Very friendly and helpful when are with the doctor. However, they seems to be little sense of duty or urgency, to the point of feeling lackodaisical. They are slow to respond, at every step of the way and I was getting a bit frustrated. I had an MRI ordered, and when there was a small administrative issue they said they'd reorder the imaging and sort out the small issue for me. I never heard back and after a few weeks went to another ortho. read more

I truly recommend Dr. Northfield and his compassionate staff. I have been going to him for 20 plus years. He takes time with you. He explains everything very clearly. He is also a very sweet man. I won't go to anyone else. Sincerely, Maureen R. Agius- read more

I have to update a review of this Doctor to maintain truthfulness. This last week my husband needed some necessary paperwork filled out by a doctor and because he is currently between treating Doctors, he called Dr. Northfield and asked if the Dr. could help him with the paperwork. While the Dr.'s office did get back to us with a yes, we had already had the matter addressed by another Physician before they were able to get back to my husband. Still, I do think this bears taking seriously and does modify my opinion that this Doctor is not worth giving the benefit of reasonable doubt. read more

I went in to this office based on a referral from my primary care physician. I was actually going to cancel the appointment and ask for another referral based on a couple of reviews here on yelp. I'm glad I didn't. Anybody who has read my other reviews might have picked up that I'm big on martial arts. Seven days a week-type of big. My school isn't a belt mill and more people quit than continue because of the challenges one makes in learning actual martial arts as opposed to 'belt-mill' (read: BS) martial arts. I've been waiting about two years now for my next test and said test is coming up in August. So I've been pretty bummed out about this chronic, horrible knee pain. I was defensive going in here from the get go. I was adamant in my strategy that I was not going in for a surgical consult, rather for maybe a shot of whatever in the knee to get me through August. After August they can do whatever they want, but dammit, I'm going to take this test. The staff was professional. I wasn't thrilled with the wait (thirty minutes), and I'm not a fan of paperwork, but you're going to get that with any referral to a doctor's office. Doctor Northfield put my mind at rest immediately. He came in to the room, looked at my knees, bent my knees certain ways and then told me, "No surgery needed", That's right. A surgeon said I didn't need surgery. I need ice. I need to stretch before and after workouts. I need to use a brace (which he gave me). I had two x-rays which took all of three minutes and then it was back to the exam room. He came in, explained what was going on, told me to keep on going, and no follow up appointment needed unless the pain intensifies. So the grumpy-pants reviewers who dissed him are sour grapes, as far as I'm concerned. This office is well-run, courteous, and the surgeon isn't looking for you to finance his new car. He's looking for you to get well. Isn't that what a doctor is supposed to do? read more

Went to Dr Northfield back in 2020 and he was a joke - i needed a knee replacement and he keep on feeding me Cortisone instead of getting the knee replaced and I was in a lot of pain - my advise stay a way from this guy ! read more

Not impressed. Did not bother to look at my MRI. Referred me to another Ortho in Novato who "sees more hips". I don't know what to think. Shitty communication. Office staff was great, though. read more

Seriously run from this doctor!!!! My husband broke his femur and had surgery that night by Dr Northfield who claimed it was an emergency. Long story short my husband came out of surgery with a crooked leg and a 18 inch long unnecessary incision which wasn't even closed properly. After questioning this, Dr Northfield came up with every excuse in the book. We immediately scheduled an appointment for a second opinion with Dr. Ehmer. He saw my husband and literally scheduled his surgery to have his leg fixed the very next day. Had we listened to Dr. Ehmer, my husband would be permanently crippled. We consulted with lawyers and unfortunately due to the medical malpractice laws it would've been near impossible for us to pursue a lawsuit against Dr Northfield. I do not understand how a Dr like this can stay practicing. Since having this experience I have spoken with many other people who have had a terrible experience with him! Do yourself and anyone you love a favor and stay away!! read more

***THIS OFFICE IS NOT CLOSED!!!*** Dr. Northfields' office is definitely not closed-the above information is incorrect! All office contact information, including address, is still the same. read more

