I'm extremely happy for doing my research and find Dr. Hunt. I had a lower back pain radiating down my left leg. I was barely walking for weeks. I called Dr. Hunt's office and made an appointment. The ladies working at the office are genuinely incredible, helpful and respectful. They will literally walk you through step by step. Dr. Hunt's office is incredibly clean and wait time is very limited. I have never waited more than 15 minutes to get called in. Dr. Hunt is truly a gem. He is very knowledgeable and truly cares about his patients. His personality is one of a kind. He explains everything clearly and makes sure your questions are answered. You will walk out of his office feeling very confident. My surgery was in December of 2024. After my surgery, I stood up and walked pain free. Dr. Hunt does some incredible work. I will always be grateful for him. Thank you Dr. Hunt!!! read more

Dr. Hunt "botched" my first surgery which I had removed and replaced by a different and more skilled surgeon. I'm now pain free. Please do in-depth research before you select your doctor. My second doctor has almost 100 reviews and a perfect score of 5.0 stars. read more

We just saw Dr. Hunt for some cervical spine issues and was prepared to discuss surgical options. He was so kind, attentive, warm and patient with us, and full of thoughtful guidance. He quickly steered us away from surgery and advised us how to move forward with more Pilates and exercise. We can't thank him enough for his amazing demeanor and kindness. If we ever need a spine doc again, he'll absolutely be the very first we will visit. Well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive from the desert to see him in LA! read more

Dr. Hunt was nice and attentive initially during the consultation and on the day of surgery. After that, my encounters with him and his staff were very disheartening. They seemed annoyed, short, and less responsive. My follow ups in office felt pretty strange and no matter how nice I was, he barely cracked a smile and he seemed pretty annoyed to even be seeing me. It was a complete 180. I was even kept waiting in the lobby over 45 min before they brought me back and another 15+ min in a stuffy room. His assistant (older AA woman) barely looked at me and was completely disengaged. Whenever I called and asked to speak to a specific staff member (Raquel), I would get practically reprimanded and told " I don't deal with that and my job is scheduling his surgeries" WOW... NO COMAPASSION, NO EMPATHY, NO HUMANITY, NO BASIC CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS. I would have appreciated a kinder experience and there are much nicer ways to say... Absolutely, let me to connect you with my colleague that can assist you with that. I would absolutely not recommend him, unless you enjoy being made to feel SMALL AND LIKE SHIT for absolutely no reason.. read more

This review is about six years tardy... but maybe that also testifies to the enduring quality of Dr Hunt's work. He operated on my neck six years ago, leaving me pain free. He was kind, generous, returning calls promptly and answering all my questions. I was terrified about the surgery, but he made it clear that I had all the time I needed to make my decision to operate, and his good humor, clarity and empathy were key in my decision to go forward. I am very grateful to him for those qualities, as well to him for freeing me from terrible pain! read more

Dr. L. Hunt will put you at ease. He doesn't talk over you and explains with simplicity what will happen prior and what to expect afterwards. His favorite word when you have post surgery issues, is "patience" lol He'll reiterate what happened during surgery and why you are feeling the way you are and it all makes sense. Very knowledgable and very cool Doc! read more

I rarely write reviews but this time I absolutely had to because Dr. Hunt is everything a doctor should be in my opinion. I honestly think that was one of the best medical experiences I have ever had. His entire staff was incredibly friendly and courteous and that was simply icing on the cake because Dr. Hunt is truly wonderful too!! I can't remember the last time I went to a doctor who didn't try to push pills on me or cut me open. How refreshing to have someone who is as talented of a surgeon as he is, not try to push surgery on me. If I could see him for everything I would in a heartbeat. I HIGHLY recommend him 100%!!!! read more

Dr. LEONEL HUNT is kind and humorous, he puts me at ease every time I see him. He is also the best surgeon. He will not do more than is necessary. In other words, he doesn't promote cutting if there is an alternative. He truly cares about his patients. I had surgery a few years and it wea the best thing I could have done. Don't live with pain!!!!!! read more

