did some research. Of course, I'm going to do research: I'm in the medical field and I have two Masters' Degrees. He said, "I've had 20 years experience, MIT, Harvard, etc" and took what I said as a confrontation to his credentials. He used several analogies that made no sense, such as sunburn and zits, apparently suggesting that we don't see them so they are not harmful. He said there's nothing to do. He told me to do what I can on it and if it hurts, don't run. I asked him if things like this heal then or take time or what? He did not know. He never said that he would look into it or try to talk to others about it. He simply dismissed my pain and what I had to say. I am in my early 30s and have been a triathlete and runner my whole life. I have ran in international races and train very hard. For Dr Belzer to basically blow off my running and to try an elliptical machine is both not patient-centered care nor helping my quality of life. He is an old school thinker who doesn't listen to his patients and essentially doesn't care, or didn't seem to. I'm glad he is in his 50s so other doctors who are trained to treat the individual (and to listen to the whole person) will replace him in the near future. read more

Two thumbs down for Dr. Belzer's office. I read the other reviews and have to admit that I had a completely different experience with Dr. Belzer and his office. The whole experience was really unpleasant. The office was backed up and chaotic and so I waited 1 1/4 hours to see the doctor. When he finally arrived, he had his laptop with him on the table next to me and I caught him eyeing it - it was his schedule. Based on these other reviews, I must have really caught him and the office on an off day because his manner was brusque and hurried. He diagnosed, gave me a 20 second lowdown on next steps and hurriedly left the exam room for his next late appointment. The delay in the office he described was because he is the pilot and the plane was delayed. For the money, I'm expecting a Gulf Stream and he's flying a single engine Cessna. I don't know about Dr. Belzer, but when I'm in the airport and hear that over the loud speaker, I cringe in utter frustration as much as I did when I heard him say that I had to call my Primary doctor to get the skinny on what the diagnosis meant because Dr. Belzer was so hurried. read more

After more PT in the fall to bump up my readiness for downhill skiing, I returned to the slopes recently and my knee with the reconstructed ACL performed admirably. In fact, the limiting factor on the first day was sore shins due to stiff ski boots and quad fatigue; I experienced no knee pain. I'm more and more confident in the capability of my knee with many thanks to Dr Belzer and his team! read more

I was referred to Dr. Belzer from my main physician to look at a 6-month old broken elbow (radial head fractures) that may have not healed correctly (it kind of "clicks" when I rotate it around). The appointment was at 12:30 and I showed up around 12:20 where I was given some paperwork to fill out by what a previous reviewer calls "stereotypically ghetto-girly" receptionist. I'm not sure what that means but I did note that one of the receptionist had a visible chest tattoo - not a very attractive one at that and something uncommon for a medical receptionist - but regardless I found them both quite hospitable and efficient at doing their jobs. One of the receptionist announced that the doctor was running about thirty minutes late - which is understandable and happens to us all, so I sat down to do my paperwork, play on my phone, and worry about all the work have to do back at the office. About an hour later I was taken into one of the patient rooms where I was told the doctor would be in shortly (The rooms all feature automated infrared paper towel dispensers and appear quite clean - I could hear the automatic dispensers going off in the adjacent rooms and guess they're all set up the same) . About thirty minutes later and after reading all the Yelp reviews of the good doc he finally showed. With no apologies for the delay, the whole examination took five minutes and I was out the door. The whole process echoes what most the other reviewers say: - He's irrefutably intelligent, polite, and good at what he does. - While I wouldn't consider his manner as brusque, he was matter of fact and direct about his diagnoses - hovering for only a few moments to answer any questions before moving on to his next appointment [This is the second recorded Yelp review where he was an hour and a half late so this may be circumstantial]. - In my case, after testing my elbow's range of motion he explained that it was in pretty good shape - that when things break they never heal back as good as they once were (showing me his thumbs to prove it). He said the clicks were either tiny fragments of bone, or or slight crack that didn't heal level. He said there could be three things done: 1) He could operate to remove the bone fragments - that would involve making an even bigger hole than the fragments to get them out and some healing time - he recommended against it. 2) Physical therapy to possibly smooth things out which probably wouldn't help too much besides, I'm already doing that with all the physical activity I listed (his words). 3) Medication, which would ease any pain but not doing anything (it's not really painful). At this point (the hovering for questions) I inquired if I could get an (updated) x-ray since I was still here, to make sure it things had healed okay. His polite and direct response was "Why irradiate yourself?" and offered to examine the previous x-ray (taken right after the time of the accident in the emergency room). I didn't have those on hand, but also pondered how this would show anything about the healing progress. Which leads me to also ponder - did I not get an xray because he was so sure of his diagnoses or was he just in a hurry? Would a quick xray really hurt the situation in any way besides taking some of his time (of which my insurance is already paying for)? I stood around for five minutes after he had left to think about whether I should push for an xray or not. At that time one of the receptionist came in and asked if I had been seen. I said yes and inquired about the possibility of an xray. She replied, certainly, but the xray technician just left and will be back in about an hour. I looked at my watch, thanked her, and headed out. read more