I fell at my night job (1:30 a.m.) on a Sunday morning. I reviewed my symptoms and concluded I had broken 'something' in my arm. I don't have health care insurance, though I am able to pay cash. I didn't feel the need to go into the emergency room, and upon calling a physician 'on call' confirmed I could wait until Monday. I live in Sonoma and called three of the orthopedic surgeons I know, and was not able to be 'fit in' until Wednesday. I had my daughter look up any other physicians in the area and called Dr. Northfield. His staff asked how soon I could get to his office, and we were on our way. The staff were incredibly efficient and understanding of my situation. I was taken to a waiting room and within 10 minutes, met Dr. Northfield. He immediately did a quick Q & A and with manipulation, ordered x-rays. The x-ray technician was as gentle as she could be in manipulating my arm to best show the break. The doctor read my x-rays and came back to consult, suggesting there was a break and he really wanted a second set of x-rays at a different angle to be fully informed. With those second x-rays, it was confirmed I had a radial head fracture, would not be casted, as that was not the preferred treatment for that area of the break. He recommended a splint, a week of 'down time'...Aleve (he did ask me if I wanted something stronger, but I declined)...he was really clear that in a week I was to remove the splint, and begin manipulating my arm so as to bring it back to being able to put my palm up and down (which with this break at this time...is IMPOSSIBLE)....but, he said that it would be a bit of work and with time, it should be close to back to normal. Dr. Northfield was more than willing to spend as much time as needed, but, as I am quite efficient on my own...I was ready to get out of there as it had been a stressful couple of days. The staff was fabulous and Dr. Northfield has my vote of confidence. I am to see him in a few weeks and recheck my progress. I read the previous review....I would rather have a physician who makes me feel at ease and treated with respect than to worry that 'paperwork' was not filled out in due time. I was in that office and heard the staff take another 'emergency' which was dealt with with efficient calmness. Perhaps because of Dr. Northfield's willingness to take emergencies at a moment's notice...paperwork gets put aside. Thank you, Dr. Northfield and your wonderful staff....you have MY utmost respect and would give you the benefit of reasonable doubt any day! read more

This guy is a joke! I came to him with a knee injury back in February. He had me get an MRI at his office. He reviewed it quickly and told me that there was nothing wrong with my knee and that he recommended "exploratory surgery." Yikes! Aren't there specialists who read MRI's for doctors? I got the impression that he hadn't even looked at the MRI before I met him at his office for the review. He seemed not to even remember who I was (Any notes?) It is now December and my knee is still giving me trouble (can't put weight on it) and because of my intense work and travel schedule I am just now having an opportunity to deal with it. I can't think of any reason why I could recommend Dr. Northfield. My advice: shop around more than I did or, preferably, get a referral from someone who's happy with their orthopedist. read more

Dr Northfield has done my two partial knee replacements. He also did my right hand. He's been a good doctor for me. The office staff is always helpful in responding and resolving and issues or questions. read more

I injured my knee a year ago and was unable to walk. Because the injury was in addition to arthritis, the surgeon recommended by the emergency room wanted to immediately replace my knee. He offered no other solutions and was resistant to any alternatives I suggested. My primary care physician recommended Dr. Northfield. While he admitted that surgeons "love to cut," he suggested a course of rehab for the injury and SynVisc injections for my arthritis. 13 months later I am ready for a second course of SynVisc to relieve discomfort, but during this year I have been swimming and walking normally. Will I someday have to have this knee replaced? Absolutely. But Dr. Northfield will keep me in shape until that inevitable day. I would HIGHLY recommend this doctor. The staff is super friendly and helpful as well, and visits are a pleasure. read more

After the surgery, still having the same issue before i did the surgery. Mothing had changed.Post surgery, the doctor is sill trying to sell me stuf, really?.. Experienced the most horrible staff care service after speaking to the office accountant. Would not recommend any one i know.If you r reading this - please try other options. read more