Dr. Hunt is just amazing. His bedside manner is easy going, yet professional. Takes his time explaining the issue so it makes sense. I just feel I'm in the best hands here. Highly recommended! A+ read more

I was referred to Dr Hunt by a neighbor after having debilitating pain down my right leg. I've had degenerative discs my whole life, so back pain isn't new to me but this incredible pain was ruining my life. I saw 4 different surgeons, all highly respected. One who actually teaches at UCLA, and another who has operated on marquee athletes. 4 docs, 4 different diagnoses. All but Dr. Hunt recommended surgery. Dr Hunt was warm, kind, accommodating from the first moment I met him. And for a surgeon, I was surprised that he said, let's see if we can relieve your pain by injections first before jumping into any operation. You have to love that. He thought it was an SI joint issue. He referred me to Dr Berkeley who is the only person he trusted to perform the injection properly, and Dr Berkeley was amazing (separate review on him). The pain was alleviated for months, and if it returns I will go back to Dr. Hunt (and to Dr Berkeley) in an instant. Do yourself a favor....get multiple opinions before agreeing to go under the knife, and be sure that Dr Hunt is one of those opinions. read more

Operation 11/20/2019 CERVICAL DECOMPRESSION AND FUSION 100% relieved of all pain and numbness from cervical pinched nerve in my neck literally a pain in the neck. Dr Hunt and his staff are top of the game ALL STARS from front to back. I highly recommend Dr Hunt for spine and neck issues. I was In Severe pain for a year tried everything under the sun and got the run around from other Doctors in the same office. He knew my problem, how to fix it and wanted to help me get back to a normal pain free life. Dr Leonel Hunt took my pain away just as he said he would. read more

On the one year anniversary of my spinal reconstruction I have nothing but praise for Dr. L Hunt for making my life bearable again. I had severe scoliosis since it was diagnosed at 15 and now 54 years later, my spine was a mess.I traveled from Nevada after seeing many specialists where I live. The minute I met him I knew it was time to have surgery and get my life back. After my hospital stay of 4 days he advised me to go to rehab. I was very hesitant to go but after 12 days I was able to back to my home. Thank you for your expertise and for making me straight again. read more

I became paralyzed after dealing with back pain that had been worsening for months. On 8-7-19 I woke up to a significant reduction of the pain in the middle of my back, which was a wonderful surprise; I thought that the structural imbalances in my hips/rib cage/shoulders were causing the pain in my back, and I had been working to fix these imbalances (stretching, yoga, massage, chiropractic) for a few years. So I thought that I had finally turned a corner as the pain in the middle of my back was suddenly almost gone. My feet felt a little bit like they had fallen asleep (pins and needles feeling), but it was much better than the back pain I was used to waking up with. By late afternoon, the pins and needles turned into numbness, and it was no longer just my feet, the paralysis had begun. After a stressful evening of tests and MRI, I met Dr. Leonel Hunt. He introduced himself as the boss of the interns who had been dealing with me, and told me he was going to operate on my back. Still determined to avoid back surgery, I asked him if there wasn't another option, to which he replied "Not if you want to walk again!" The next morning, they told me they discovered infection in the bones they removed, and I had an echocardiogram, which revealed a serious heart condition. I stayed at Cedars Sinai and one week later I had open heart surgery. So this spine surgery actually saved my life, too; a massive aortic aneurysm would have ruptured at any time, had I not become paralyzed first. It was like a race between my heart and my spine, and thank God my spine gave out first. Anyway, I have a fusion, T3 through T9, and there is a grip of metal in my back. It has been 25 and a half months since the brothers Hunt worked their magic, and not only do I have ZERO pain or discomfort, but I am realizing more and more feeling returning each day; I can feel and activate muscles deep in my back and hips and abdomen and shoulders that I've never been able to activate before in my life. This is an absolute miracle for a weightlifter/bodybuilder who was trying for years to fix his lateral pelvic tilt. The spinal fusion is the best thing that ever happened to my structural imbalances! Thank you so much Drs. Hunt!!! Leonel is the one who I've had the most interaction with, and I've always felt like a top priority to him. AWESOME HUMAN BEINGS!! I cannot say enough good about Hunt Spine. If you have a back problem, don't go to anyone else. read more