Dr B was ok. He gave me minimum time on diagnosis and a quick fix for my shoulder. Be prepared, if you aren't a higher priority patient, you get moved on. I give the receptionist 4 stars for appearance and cleavage. read more

I have had ACL issues with my left knee since childhood. That means I am very, very familiar with Orthopedic surgeons and have seen my share of them (and had my share of bad experiences). Dr. Belzer is the best of the best and someone I have a great deal of respect for. Not only a brilliant doctor, but has excellent bedside manner, never rushes you really takes plenty of time to answer any questions. He fixed my left ACL and my wife's meniscal injury as well. I have seen him for followup for a shoulder injury as well. So trust me, I know him well and can't say enough about what a great doctor he is! As long as I'm in or near SF, I won't bother with any other Ortho docs, Dr. Belzer is the best! read more

I've seen Dr. Belzer for both a fractured tibial (sp?) plateau (knee), and a broken elbow. Both of which were no fun, but at least I was in very good hands with Dr. Belzer. I would recommend him without reservation. Regarding some of the other reviewers who cite his schedule as busy, or his bedside manner as hurried -- I can't fault him at all. He may be busy (as one of the best ortho's in the Bay Area), but he cares about seeing that his patients get the BEST care and fullest recovery possible. I have to also put in a five-star rating for Joan, his assistant. She's friendly, action oriented, and just all around great. PS: I would never recommend the Brown and Toland doctor's network! They don't pay doctors or physical therapists per visit. They only pay them in one large chunk for the first visit. Therefore docs and PT's are incentivized to see you less frequently. This is BAD if you need more than 6 visits of physical therapy, which has been the case for my shattered elbow. PSS: PPO's are worth the money I'm finding. PPO 2010 open enrollment here I come! read more

I saw Dr. Belzer for my elbow. Since he was available the soonest in the office I went to see him. Only after making the appointment did I read all the negative reviews on here and wasn't quite sure what to expect. I can only say that the wait was maybe 20 minutes and Dr. Belzer was very friendly, thorough, didn't rush, listened and explained what was going on and could be done with my tennis elbow. Some things just aren't a quick fix but I feel I got an expert opinion and treatment plan and am definitely thankful for that cortisone shot. read more

I had an appointment to see Dr Belzer. After waiting for 1h 15m I decided to cancel my appointment and leave. The arrogance of a man that would make someone wait that long is beyond me. He may or may not be a good surgeon, but he won't be performing surgery on me ever. I will find someone that respects others more. read more

I have only positive things to say about this doctor and his staff. I was able to complete all of my office visits in the San Rafael office although surgery took place in SF. Always pleasant to deal with and went out of his way to explain my procedure with visual aids ie: MRI etc. Would highly recommend him. read more

