Two years ago, Dr. Stieber performed an artificial disc replacement (ADR) in my C5-C6, and…read morebasically gave me my life back. I had been living with increasing pain from a herniated disc that at one point was so bad I thought I'd never work again, let alone watch a movie in a theatre or sit in a plane long enough to take a real vacation. I was on disability from work a couple of times, and had gotten to the point where I thought I was just one of those people destined to take opiates and watch daytime TV for the rest of my life with bad gray roots coming in. At the time, the ADR surgery was pretty new, so we considered a fusion briefly, but I was concerned about loss of mobility. I am so glad I selected this surgery and this surgeon! Dr. Stieber is exceedingly competent but he's also NICE and he cares about his patients as people. For my surgery (performed at NYU), he brought in a fabulous anesthesia specialist who seriously listened to me regarding my tendency to become quiet nauseous with general anesthesia and doubled up on the anti-emetic as a result. I was back at work in just 10 DAYS after the surgery, an amazing feat in my opinion, as I am part of a Facebook group of people who had the same or similar issues and surgeries. I had one of the absolute best experiences of anyone in that group. In fact, my mobility after the surgery is better than it had been in years. I am just so impressed and grateful, and every time i bang my head at karaoke, I think how lucky I am to have had Dr. Stieber as my surgeon. THANK YOU! Also, his office team is great too!

I cannot comment on the skill of this Doctor at all but I can say...I submitted a request for a…read morevirtual consultation as described on his website. I sent a request from said website. I never heard back from anyone. I called today and was told he does not do these consultations anymore now that the covid restrictions have been lifted. Someone needs to change the website and stop the false advertising. I live in NJ and can bearly walk so a in person visit is out of the question. I am a senior and all alone so.....Who do you believe or trust these days....not sure our medical system is in a sad state of affairs.

I spent 3 years trying different therapies for relief from intense sciatic pain. After a failed…read morelaminectomy (authored by a different physician at a major NYC hospital), a Castle & Connolly physician recommended Dr. McCance. One month later, Dr. McCance surgically corrected the prior surgery. I was, within a few days following surgery, completely pain free for the first time in years. Now, 5 years to the month (almost) later after his surgery, I am still pain free. To everyone, he is Dr. McCance. To me, he is Saint McCance.

Dr Matusz has operated on me 3 different times for spinal stenosis and I think he is an…read moreextraordinary surgeon and an extremely compassionate doctor. He explained his procedures and my post operative care clearly and directly and answered all my questions quickly during recovery. I am grateful to him for the active life I still lead and for helping me to face the surgeries without fear . I recommend him to anyone with spinal issues l

The office manager gave me her card, then never returned a call…read more A nurse practitioner didn't read the medical notes and invented a story which made no sense. The attitude of the office workers was uninterested which made the entire experience a waste of time.