I came here after ongoing pain and a lower back xray which showed some issues. The office staff was extremely nice and helpful. However, when Dr Hunt came in he was very dismissive of my concerns and said there is nothing he can do for me and I need to go to physical therapy and do the work myself. He didn't even give me a full opportunity to explain my symptoms or really show any concern for me as a patient. Again, he felt very dismissive of me. He just didn't care enough or know enough to help me. After 1 visit to physical therapy, and more unbearable pain, I decided to get a second opinion at a totally different medical facility with another MD. Now, after 2 MRIs and a CT scan, it turns out that I do, in fact, have pars fractures and bone spurs in 2 locations, something that can only be corrected with surgery, and my issues is sever enough to require surgery. I would have more respect for the man if he showed some concern and at least recommended I get an opinion from someone else, but he could care less. Also, it appears there were things in my cedars chart from this visit that were not true or accurate which I saw on mycslink after my visit. Maybe some people love him, but he was careless with me as a patient. I left unimpressed and frustrated. Most doctors care, not my experience at all. I would not recommend him to anyone. 2 stars instead of 1 is because of his office staff only. read more

dr hunt is the worst doctor I have ever seen at cedars. I have been experiencing extreme lower back pain and nerve issues, which have ruined my mobility for the past few months and was recommended him through a friend. Once I was able to book an appointment, which was a month and a half from when I actually made the call, I was seen by his nurse and assistant who both seemed like they were concerned with the issues I had going on. Once dr hunt came in, he didn't introduce himself, didn't discuss any of my problems or concerns with me, nor did he show any compassion or care for my issues. His only comment was that I was too young to be experiencing lower back pain. It seemed like he was too busy or didn't care enough to want to order any type of imaging of my spine to see if I had any type of disc issues, or stenosis. He literally told me to hang tight for a minute, and came back with a prescription for physical therapy, said to "bring it to them, they'll know what to do with it, and sent me on my way". I called after a few pt sessions because my back problems were not getting any better, and I was experiencing even worse pain than before, explaining that it was stupid of them to not order imaging for my back and that he should call me back to discuss this right away. I never got a call back, but I received this letter. Just to be clear-STAY AWAY FROM DR HUNTS OFFICE. They do not care or have compassion for whatever issues you are going through and are simply there to collect your money. read more

Leonel Hunt, MD - Orthopedists Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Dr. Leonel Hunt is not only a highly knowledgable and astute physician, he is also accesible and responsive, highly desirable qualities not every doctor posseses. Moreover he really listens, so as his patient you feel truly key in his diagnosis. I have seen him several times over the last few years and cannot recommend him highly enough. read more

How do you rate someone who really saved your life. When other people look at my x-rays they all ask me the same thing, "How is it your still alive?" The answer is always the same. Dr. Hunt at Cedars. When other doctors told me that I would not survive the operation Dr. Hunt look at my MRI and said, "We do these operations all the time." He was forward, knowledgeable, skilled and made you feel safe in his hands. Its been a long road back to recovery, but it beats the alternative, and thanks to Dr. Hunt, I got to see my grandson. Jerry read more

dr hunt is a excellent caring doctor. very professional. very caring. would not trade him for anything .

Today my husband had major back surgery. We were both anxious and scared and neither of us slept last night. We have been working with Dr. Hunt for a little over a month - and he is incredible. I can't recommend him enough. He is kind and energetic, understanding, patient, and extremely easy to work with. He diagnosed my husband's ruptured disk and bulging disk with extreme accuracy and diligence. He recommended the perfect surgery to fix my husband's pain. The team working with him was top notch as well. Everything part of the procedure was timely and the surgery went smoothly. And talk about customer service! I got multiple calls from the team at Cedars updating me on my husband's surgery throughout the morning. Dr. Hunt even called me directly when the surgery was complete to let me know that it had been successful. We never had trouble with scheduling or time constraints - in fact, they told us we could stay in the recovery room as long as we wanted! Dr. Hunt spent a half an hour after the surgery to answer all of my questions. His bedside manner is impeccable...and that's not an easy thing to find. I could go on and on...but go see him yourself! read more