I went to see Dr Belzer for a second opinion on my shoulder. I was prepared with a DVD of the MRI that was done for the first dr I had seen (who had recommended orthoscopy). I was first seen by his PA who did a rapid history and cursory exam. She was unaware that I had had an x-ray with the previous dr and I gave her the DVD of the MRI. A few minutes later Dr Belzer comes in. He barely examines me before launching into some story about his son's sore throat and how his son "just wants his throat cut out". He then went into the facts that I am middle aged, with less hair etc and that I am not 18 anymore so I am going to have "wear and tear" but that doesn't mean that I should "cut my shoulder out". Then he got his first phone call which he answered in the exam room before stepping out. When he returned he mumbled something about the call being about a serious case. When he returned he continued to talk to me and my girlfriend in a completely arrogant and condescending way...basically telling me that I was complaining for nothing and that I was wasting his time. It was in the middle of this screed that he received his second phone call, which he listened to for a moment then held the phone out to me so that I could listen to the message from his son's school that said they were sending his son home because he was sick. Dr Belzer acted as though this message justified his opinion about my shoulder. It was then that my girlfriend asked about the MRI results and handed him the DVD that had supposedly uploaded by the PA. The DVD had a printout of the radiologists report that Dr Belzer glanced at, and then continued to tell me that all of this showed normal wear and tear and that "they would find the same results on my other shoulder if they MRIed that". It was clear he never even looked at the actual MRI before coming into see me, nor did he look at it with us in the exam room, instead it was abundantly clear that this arrogant, distracted and condescending jerk had made up his mind about a diagnosis before he ever set foot in the room. He even went so far as to tell us that we shouldn't question "our Doctor" because he has so much experience (none of which was ever exhibited to us). To me it appeared that his 25 years of experience were primarily in perfecting his condescending arrogance as well as figuring out ways to torture bad analogies to justify his inflated opinion of himself. The best thing that came out of this visit is that I found one surgeon that I will never let near me to operate because he would be too bored or distracted to do a decent job. The man is a class-a jerk who belittles his patients and pre-decides diagnosis's without any kind of diagnostic evidence. I pity his son, family, staff and patients who are forced to endure this a**hole for longer than the few moments I had to meet with him. Too bad Yelp does not support negative stars. read more

I about 3 weeks out from surgery to repair my knee... really really nasty torn meniscus... I went to Dr. Belzer per a recommendation from another surgeon and he was great. He had an MRI done of my knee and was really detailed in describing the pros and cons of surgery. Definitely did not rush me into anything and I felt like I was being completely involved in the decision-making process. The MRI was somewhat inconclusive and the surgery ended up taking almost twice as long because there was a hidden tear all along the edge of the meniscus... so still on crutches... but Dr. B took me through a detailed step-by-step of what he had to do in my knee and the decisions he made re: repair or removal of the torn bit of meniscus... suffice it to say, I'm very very happy to recommend him. And a big shout-out to his assistant Joan who's really great. read more

Dr. Belzer is an extremely qualified and professional surgeon. He explained my procedure( ACL replacement, meniscus repair in 2 places and MCL tear) thoroughly with drawings and a model. He managed my expectations extremely well and did not sugar coat the extent of my recovery. He had a great bedside manner and his PA and all the nurses that helped me at the surgical center were all excellent and made me feel very relaxed. I would recommend him to anyone. He has excellent qualifications and is well respected by his peers. I did extensive research and everyone I spoke with recommended him highly. I would usually not write a review however when I came across some bad reviews I wanted to give him the credit and appreciation he is due. When another surgeon that no longer performs this surgery said he would have him do his daughters surgery I was sold. Thank you Dr. Belzer for all your conscientious and thoughtful care. read more

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Had shoulder surgery and by next day went to work. Hardly any pain so did not need any medication. Highly recommended. Reuven I read more

Dr. Belzer did a great surgery on a badly broken arm. X-rays post surgery were perfect.I enthusiastically recommend him for shoulder/arm problems. David C, San Francisco read more

