This review is for the office, not the doctor or the care. I called 4 times yesterday, busy 3 times, finally got through to voicemail. My message was returned a couple hours later by a hurried receptionist who connected me to another doctors receptionist. As i reached another voicemail box i hung up confused as to why she switched doctors on me. When I called back first thing this morning, the receptionist explained that this office has doctors that specialize in certain joints and that Dr Kao doesn't work on hands. It took quite a lot of effort on my part to find this out. It would be nice if this office was structured a little better for the customer read more

I saw Dr. Kao due to hip impingement. He was patient and guided me through all my options, finally deciding on surgery. He performed my hip femoroplasty and 3 months post-op, I am feeling so much better than before. I'm very thankful to Dr. Kao and his assistant Caroline for their help, not just with the surgery itself, but for also dealing with insurance and answering any questions and concerns I had. read more

In doing some research on hip specialists, Dr Kao came up as one of the more experienced surgeons in the Bay Area (along with Dr Thomas Sampson in San Francisco and Marc Safran at Stanford). I was able to see Dr Kao at the San Jose SOAR office within a week. Front office staff and his assistant, Wendy, were all polite, and I saw Dr Kao within 15 minutes of arrival (!). I found Dr Kao an excellent listener with good bedside manner. I didn't feel his hip-specific diagnostics were on par with the other specialists I visited (in both the specific questions and clinical examination techniques), but he certainly gave me some conservative treatment options and advice, for which I'm grateful. I would later deliberate my options in the parking lot and returned 20 minutes later with follow-up questions, and was pleasantly surprised to be allowed to "re-visit" with Dr Kao with undivided attention (his assistant Wendy led me to an exam room where Dr Kao closed the door and patiently spent another 10 minutes with me). read more

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE CARE - AS GOOD AS IT GETS! -If you want top-notch orthopedic surgery sports medicine care, then see Dr. Kao at SOAR in Redwood City. He expertly diagnosed and operated on my son's elbow (wrestling injury) after the first orthopedist we saw (at a different facility) was unable to determine the cause. Post-op, no elbow pain again! -Dr Kao was a fellow (advanced sports medicine ortho surgery) at the esteemed Kerlan-Jobe clinic in Los Angeles after graduating from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. at the top of his medical school class. He learned the secrets and specialized treatment of pro and college athletes there - L.A. Lakers, Dodgers, USC Trojans, NHL Kings - so you know that you are seeing a doctor that a professional athlete would trust his livelihood with. -One additional tip: I've heard other orthopedic surgeons speak and they hold him in high esteem, so he's the doctor's doctor. Can't be better than that. Disclaimer: I am not a relative of Dr. Kao's, nor am I an employee or co-worker of his, just a grateful and knowledgeable parent of a patient of his. By: NBA (retired player) read more

Just had a scope to correct a impingment in my right hip. Dr. Kao and his team at SOAR are a fantastic group to work with and I am glad I did the research to find an alternative to Sampson and Safron. Dr. Koa is confident in his abilities and doesn't sugarcoat the work he plans on doing and what you can expect. It was nice to feel like I was getting real answers about what to expect post op and in the recovery process. He understands athletes and as a hockey goalie who plans on returning to the ice in 6 months, I have my faith in him. Although every case is different, I was off crutches before my post-op appointment and am progressing faster then expected in PT session. I'm so happy with the surgical team that plan to fix my other hip for the same issue in a few weeks so I can speed up recovery and get back on the ice sooner. When I was researching doctors and my surgery and came across myriad questions that the internet couldn't answer. Please feel free to ping me as I would be glad to give a personal reference for Dr. Kao's work and my experience thus far. read more