I lived with excruciating pain in my back for over 10 months because I was afraid of anyone touching my spine. I saw Dr Hunt in February 2021. Dr Hunt is professional and easy to talk with, he fully explained to me, in terms that I could understand, what was going on with my spine and back and what could be done to alleviate the pain. I left Dr Hunt's office with a feeling of being in good hands as he truly cared about ME. Dr Hunt promptly returned my phone calls to answer additional questions I had. Dr Hunt's staff is caring, excellent at communication and follow up. (I did get the opinion of 2 other doctors) In July 2021 I made a decision to have Dr Hunt perform my surgery because I felt I felt confident that My surgery would be performed by truly caring, knowledgeable, professional hands. It's been 6 months since my surgery and I feel great, My scar is small and fading rapidly. I want to thank Dr Hunt as well as his staff. Thank You Dr Leonel Hunt read more

I have a transitional vertebrae with spina bifida occulta, anterior wedging of L4 and L5 and scoliosis. This doctor was extremely dismissive. He said these issues would cause me zero problems, and made a zero gesture with his hand. I know I'm probably not a candidate for a money making operation which I can tell is all this doctor cares about but some sound advice from a medical expert would have been nice. This man has zero expert knowledge. Because you can easily find lots of credible medical literature that identifies these issues as factors for low back pain, overactive bladder and numerous other problems. I also had to pay this jerk 150$ out of pocket for his poor advice. read more

Dr. Hunt is my miracle life saver. I was at my wits end when I was referred to him and I couldn't see how I was going to make it. After my appointment I left feeling confident and could see hope in the picture. His staff were kind, efficient and accommodating to prepare for my surgery. Dr. Hunt and his assisting surgeons, anesthesiologist and assistants were outstanding in taking care of me. They made it happen. The surgery was successful and when I woke up, I was not in any pain and it's only gotten better. Dr. Hunt is excellent and his knowledge, skills, background and education are top notch, and he comes from a family of skilled physicians. He has a great bedside manner and he knows his stuff. I thank Dr. Hunt with all my heart for giving me my Life back with purpose, clarity and quality. Dr. Hunt is my Angel and I am grateful to him for life. He's trustworthy and just an overall great person. read more

I saw Dr Hunt twice just so he can send me to another doctor who can actually do the spinal work I expected Dr Hunt to do, only to find out that Dr. Hunt didn't even create the most basic notes from two visits to allow for insurance to approve the other doctor, so now I have to schedule initial consultation with another doctor entirely to re-do what Dr. Hunt was unable to: literally write down on paper that a procedure which I had previously reduced my pain. That one sentence was all they needed and in two visits this doctor was unable to produce that. read more

Dr Hunt is extremely rude and dismissive. Based on my experience and other reviews, unless you need a major surgery, Dr Hunt doesn't want to see you. The final straw was showing up to an appointment and having the receptionist tell me that I had called and cancelled my appointment because I wanted to see pain management. I had waited months for this appointment and do not want to see pain management. They offered to reschedule almost a month away. I told them not to worry about it, I would go somewhere else. read more

I had the pleasure to meet doctor hunt. What a great guy and good diagnostician. He knows his stuff. I would recommend