Following Total Joint Arthroplasty with Dr. John P. Belzer The post-op was nothing short of enlightening. Before and after x-rays were a revelation. Before was a picture of a messed-up, very tired looking shoulder joint. Both ball and socket were asymmetrical, the ball hung loose, most of it was out of the socket, there was very little cartilage to be seen anywhere, old bone had been eaten away, and new bone growth was in all the wrong places. Post-op x-rays showed a clean, symmetrical ball in a clean, symmetrical socket with a clean looking cushion of whatever material Dr. Belzer had used to replace the worn out cartilage. One thing seemed clear to me as I stared at the x-rays of the new shoulder--John P. Belzer is not only a physician, he is an artist. On his discharge instructions Dr. Belzer gives the usual list of warning signs, wound care, etc. His last instruction is "Enjoy your new shoulder replacement!" I think that you would have to be a very special kind of grouch not to. read more

Disappointing, after being referred to Dr Belzer by PA for grandsons repeated ankle injuries, he wasn't available soon, & then deferred for his vacation. finally, he had nothing to say but enjoyed his own voice saying it..& found out that Donato was the one for ankles, really ? Anyone on same page over there? After great care by Dr Luke at UCSF, this was a disappointing visit with a lot of blah, blah... BUT would like to commend Maggie who is an upfront receptionist, who I listened to and heard her quietly ( unusual for young people dealing with older people ) tell an older man who had traveled from a seniors home in Marin that his insurance would not cover visit, and he had been informed wrongly...Her kind & respectful way made the situation so much better than it could have been with an impersonal person...and he left understanding & not angry...great up front staff in a busy office but she was outstanding that day... But there are some great doctors in this group & I would recommend to anyone & I do, especially Dr Mayle for knee or hip surgery...I am dancing again.. read more

I saw Dr. Belzer for my knee. He is very professional. He took the time to listen to my situation and explained what my options were. His staff was always helpful and kind. They ensured I had a smooth prep, surgery and follow-up. I am so glad I chose Dr. Belzer and would highly recommend him without hesitation. read more

I am 50 year old male, runner, excellent general health, and I incurred a meniscus tear in my knee cartilage. This is a very common injury, and generally it is readily repaired through arthroscopic surgery on an out-patient basis. I believe I do an excellent job in following patient instructions and generally ensuring a good outcome. I write this now, a year after the surgery, so that I could write when I was certain of the outcome: also, I am writing it now so as to provide greater emotional distance. Here is the sum of my experience and estimations regarding Belzer: 1. He was clearly completely wrong in his diagnosis, which he eventually admitted once confronted with the xrays I insisted on getting due to my trust in my knowledge of my own body over the 20 second examination I was given by Belzer. 2. I agreed to do the procedure with Belzer based upon his experience and my understanding that this is, essentially, a simple operation. Bad idea. He left my knee lumpy and painful at the point of incision. 3. This is the most important part: the knee did not come out well. He said I'd be able to run on it in a week. Instead, for months it hurt significantly and had limited flexibility and some very sharp pain. Belzer was beyond useless in follow-up, interested more in CYA than helping. Here we are, over a year later, and while I can run on it now, it doesn't feel right, it hurts sometimes, and it does not feel like it used to. This is most definitely NOT the outcome I was promised. Based upon my review of this injury, it is not the outcome I should have received. I recommend you do not use Belzer. read more

As some others have said this place is just a factory. Dr. Belzar only wants to get you in and out ASAP. He has little respect for patients and does not want to spend any extra time answering questions or describing his thought process. read more

Dr Belzer? How about Dr. I diagnosis before opening the door, sir? He completely dismissed me and my symptoms and basically brushed me off with a minimal exam. That was after waiting for him a total of 57 minutes! The resident (and annoited Dr at UCSF) did a far more thorough exam and more comprehensive study. I think all teh good press has gone to his head and he is happy to make generalizations 'over-use, just stop training' and near mysogynist comments' once your kids are older you won't have knee problems'. if you want to waste time, money and of course risk your health this is the dr for you! read more

This place is nothing but a factory. Get you in and out in as little time as possible. They don't listen and I don't think that I got what I needed because of that. read more