Being in chronic pain for years and after trying non invasive treatment for my back pain, my pain…read moremanagement specialist referred me to a neurosurgeon and recommended Dr. Kai Ming Fu at Weill Cornell Center for Comprehensive Spine Care. I was required to send all my medical history records, including an original MRI disc. After reviewing all the required documents, including my referral, he had his patient coordinator call me to tell me I don't need surgery and to seek a pain management specialist. I reiterated that I was referred to him by a pain management specialist. She said she'd call back and hours later I was given an appointment and was told I need to get an X-ray prior. I was skeptical to actually confirm the appointment due to the confusion and not addressing it, yet I figured we all screw up now and then. I should have went with my gut. Day of appointment, a bad pain day btw, I show up on time, do my X-ray, having to sit twice before it was done, then went to Dr Fu's office and waited for over an hour. When I finally saw Dr, I get no apology or greeting. He says that after reviewing X-ray and notes, I don't need surgery and to seek a pain management specialist. Again, I reiterated the situation to which he says it's not a good idea to do surgery as it's not worth the risk, blah blah, not addressing my confusion due to his unprofessionalism. I felt ignored and treated like a fool I asked for a good pain mgmt specialist since my last one exhausted his options. Of course I was recommended me to someone in his office, a 'specialist' with terrible reviews on both Yelp and Google. Adding further damage, they never gave me my original disc back after dismissing me. I had to ask for it. The front desk said I could either come back (and waste another day) and pick it up or they could mail it to me. That was in March. For over 2 months now I've called repeatedly, at least 4 times, asking for them to mail me my disc. Every time I called, someone said that it was waiting to be picked up when I specifically said, initially, as well as every time I spoke to someone, that I never said I was coming to pick it up, and I wanted it to be mailed to me as soon as possible because I need it in order to seek other professional help for my back pain. The next day, I get a 'Cornell portal' email notification and to view it, I have to waste time signing into a link. I see the note that states that it was mailed stating it was waiting to be picked up and it was mailed USPS to my home (see below). That was almost 3 weeks ago and I still have not received my disc. Their office is less than 9 miles away. I could have walked there and back yet I never got any mail from them. Due to their incompetence, I had to reschedule appointments because I have no MRI disc and now I have to go to where I obtained my original disc and pay a $25 fee for a duplicate, because of the incompetence of this facility and employees. I've wasted countess hours, compiling info, calls, going to appointments, etc. I've wasted money, a co-pay for a specialist and a copay for an X-ray and the fee I now have to pay to get another disc. And I've wasted precious time that could be spent on finding a facility that cares more about their clients and that can help me rather than cause me anxiety. With so many people in one office being so careless, I can't imagine how careless they could be with the patients that ARE in their care. Everyone's health is important, and deserve a professionals time and respect. We should seek medical professionals that treat us better than this! There are many other doctors, especially in NYC so I strongly suggest DO NOT waste your time and money with Dr. Kai Ming Fu. Neither he, or any of the many coordinators consider why people are seeking his help. Evidently, they don't consider their patients' needs. It's just a money making business. I complained to the establishment and plan to copy and paste this review to all social media sites and medical review sites for all to be forwarded, as I wish I was forewarned.

Had surgery in 1997. Its 2024 and thanks to Dr.Elowitz i was able to see my son grow to the 31yr…read moreold man he is today and many more years to go . Thank you with sincerely appreciation [:

My mother and I are both thrilled with Dr. Elowitz' expertise. My mother is 84 years old and had…read morebeen in severe pain for three years. Her back pain radiated into her left leg and she had great difficulty walking, sitting and lying down. Her lifestyle changed dramatically and she could no longer keep up in activities with my father. My mother tried the usual treatments ie. chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and epidural injections however did not experience any lasting relief. A laminectomy was the only answer. I researched surgeons for my mother as I am a registered nurse. I found three top spine surgeons including Dr. Elowitz in NYC and we scheduled consult appointments with each. Dr. Elowitz was the only surgeon who was confident that a minimally invasive laminectomy was the way to go. The other surgeons wanted to cut up and rebuild my mother's spine (including performing a fusion) which was way over the top for an 84 year old woman. My mother and I did not feel that she would survive the recovery period for a fusion which is very involved. We chose Dr. Elowitz to perform my mother's surgery. Her care was top notch every step of the way. From admitting to preop to operating room to recovery room to the hospital floor where my mother stayed overnight (as did I), everyone we dealt with was professional, competent and ready to help. Dr. Elowitz even has hospital privileges to admit his patients to the 15th floor at Weill Cornell which is a post surgical floor with only private rooms and views of NYC and the river. We were very impressed. Dr. Elowitz spoke with us before the surgery, numerous times on the day of the surgery and checked on my mother at 7:00 AM the day after the surgery. He gave us as much time as we needed to answer all questions and told us to contact him at any time if we needed him. The surgery went well. My mother is presently 10 days postop and feels much better. She no longer has tingling down her leg. Dr. Elowitz says that my mother's nerve was damaged over the past three years and that she will continue to see improvement over the next few months as her nerve repairs itself. My parents have been going for walks all over the neighborhood since her second day postop! My mother could barely walk before the surgery from her bed to the bathroom. We absolutely made the right decision to go with Dr. Elowitz for surgery. He obviously is capable of performing a more intensive surgery (as the other surgeons we consulted suggested) but he took into consideration my mother's age and type of recovery that she would experience and performed the perfect surgery for her. I highly recommend Dr. Elowitz. He is a highly competent neurosurgeon who happens to have a wonderful bedside manner as well. Edward Butler, NP: My mother and I are very impressed with the competence, practical knowledge and professionalism of Ed Butler, who is Dr. Elowitz' NP (Nurse Practitioner). My mother is 84 years old and needed a laminectomy. I am a registered nurse and helped my mother chose Dr. Elowitz as her neurosurgeon. We spoke with Ed Butler who took a through history before we saw Dr. Elowitz. We also met with Ed at the two week postop visit before seeing Dr. Elowitz as well. Ed treated us with respect and responded to all of our many questions. Ed has worked in spine surgery for quite some time and has a wealth of experience to draw upon. My mother thought that she was having an allergic reaction two days postop and we called the office. We were put through immediately to Ed who considered my mother's symptoms and gave recommendations. Ed realized that my mother was experiencing throat tightness due to residual soreness from the breathing tube that had been inserted during surgery and was not having an allergic reaction. I had told my mother the same thing but she had to hear it from Ed, not me. A few days later, my mother called Ed with another question and he promptly called her back. All too often, it is very difficult to get in contact with medical personnel after surgery. The patient seems to be forgotten. That is not the case with Dr. Elowitz and Ed Butler. They make their patients very comfortable and assure them that they are always available for problems or questions.