More than 10 years ago I had a frozen shoulder-completely immobilized and had PT and got back range of motion but little strength. About 3 years ago I started Bikram yoga and thought my shoulder would fall off. I went to Dr. Northfield and he said yoga was the best thing I could do for my shoulder and if it was still hurting in 3 weeks to come back. He was right - the severe pain has diminished and was more muscle soreness. Tried swimming for the first time in 10 years. I felt like my shoulder was going to :freeze up"-but I went a lot further than previous attempts. Went to Dr. Northfield- he saw some limit in movement but commented on muscular atropy. He recommended waiting until pain mostly subsided; shorter swim sessions; and PT if needed-but to take time to work up to what I wanted. Mostly common sense, but he did allude to muscular pain vs. joint pain which was my question and worry. I have been to 3-4 ortho guys-most want to cut and paste-and if they can't do that they don't have much to say or just dismiss your "issue". While Dr. Northfield didn't have a lot of time for me (nothing serious) he did quickly assess, ask pertinent questions, and make reasonable suggestions that would be helpful-even if it didn't involve him. Given my 2 interactions, I would definitely come back to him for a bone problem. And I deeply appreciated his respectful and honest medical assessment. Easily worth taking a chance on. read more

Haven't met the Dr. yet, but the office staff is superb. My daughter goes to school at SSU and we live in southern Cal. Having her in Nor Cal has become an issue when it comes to insurance. our insurance doesn't cover anything but emergency when it's out of network, so we are paying out of pocket to have her arm casted. She broke it. Went to urgent care in RP and they said follow up with an ortho. After yelping, I found Dr. N. Spoke with Leigh several times today. She was so patient with me!! My daughter goes in tomorrow ( they worked around her college classes to fit her in) to get her waterproof cast! The only Ortho Dr. around who has them! I have been calling all day! This is a must for her. (heading to the river for spring break, needs to have this) oh to be in college again! LOL, anyways, I will follow up with the Dr. review tomorrow! I did read a review that said he didn't have waterproof casts, which is not true, He does indeed have Gore tex waterproof casts! They even have pink!! read more

In 2009 my daughter was in a serious auto crash and was taken to Petaluma Valley Hospital ER. Dr. Northfield was called as her tibia was broken (you could see the breaks and that the bone was really crooked in two places from clear across the room). He performed emergency surgery and a few weeks later a second surgery was needed. She had a metal rod put into her tibia with lots of screws around her ankle. In high school and college she had been a cross country runner and thought that was the end of her running days. She took up biking and stayed in shape other ways. She does lots of walking and other exercise. This summer she is hiking(backpacking)the Pacific Crest trail - has done about 900 miles so far! Last summer she ran a half marathon - she hadn't trained by running, just on an elliptical, but she did fine. Dr. Northfield had told her to do whatever she wanted unless it hurt. Dr. Northfield's staff also was patient as we dealt with two insurance companies playing real games trying to not pay. One company had paid for a gyn visit the day before her car crash, but balked at paying for her hospitalization, etc. The other company said that since she was injured and couldn't attend school, she was not longer a student, and therefore not covered. (This was pre-Obamacare, which put an end to this game playing by insurance companies). Eventually, the bills were paid, but I appreciated the fact that Dr. Northfield's office was patient while we dealt with months of hassle with insurance companies! Care was exceptionally good, Dr. Northfield was popping into the hospital to see my daughter often (more than just once a day) and his staff was wonderful. I highly recommend him! (Note: I am a retired hospital administrator and emergency medical services director, so I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly, and Dr. Northfield is definitely one of the best) read more

Dr Northfield never listened to me when I saw him numerous times for severe pain in my left thigh. I requested X-rays but was refused. I went to a great physical therapist who insisted on an X-ray before working on me, but still Northfield refuses. Finally, using a wheelchair, my Grandson, a medical student, insisted on an X-ray which after having to really fight to have taken, Northfield showed us the X-ray and said"what do you think this looks like!" My Grandson demanded he take me to the seat right across the street, but Northfield said he needed to talk to other. Doctors the next day and refused. My grandson drove me home and my femur broke within 5 minutes. All I Remember is the pain and begging for pain killer in the ambulance...I also remember Northfield was on call and refused to report in. Two days later I was transferred to UCSF where I was hospitalized for over a month, and needed a very difficult surgery due to the damage done by the shattered femur. Thank God I have been cancer free for 18 months, have a steel rod in my leg and cat walk without a walker, but I see Northfield daily at a health club where I Walk in a pool and he keeps fit . Many people at the pool have there own stories about this doctor who has gravely harmed them, none of us have sued...but I want to give fair warning, stay away from this man, read more