My young teen-age daughter has had hip pain for more than a year. And after 5 doctors, 2 X-rays, 2 MRIs including a painful MRI arthrogram with fluoroscopic injection of contrast, none of the doctors were able to confirm a definitive diagnosis. Until finally with a referral to see a "super-star" medical provider outside our HMO, Dr. Kao found a diagnosis. The good work by the previous doctors helped narrow the search for the cause of my daughter's pain. But it was Dr. Kao and his skillful technique of using ultrasound to guide the placement of a deep injection of anesthetic and cortisone into he hip flexor that proved the source of the pain to be hip flexor tendonitis and possible bursitis. My highest praise is for Dr. Kao's intelligent, thoughtful and caring manner. He spent an hour talking to us, explaining the anatomy and the treatment plan. He was patient, caring, thorough, and kind. Beneath his humble and laid-back manner is a brilliant, sagacious healer. He puts the artistry in the art of healing! read more

I'm reviewing Dr. Kao's services not for what he did but for what he actually didn't do. I'll explain myself. I came to him because I had had a hip flexor injury that was not healing well and I suspected it might be a labrum tear. The MRI confirmed the labrum tear and many other injuries. My case was unique in that I had different pains and burning sensations in different parts of my body. Dr. Kao, being an experienced doctor, was very reticent in doing surgery on the labrum because of all the other weird symptoms. He thought it might be something else. After many months, and other doctors pushing me to do surgery because they thought all my symptoms were due the labrum tear, Dr. Kao still was "treading water" about doing any surgery on me. While frustrated, since I was in tremendous pain and became almost an invalid I see what he was doing now and I'm very grateful for it! I was eventually diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia, a B12 deficiency which causes nerve damage and I guess my case had symptoms that were mainly neuromuscular so the other doctors didn't get it. I'm SO GRATEFUL to DR. Kao, for not operating on me. If he did I would be a mess right now!! This story has a happy ending, as I can now move normally, even continue to dance- even with a labrum tear:-) Dr. Kao could have operated on me and just think about the money, but that's not what he did. He obviously knows what he's doing and he's a caring and humble doctor. read more

I was a patient of Dr. Kao before he moved to the SOAR offices. I was referred to Dr. Kao after another "sports med" doc completely mis-diagnosed my broken acromion. Dr Kao did an "open" surgery on me which required hardware in my shoulder. A year later he took some of it out as it was causing discomfort. 11 years later my shoulder still has the screws in it but works as good as can be expected. In hindsight he is one of the best orthos I have been to. I am actually looking to use his services again for a tricep tendon issue. read more

I hate this place. I saw Dr. Kao for a broken foot. First off, he was alright. Sweet guy told me up front what was wrong. But his staff was just unacceptable. I tried to schedule an MRI the day I was seen and they told me I would have to come back ten days later. Ten days! My foot would have healed by then. So I ask if it was ok if I could somewhere else and I got looked at like I committed murder. But I got my MRI somewhere else anyway. And then I receive a call from Wendy, Kaos head nurse. She asked if I could come in this day or that day and I told her the earliest I could see one of their podiatrists was Thursday. Then told me "I guess you don't really care about your health" ARE YOU SERIOUS? of course I freaking care about my health but sorry I can't just drop my responsibilities and come in whenever you want me to. I don't make dr pay ya know. And then she says " the longer you wait they worse it'll get." Uh duh! That's why I didn't wait your ten days to get a freaking MRI and found my own. All I can say Dr Kao you need a new freaking staff! Naturally I finished my diagnosis and healing process somewhere else's read more

Dr Kao is Amazing! (so is the entire S.O.A.R team) Last week Dr Kao repaired a high grade tear in my tendon and a overall shoulder clean up (bone spurs, bursitis, etc...). I've had almost zero pain and only needed the pain meds for about 2 days. I highly recommend Dr. Kao not only does he have a great bedside manner that man is amazing at what he does if I could give him six stars I would! Another note - I wish I knew the first name of my anesthesiologist Dr. Yang that guy was totally amazing... this guy was so cool! I swear he looked like he just graduated high school and as cool as they come. He put me at ease both medically and emotionally (I was pretty nervous going under for the first time) his intelligence and calming demeanor immediately put me at ease that and the Valium also helped LOL Bottom Line - Dr. Kao and his staff are the best. (10/11/13) Update: Shoulder is 100% couldn't be more happy! Make sure you go to PT. *If you're in the San Jose / Los Gatos area go see Kevin at Los Gatos Orthopedic Sports Therapy, Inc. Kev is the man! read more