I found its care to be of excellence and professionalism, helpful, and progressive. I want to…read morethank, in particular, occupational therapists, Lauren, and Nikki and equally my physical therapists, Thomas and Rachel. I also want to thank everybody who answered the phone and worked at the desks in the reception area at check-in and for scheduling. There are so many that I rather not say individual names at this time in fear leaving somebody out unintentionally but I certainly want to give kudos to Oscar and Edgar who I almost always checked in with as I was checking out actually because they would schedule my following appointments at checkout. Everybody you meet there will be kind to you and of course you will show them respect!! i've been discharged because I've progressed well and my Medicare expired, but I will be going back early winter for more advanced therapy as my osteoporosis starts to reverse after my injection plan which starts within weeks. I look forward to seeing them again. Thank you HSS. I most highly recommend this world renowned HSS, Manhattan. I'm sure all the other branches are great also but I'm focusing on Manhattan because that's the only one I knowon 70th St., York Avenue. It's also right next to the actual NYP Cornell hospitals so very convenient and you can make two appointments same day! Wishing good health & blessings to all I've mentioned above plus Dr Brian Page and his ass't Brian also! Barbara T. UES

Specialty hospital for surgery on the hand/foot/bones, sports injuries and more. Parking is in a…read moreseparate building, traffic flow is drop off/pick up by the FDR highway. Elevators are slow and open different sides depending on the floor. Not every doctor has a post-appointment helper at that site - some call you back. They have MRI and x-ray machines here and top-notch staff. Inside the hallways aren't all straight - a lot of angles and turns, and not always easy to find the right room/space but the nurses are super helpful. Doctors, somewhat less so and only a few minutes before they recommended another appointment. It's very busy, though, and a lot of waiting or time between appointments since there's a lot of people seeing the doctors. They also have a number of sister sites, including one in NJ across the bridge.

I have been seeing Dr. Patel for about a year and a half now and frankly, she is amazing. Not sure…read moreabout the experiences others have had whom have written bad reviews, but I have NEVER had a bad experience. I have a herniated disc in my neck which often flares up and causes me severe pain in my arms. After seeing countless doctors (most of whom told me to just "take advil") Dr. Patel was the ONLY doctor who actually provided me with REAL treatment that decreased my pain and improved my quality of life. She sat with me and took her time explaining my options. During my epidural procedure she talked to me the entire time and told me exactly what she was doing. She is extremely knowledgeable and cares about my well being. I am so fortunate to have found her and my spine also thanks her.