Back in 2005 I was seeing Dr. Northfield for my back after a car accident. I cut my leg on a broken mirror. The mirror sliced through the side of my left leg to within a quarter inch of the bone leaving an 8.5 inch gash and slicing through an artery. My mother drove me to Petaluma Valley Hospital ER. They called Dr. Northfield who was out running. He rushed to the hospital. When he got there he noticed the hospital had not tried to stop my bleeding, I had lost three pints of blood. He had them rush me into surgery. He worked on my leg for two hours. He was not sure if I would be able to walk. I run several times a week now. My scar is minimal. The surgery he did was a miracle. I am thankful everytime I look at that scar that he did such a great job. read more

A few years ago I broke my ankle badly. Dr. Northfield did an excellent job on my complicated surgery (broken tibia and fibula - two plates, 13 pins total), was nice, funny and extremely intelligent and patient with me. read more

I saw Dr. Northfield for a treatment of a meniscus tear. I came to him after seeing another specialist which I liked very much but was unable to schedule an appointment with (endless messages and no response from a real person). I experienced none of the same issues with the administrative staff in Dr. Northfield's office. They actually answer the phone when you call! Their personalized service was so refreshing after being caught in endless automated voice mail systems in use in most MD offices these days. Treatment from the doctor was also flawless. Office visits went great, with very little wait. Surgery and recovery went very well. Dr. Northfield gave me wonderful personalized attention, and was very good at explaining things in a way that I could clearly understand. I appreciate that there are professionals like him available to take care of us. read more

Dr. Northfield took a short visit with me about a concerning break that had happened on my foot. He stated it was broke and gave me a boot to re-coop. The staff was so excellent in getting me in on the same day and let me make payments. All in all, a good office with professional staff. I think I prefer the staff over the doctor! read more

I had about 3 visits with Dr. Northfield in 2014. I found him to be professional, knowledgeable, and helpful throughout. His front desk staff were just as good. I can wholeheartedly recommend him and his office to any one. read more

BEWARE!!!! My husband who is 52 is critically ill today and I blame Dr. Northfield for the problems that led to my husband having a stroke, heart attack, and critical breathing problems today; although Dr. Northfield did not directly cause this I believe it was his horrible medical care on his leg that started the mess my husband is going through today. My husband had already had two knee replacements when he came to this doctor. My husband had a broken femur and was taken to Petaluma Emergency room where they called Dr. Northfield in. First off it took this doctor almost 36 hours to try to figure out how he was going to fix my husband's leg. The surgery was so bad that from the very beginning as it started to heal his entire leg turned inward ( it was deformed) when he didn't seem to be too concerned we went to UC Davis to have it fixed, but with all the extra surgery he ended up with an infection in the bone which led to so much bacteria sitting on his heart for months that one morning it just broke loose and caused him to have a stroke. There was so much damage to his heart valve that he needed open heart surgery to replace his Mitral Valve (at the age of 48) Now I don't entirely blame this on Northfield , Petaluma Hospital can take a lot of the blame there since I took my husband to the Emergency room nine times in one month and they kept sending him home saying "yes he's sick but if he gets worse come back" They assumed he was drug seeking and totally disregarded his illness; which they did that for a second time a year later and the infection came back and my husband lost his leg to amputation that time. My husbands health problems are endless and all of his problems I feel are directly related to the quality of health care he received from Dr. Northfield and Petaluma Hospital but then that's just my opinion. We did attempt to sue but found that the doctor apparently testifies for other doctors in the county so there was a lot of conflict of interest when trying to find an attorney ( how convenient for the doctor) plus we learned from one attorney that he had represented someone in a previous suit against the doctor (Northfield) where the doctor apparently plead guilty and admitted he screwed up the surgery. To sum up everything I would get a second opinion if your dealing with this doctor and I wouldn't let him operate on me that's for sure, and also avoid PVH. We have had horrible experiences with this hospital, but since most of my husbands problems are emergency related they will only take him there because it's the closest. If possible I would go to another hospital.. read more