Two thumbs up for Dr. Belzer. I busted my knee rollerblading and initially went to an orthopedic surgeon at St. Marys and she prescribed building up the muscles around the knee to help support the knee. She never really gave me the prognosis, so I continued running, snow boarding, and generally doing activites that required popping pain pills to get through. Fast forward 1 year, no progress and I'm still popping pills to do the things I love to do. I sent my MRI to my cousin, a sports medicine doctor in Dallas, to get his diagnosis. He concluded that at my age surgery was the only option and that I had an osteochondal defect. Great news(kinda), but now I would have to find a doc in SF to do the surgery. I found Dr. Belzer on my HMO/PPOs website and decided to give him a try. I told him about the injury, but not about the previous doctor or my cousin's diagnosis. Dr. Belzer passed the test and after reviewing my MRI came to the same conclusion - osteochondal defect. Woot! Dr. Belzer is a informative, thorough, and knowledgeable. The surgery went well and I'm all better. read more

Great job performing arthroscopic surgery on my AC joint and torn labrum. I had surgery on 5/6 and was back in the gym at 80% weight lifting on 5/14. No physical therapy, only on painkillers for a few days. My one complaint is that he gets backed up sometimes and you can get caught waiting forever to see him. It would be good if his staff would call and let you know he's running behind and either reschedule or at least give you a heads up so you aren't in the waiting room for an hour and 45 minutes. But other than that, no complaints. Nice guy, great surgeon. read more

Dr Belzer is a wonderful surgeon and thus is a busy man, but explains things clearly and compassionately. He repaired torn meniscus in both knees and thanks to him and his team I'm still surfing into my 60's. Most folks with good results do not take the time to post reviews but after coming across some bad reviews I wanted to give the man his due. I would rather see a busy surgeon that is running late than one who has all the time in a day. read more

Dr. Belzer is the BEST! When I was diagnosed earlier this year, he made it very clear what was happening with my rotator cuff, and why surgery was necessary. There was no doubt about it, as I saw it with my own eyes. The day of the surgery, he explained every detail about what he was going to do, and how it was possible that it might not correct every malfunction affecting my shoulder. He is brutally honest, but also compassionate, and really seems to care. After the surgery, I felt so much better, immediately! Doc probably doesn't want to hear this, but the afternoon following AM surgery, I walked to the deli for a sandwich. I felt that good. The two times I called him Post-surgery for guidance on issues, he returned my calls, and gave me advice on the issues at hand. He was in no hurry, and made sure I understood every aspect of the issues I called about. Dr. Belzer can also be playful. He pulled a pen out of my pocket, and told me that was my weight limit for the affected arm, for 2 more months. If you want more, wear a heavier pen. I was amused by this - but obeyed his weight limit. 0.3 OZ isn't much. It is now 5 months since my surgery, I feel great, and I'm getting stronger than ever, thanks to my therapist, who also deserves 5 stars. As an aside, my son WANTED surgery to correct an orthopedic problem, and was taken to Dr. Belzer. Dr. Belzer said it wasn't needed, and sent him to Physical Therapy. How else do you describe the BEST? read more

We have been under the care of Dr Belzer over the last 8 years. First, my son had a terrible trampoline accident; my son fell lying down on his back when an older boy jumped and landed on his knee hyper-extending and ripping his acl at age 8. Dr Belzer was fantastic and helped us through some very difficult years getting my son back to being able to play sports again. And recently, I had a bad fall hiking and severly sprained my shoulder. Dr Belzer took the conservative approach first and put me in therapy and asked me to be patient in trying to get my mobility back. With major effort in rehab I just could not get back beyond 20-30% mobility. Dr Belzer treated me with a 10 minute outpatient surgery and upon waking, I was at 95% mobility. Wow! read more

great. i met with him for a torn rotator cuff. verified by the pain, the PT and the radiologist. after about 10 minutes, dr belzer comments that while the torn cuff is indeed slightly torn, it is probably not the problem. after another 15 minutes, we determined that AC joint deterioration is probably the problem. he gave me cortisone to pinpoint the issue. we'll see what happens in 6 weeks. but, i was incredibly impressed with his diagnosis and the time he spent with me. note: i'm not a 20 year old pro athlete, rather a 41 year old former athlete. i felt he treated me with respect and importance. hopefully i don't need to determine if he's a great surgeon. read more