I had one of the worst experiences with Dr. Patel. She was recommended by my primary doctor, whom I…read morehave since asked not to recommend her again. I felt dismissed and completely uncared for. I waited nearly two months for an MRI while Dr. Patel's office repeatedly told me that my insurance company had denied it. When I contacted my insurance company, I was told there were problems with the paperwork submitted by the doctor's office. After several weeks of back-and-forth, I decided to see another doctor and got the MRI the very next day. I also left several messages asking Dr. Patel to call me and sent her a direct email, but I never received a response. I wish I had read the reviews before making the appointment because they closely reflect my experience. DO NOT USE HER!!! You will regret it!

My husband was involved in a horrible incident while visiting New Orleans. He was out with friends…read morewhen a shooting occurred not far from them and he was knocked down during the stampede of panicked people. He was thrown down and landed hard on his shoulder. The ER down there told him his shoulder was broken and he should see an orthopedist right away as he would need surgery. Our GP recommended Dr. Cleeman and the amazing receptionist,Toni, in the Manhattan Ortho Astoria office was able to fit us in a couple days later. X-rays confirmed the shoulder was not only broken but it was shattered! Dr Cleeman said it was one of the worst cases like this he had ever seen. The ball was literally flipped over from the socket joint and was hanging upside down. YIKES. Rather than replacing the entire shoulder, most likely requiring future surgeries for upkeep, Dr. Cleeman felt he could repair the bones and put Humpty Dumpty back together again. And a couple days later, he did just that! After a very successful four hour surgery and a couple hours in recovery, hubs was home on the couch! At his follow up appointment a couple weeks later, he could already move the shoulder a bit and was recovering well. Dr Cleeman removed the bandages and I couldn't believe what we saw. What I forgot to mention earlier is that my husband has a half sleeve tattoo that goes up over his shoulder. It is very special to us as it has the US and Icelandic flags intertwined with a compass representing our paths in life that led us to each other (I am from Iceland originally). We had already accepted the fact that the tattoo would have to be cut for the surgery and Dr. Cleeman told us that the incision would go directly through the center of the Icelandic flag. But when he took off those bandages, we could hardly even tell where the incision had been made! Partly due to the glue they use now rather than exterior stitches, but mostly due to the fact that Dr Cleeman is a true artist and moved the incision place over a bit. He said putting the tattoo back together took almost as long as putting the shoulder back together but he he knew it was important to us. WOW! I literally had tears in my eyes. What an incredibly awesome and unexpected surprise!! It's about three months post surgery now and my husband is recovering so well and we couldn't be happier! Everything about our experience with Manhattan Ortho has been great! Toni has always been responsive and so helpful every time we have called and needed anything. They are both such caring people and I am so thrilled to be able to recommend them to anyone looking for an Orthopedist!!

I came here a few months ago and left feeling incredibly disappointed by Dr. Duarte. As time…read moreprogressed, I became increasingly disappointed with the entire office. Medical care: I saw Dr. Duarte for foot pain. First time i saw him, he was very distracted and answered his personal phone. Then, he sent me for an MRI. When I went back the second time to review the MRI results, he was over an hour late to our appointment and said "yeah I have other patients". Upon glimpsing over the MRI, he said "you have dead bone in your big toe". He advised me to stop running, to stop wearing high heels and stop doing anything that caused me pain etc. and offered to go over shoes I wear with me to ensure comfort. When I asked for physical therapy to regain movement in my toe, he said "I don't prescribe that when the bone has atrophied like that". At 32 years old, limiting me in this way led me to get a second opinion. The second doctor identified the issue and many months later, I'm doing PT to address it. I have since regained mobility in my big toe and can enjoy sports again. Approval for an MRI: I called 4 times so someone would get back to me and left multiple voicemails when following the right IVR process. I eventually selected a different number, got to a person who said "oh we never check that voicemail". Billing: of course, several months after I saw Dr. Duarte, I find out they didn't bill my insurance correctly so I "owed" a $400+ bill. All in all, with the exception of one person who cared about the billing issue, I wouldn't recommend any aspect of this practice and definitely not the doctor who showed such indifference to his patient's problem.