I feel compelled to share my less than ideal experience with Dr. Hunt and his office staff. I first want to state that I am studying to take my medical student exams, so I take leaving negative reviews very seriously, & since I am a potential medical student, I think it is very important that others know my experience with Dr. Hunt's narcissistic and unprofessional behavior. Dr. Hunt was nice and professional when my husband was in the room with me. However, that all changed in following days when he "bullied" me over the phone and used foul language and scare tactics. I have 3 bulging disc in my lumbar spine, one that is causing radiculopathy (severe pain in my buttock and leg) debilitating me and causing me to be basically bed ridden for the past 2 months. I have small children & work while studying for my MCAT's. I need my life back to normal asap as you could imagine. Every single minute of every day has been the most painful experience, I really trusted Dr. Hunt & his office to help. Dr. Hunt was nice, he agreed that I needed surgery & stated that I could get surgery in just a few days. He then changed his mind to state that he wanted me to have an injection first, this was basically to scratch his itch so to speak to see if my pain could also be coming from a surrounding joint. Uhm, looking at my MRI together & having just came to the conclusion that it was my severe bulging disc, not sure why we are reverting backwards now? He stated that I could have this injection the following day. Knowing it would be an additional 10 hour drive, I looked to Dr. Hunt & told him that making that drive would kill my leg/back but that I trusted his decision & would make the drive. He referred me over to Dr. Berkley's office. I found out that I would not be able to get that injection for an entire week. Dr. Berkley's office contacted me but since it would take a week, I asked if I could have this done at my pain Dr. who I have established care with to expedite this as I was suffering. They said yes & I contacted Dr. Hunt's & dealt with Joanna. I wish I had not. Joanna faxed over orders to my pain mgt Dr, but my pain mgt Dr. would not accept them to my surprise so I called Berkley's office back. "Otilia" with the surgery dept. for this injection called me, stated I was out of network & I would have to pay $950 up front, I would be billed from the anesthesiologist, Dr. & facility fees. I contacted my insurance and found out that Dr. Hunt was ALSO not in network although his staff exclaimed that he was. I contacted Joanna back as this was not okay for me to be seen out of network. I explained to Joanna what happened & she stated that she emailed Dr. Hunt but he was in surgery all day (no problem at all). Dr. Hunt calls me within the hour. He proceeded to say, "I don't give a *hit what (my insurance name) told you, they're jack*sses, I am TELLING YOU that I am contracted with them. I will take care of you if I get a bill". I brought up the issues with the injection and how it is taking a lot longer and I am in pain. He said, "let's go ahead and skip the injection and proceed with surgery, I agree that either way we would have to do surgery. I will have my staff call you tomorrow and we will get all the billing figured out & give you dates for surgery." The next day, I called the billing mgr, Diane & to my surprise, she was asking me to do her job because she has a "hungry husband at home & since you are in bed all day anyways, you can call them and find out why our contract lapsed." I was in shock, this was at 9:30AM during business hours. I spent FIVE hours on the phone with my insurance. The issue was the way they were billing! I called Joanna back as I had not heard back on the dates for surgery as promised the day prior. Joanna was beyond rude to me & was acting like I was inconveniencing her. I was more than respectful! Dr. Hunt gets on the phone shouting, "you do not worry about if we are in network, that is our job." I told him he was absolutely mistaken as this is the patient's responsibility as I would be billed substantially. He started yelling, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU, WHAT DID I TELL YOU yesterday about how I will make sure you weren't billed. It is not your job to contact the insurance comp." I interrupted him as IT IS my job to make sure I am in-network but that Diane had asked me to do her job on finding out the correct NPI #'s being billed. He said, "I am starting to become uncomfortable with you calling your insurance." WHAT?! This is a huge red flag. With his yelling, cussing, & back and forth on surgery, I cannot & will not trust him with my life or spine. I did not need the last week of hell, I have already been there for 2 mo's! Since Yelp limits my words, I had to make an unfortunate reduction in this review. Needless to say, I dodged a bullet by not allowing him to put me under & perform surgery as his and his staff's behavior in proceeding days was not something I could have even made up. read more

I have had two major surgeries. One back and one brain surgery with Dr.Leonel and Dr. Gabriel Hunt. They literally saved my life with the removal of a complex brain tumor for which I made a complete recovery and I owe them my life. As for my second surgery again a huge spinal surgery to remove two tumors on my spinal cord and together Dr.Hunts not only removed them successfully but put me back to running form. Seriously the best spinal doctors at Cedars and Los Angeles . They are beyond amazing read more