I have been going to PAMF for many years until recently because I was frustrated with the long wait for appointment and you only get to see the PA most of the time instead of the surgeon. The PA told me my old partial torn PCL is too loose and I would need a PCL reconstructed surgery. He even recommended that I skip MRI because I have done it 10 months ago. Per my wife insistence, I decided to try SOAR medical despite a few negative yelps and found Dr. KAO. It is turning out to be the best decision I've made to seek a second opinion. Dr.Kao quickly ordered an MRI and always took the time to explain all the pro/con options for me in the 3 visits before the surgery. MRI also costs much less than at PAMF. Within 3 weeks, I had the arthroscpic surgery done at SOAR Burlingame Surgery Center, which was another awesome experience because of their professional and caring nurses. Now 2 weeks into rehab at Silver Creek Sport Therapy, another great referral from Dr. KAO. Still hope to get back on the field and doing normal activity soon after a year on and off because of the injury. Once you understand the scheduling process at SOAR, it is much easier than PAMF. They also charge me as in-network patient although my insurance is out of their network. I'm very happy I've picked SOAR and Dr. KAO. read more

Dr Kao recently surgically repaired my shoulder in Dec 2016. He was thorough with his work, and will soon be completely back to "normal". I highly recommend Dr Kao for all of you with troublesome shoulders! read more

Dr Kao and his staff, including Wendy, are awesome. They are competent and professional on all levels. I had severe right hip pain for several years before I finally looked into the cause. I ws referred to Dr Kao by another highly respected ortho doctor (who doesnt actually work on hips) The referring doctor told me that if he had hip issues himself that Dr Kao is the doctor he would see. I saw Dr Kao, he diagnosed the issues that could be seen on the mri, then performed surgery and corrected the known issues. The surgery went as expected. Unfortunately, there were other issues with my hip that were not seen on the mri, which may require hip replacement. I would not hesitate to have Dr Kao perform this major surgery if in his professional opionion, it will solve the remaining issues. read more

I realized that although it's been 4 years since I had the arthroscopic knee surgery by Dr. Kao, I have not submitted a rating and explanation of the outcome. While training for half marathons age 58, my knee became painful and one day it swelled up terribly. After getting the MRI and being referred to Dr. Kao by my local sports doc, I was advised that there was worn cartilage in an uneven way due to bio mechanics and the long distance running mileage. It took me several months to decide, but I went ahead with the surgery to clean up the knee, lateral release, etc. and 2 months later I began to jog. Got back to running races including half marathons (but not too much!). Thanks to Dr. Kao I couldn't ask for more! read more

I came to Kao for a simple ankle fracture, and I did not need a big ticket surgery--I guess that is why I went to the back of the line on service and concern. First, he personally wrapped the ankle in a cast and he told me to walk on it (only 3 days after a terrible twisted/sprain/broken fibula.) Of course when I put pressure on it, it began to swell greatly inside the tight cast--and for the record, this experience was about the worst pain I've ever suffered in a lifetime. I called the Dr's office--but the assistant said, "This is Dr. Kao's surgery day, and he does not return calls." I told her I was in terrible pain with the cast. The next morning an assistant called me and said that the Dr. had ordered him to put another cast on me. . I went back in and assistant wrapped by ankle in an even tighter cast and sent me home. By nightfall, I was bedridden and packing the ankle in ice. I've had 2 children and a broken shoulder in the past and I'm no stranger to pain--but the cast burns and swelling was something on a whole new level of torture. read more