Dr. Baaj working at Banner University Hospital in Phoenix at the time, performed a spine fusion on…read moreme in 2021 from my pelvis to T10, I'm a male, age 62 in 2021. After 2 weeks during after surgery follow up I asked him why I was tilting to the left, he said all my muscles were cut and I would have to wait for 2 years for my muscles to get strong enough to straighten me back up. 3 months later the rods came out of the couplings and had to go back in for surgery to put them back in. Over the 2 year period I was having a lot of trouble because I was tilted to the left. After 2 years I asked for it to be fixed because I was having to much pain, and Dr. Baaj responded that no surgeon would ever go back in to fix it because I was high risk and should look into getting a lift placed in my left shoe to straighten me up. I did so having a foot specialist determine it would take a 7/8" lift to equalize me. The lift never helped, so I was not only living with pain but also was getting depressed because I had nothing to look forward to. I moved to San Diego in December 2023 and started going to a pain management doctor, he decided to send me to see a Neurosurgeon for a consultation in mid 24, thinking he could assist with all the pain I was having at T10. He was unable to assist but said I should see Dr. Mundis, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Scripps in La Jolla. Dr Mundis said he could help, I was under the impression that he was going to do something around the T10 area, but he informed me that he was going to pull out all the hardware from my pelvis to T10 and install new hardware from my pelvis to T3. He determined with testing that I was not high risk and he promised I would once again be straight and if I wasn't he would go back in and fix any issues. I actually had tears in my eyes because it gave me hope. Just as a note, I was actually straight, looking front to back before my surgery with Dr. Baaj, but from side to side I was a mess. I went through the new spine fusion in Oct 24 and as promised I was perfectly straight. I highly recommend Dr. Mundis for severely deformed spines. To close, I put down that MAYBE I would recommend Dr. Baaj for future surgeries, because advancements in technology could assist Dr. Baaj to better insure the spine fusions turn out the way they are supposed to turn out. I may have been a difficult case, but Dr. Baaj never once offered to correct the fusion after he realized I was tilting to the left. 2nd, he took all my hope away when he said that no other doctor would ever go back in to fix it, so I lived with it for 3.5 years until I found out otherwise. You may turn out well with Dr. Baaj but I lost all confidence in him. If any Doctor ever wanted to view the before and after views of Dr. Baaj's work and the results of Dr. Mundis's work, all they need to look at are the full body X-rays. I suffered for 3.5 years and had it not been for a caring pain management doctor, Dr. Patel who actually cared about getting me some relief and getting me off of morphine I would still be suffering because I was not looking for another surgeon because Dr. Baaj told me himself that no surgeon would ever go back in to fix it. These comments are true to the best of my memory.

Horrible. Basilar Invaginarion. Failure & my daughter got MRSA & Sepsis & is on life long…read moreantibiotics. We noticed green infection right away f called Dr. Leslie Cohen Plastic Surgeon made us wait until our 2 week visit to see her & sis not perform blood work. We listened to them & she suffered thru many months of treatment ,intubation opening & cleaning the wound,surgery for lumps pic lines & still years later the surgery failed & no one will touch her because of the poor surgery that was done by Dr. Baaj & Dr. Leslie Cohen. She has no life because & neither do we. They promised she would be better but they made her worse. I felt confident when we first met them now I'm sorry I entrusted my daughter. Cohen wasn't even Board Certified when she did the surgery we found out later & we traveled from Pa to N.Y. & she never had the equipment when got there. We made trips there for nothing. She was very disorganized & never showed compassion. Being a fool I even bought her flowers as a thank you gift. Yellow because she said she like yellow flowers & had them at her wedding. I'm not mean but I'm so hurt what they did to my daughter & no one stood up for her or helped her. We couldn't get a lawyer because when they found out who her parents were they wouldn't take the case. Up until then they were all into it. Guess they have a lot of political pull also. Even within the hospital their lawyer was brusk with my husband but I bet if it was her children or grandchildren it would be a different story. Even after all these years I had to say something because eats away when she can't sleep because she hurts so badly & her neck is twisted. They fused her neck so she can't turn it screwin it are loose f she's always in pain & no one can or will help her. I curse the day I entrusted my daughter to these drs.