Dr. Hunt is great. I had surgery with him years ago, and I have seen him a few times since as well. He is very responsive to concerns and explains what is happening very well. read more

If there ever was a doctor, Surgeon, human being who deserved 6 or 7 or 8 Stars this man is the man. He has wonderful staff surrounding him who make it easy to fill out all the forms to get out of the lobby to get up to the next level to fill out the next set of forms, to get to a patient room and get ask the next set of questions, and then to have one of his assistants make certain tests and make entries into the database and then to have the doctor himself show up having reviewed all these things and be well informed go right to the point, attend to the patient, and do so in the friendliest, best friend friendliest nature you could ever ask for. This is dr. Hunt. My sister-in-law has extreme problems oh, and we have been to hospitals and doctors in three states and 7 towns. Dr. Hunt, by far, by way far, is so well informed, give so much of himself in understanding the patient and handling the need of the patient that should I ever have any problems like my sister-in-law this is the place to be. I can't say enough good in a review to meet my desire to tell how wonderful this man in his service to the world is an angel. read more

I had the pleasure of having Dr. Leonel Hunt perform a lumbar microdiscectomy on my back a few years ago and had several encounters with his office and Cedar's Sinai Hospital Medical Center as well. I was EXTREMELY pleased with the surgical results. I have worked in the medical field for 20+ years and did my research seeking a solution to my lower back pain and leg spasms. I knew I had a herniated disc, like the rest of the baby-boomers. But I didn't want a spinal fusion because my experience has taught me this procedure is a band aid and I've known to many patients who have had it to be redone. I've known multiple patients who endured this and I didn't want to be one of them. In my research I found another procedure that was very new. During my consultation visit, I asked the first surgeon at Loma Linda Medical Center (who was recommended to me by my pain doctor) about this new procedure. He stated he'd never heard of it. He also had the nerve to be insulted when I declined to schedule the operation he wanted to do ( spinal fusion) with him because I had another opinion yet to hear. My consultation with Dr. Hunt was very informative and we discussed the new procedure so obviously, he was well-read. He also discussed a microdiscectomy and how it would alleviate my leg spasm and release the disc from the nerve in my lower back so as to relieve the pain I've suffered for years. Dr. Hunt's office gave me an appointment immediately and not a month away. Additionally, they filed my temporary disability papers and insurance forms expeditiously and without errors. Having had a few appointments in the office, the longest period I was made to wait before my name was called was probably 20 minutes. As a patient of theirs I was treated with respect and compassion. The operation took a few hours but went smoothly without incident. That evening he visited me in my hospital room and he invited me to get up. I walked without pain. I cried and thanked him because I had endured that pain for too long. Working in the emergency room for twelve hour days made it even more difficult! Thank you Dr. Hunt and Cedars' hospital as well as the office staff! What a beautiful experience!! read more

After being at Kiaser and being in pain for a year not being able to walk or stand and them just pushing meds and not wanting to look into it the problem other than saying you are way to young for any surgery. I left for blue shield covered ca thank you president Obama. I was referred to Dr Hunt by another Ortho who said, if he had to have surgery on his spine he would be the one to do it . So I called made an appointment. He scheduled me for a mri to investigate more. The same day that I did it he called and told me I had a herniated disc and it was sitting on the nerves it was about 10mm .He suggested something to see if we could manage the pain. We tried a cortisone shot for pain management That didn't work and it was my last straw . I emailed Dr Hunt told him to schedule me for surgery, I was tired of the pain . I had the surgery on June 8th and I was nervous but he and the staff at Cedars were so comforting I felt very comfortable going in . So after only 2 weeks out surgery and I could walk and felt so much better . I'm so grateful to have found Dr Hunt his bedside manner is amazing. I would recommend him to anyone. Seriously wish I knew about him way before so I didn't have to suffer for so long but I'm glad I found him . thank you Dr Hunt !!! read more

I have not previously encountered such a highly ethical and concerned orthopedist. If he does not believe that he can help you, he will tell you so. He does not seemed concerned about his pocket; only about you. read more