I've seen Dr. Belzer 3 times over the past 5 years and while I've never needed surgery -- just physical therapy -- in my experience he's one of the best doctors who's treated me -- in any specialty. He's always been courteous, professional, and has taken the time to explain to me what he's seen in the MRIs of my knee, and then explain what my options are. I've always found him knowledgeable and kind -- even charming. read more

Dr. Belzer performed ACL reconstruction surgery and meniscus repair on me after I blew out my knee playing soccer. I was quite happy having him as a surgeon, and would recommend him to friends in a heartbeat. With playing sports being such an important part of my life, I decided I'd spend the time and money needed to research the best knee surgeons in the Bay Area. Dr. Belzer came out near the top of my list, with recommendations from several other doctors as well as the director of my company's group insurance plan. His impressive resume showed a vast amount of clinical experience (important to me, instead of just research credentials), experience with all different types of ACL knee reconstruction procedures (patella, hamstring, various cadaver grafts, various fixation methods), and experience operating on quite a few pro and Olympic athletes. I figure pro teams probably hire the best and most motivated doctors. Dr. Belzer was running a bit behind in our initial meeting and was in a hurry to get to the next patient, but I expected that. I appreciated that he took the time to look at my MRI, and that he noticed a few things that other surgeons missed. One was when measuring my patella tendon - often the patella tendon can be too long, but he noticed that mine bordered on being too short. He also noticed a bone contusion that the radiologist missed. He told me to feel free to send him questions after our meeting, which I did; and he answered all of them to my satisfaction before our appointed surgery day. One interesting thing that Dr. Belzer pointed out to me was that for someone with legs as large as mine, there might be some risk that the cross sectional area of my hamstring might cause the graft to not be quite as strong as we would like. We decided that we'd go with a anterior tibialus cadaver graft, but that depending on the graft itself, he might also combine it with some of my own hamstring tissue. In the end, this is what he did, and I now have a very strong hybrid graft that I am quite happy with. I'm glad to have had a surgeon who is intelligent, flexible, and familiar with a wide range of techniques. I agree with other opinions that he is one of the best. read more

Dr. Belzer is a wonderful surgeon. He took time to explain exactly what my situation and options were. After 2 years, I finally did the surgery badly needed for my elbow. That was 10 weeks ago and I am fully healed and happy I went forward with it. He has an awesome staff, particularly Tamira, (his medical assistant) who knows the ins and outs of insurance and all the logistics and his Physician Assistant, Anoosh, who is knowledgeable and kind! The staff at the Presidio Surgery Center were also super efficient and engaging. I highly recommend Dr. Belzer without hesitation. read more

Dr. Belzer repaired both of my daughter's knees -- the very best ever!!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Dr. Belzer. He completed an ACL revision surgery on my knee about a week ago, using an all-inside technique. From my very first visit with him, he was patient and kind, taking an insanely long time to explain to me what had gone wrong with my first ACL reconstruction (with another doctor years prior) and the different ways he could fix the problems, depending on exactly what he found once inside my knee. He even called me by phone the night of my first appointment to continue answering my questions. Dr. Belzer also called me to check in after my surgery even though my post-op appointment was only another day away. The doctor on-call also helped me with a new prescription the day after my surgery when the initially-prescribed painkillers were making me very nauseous. Though the office is busy and can require some waiting, reviews that describe his practice as a "factory" could not be more opposite my experience. I received a refreshing level of personalized care from every person in the office, including medical assistant Rachel, who could not have been more kind, helpful, and patient, and radiologic tech Ray. I hope to write a follow-up to this review once I have healed completely, but I can say I am confident in where I will be this time next year because of Dr. Belzer's experience, meticulousness, and professionalism. read more