Dr. Schwartz is amazing, he is truly a leader in his field. We traveled from Missouri to New York…read moreto have him diagnosis and perform my daughter's surgery. None of the doctors we saw over an 18 month period were able to correctly diagnose and treat my daughter, within a week of speaking to him she was able to have the necessary surgery and has felt great since. Dr. Schwartz and his staff were incredible, they helped us with every step of the process, he was very caring and truly wanted to help help my daughter feel better. I can't express how truly grateful we are for his expertise!

I have tremendous admiration for Dr. Theodore Schwartz -- for his talent, intelligence, dedication,…read moreand extraordinary skill as a surgeon. Dr. Schwartz performed my first surgery in 2018, and he did an exceptional job. I recovered quickly, had no complications, and my prolactin remained under control for many years. Eight years later, I needed another surgery. By that time, the situation had become significantly more complicated, but I trusted Dr. Schwartz so much that I followed him to another hospital so he could perform my surgery again. He agreed to take on my case, and I know now that I made absolutely the right decision. I was fully informed about the possible risks and complications beforehand. I understood that this was not a simple case, but I also had complete confidence in Dr. Schwartz. He is incredibly knowledgeable, experienced, and precise, and it is clear that he truly knows what he is doing. My surgery on June 8 went well, and I am continuing to recover. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Schwartz for his expertise, dedication, and care. If anyone in my family or among my loved ones ever faced a similar situation, I would not hesitate for a second to recommend Dr. Schwartz. Believe me, my case is far from simple, and I know how important it is to have a surgeon you can completely trust. Dr. Schwartz is truly one of the best in his field. I am deeply grateful that he was my surgeon.

I have had two spinal fusions with instrumentation plus some other procedures with Dr. Lebl; one in…read more2016 and another in 2018. After researching qualified surgeons, I settled on Dr. Lebl and I am happy that I did! Both surgeries fixed the immediate problems and pain I was experiencing. However, I have Degenerative Disk Disease and Osteoarthritis throughout my body. I am also a retired person on Medicare, which only allows certain procedures. With the spinal fusion method, stress is put on the disks below and above the fused area which necessitates further surgeries to fix those stressed disks, unlike, per my understanding, of the placement of an artificial disk (which is not covered yet.) I am at the point that I will need another surgery, but if I can get to NYC again, I will choose Dr. Lebl. He and his team have always taken excellent care of me. Regarding the photos one man offered here, the last one with the sutures adjacent to, but under a rope-like bulge, I would like to make an observation. I had a trigger finger release this year for which the surgeon chose to use that new technique, which in my case was underneath the sutures. First, I was very worried that the skin had split open (it was the prep and blood that dried, which was taken care of at the follow-up visit) and second, that I would have a lump in my palm, but I was told it would "resolve" once the sutures were removed and would leave less of a scar than the older method. I was skeptical; however, it ultimately does look a tad better than the other trigger finger releases that I have had with that surgeon and another one. Nevertheless, while it was healing, dead skin did fall off and I did worry, but it all turned out okay. Also, with any surgery, there is a potential of infection and other problems, no matter who does the surgery. In my experience, things are never quite the same after any surgery, but the presenting problems have been fixed. It was unfortunate this man had a more difficult time than most. Hopefully, the final outcome has resulted in healing. The, currently, two "not recommended" reviews are both very positive; I was happy to read them. They reflect my positive experiences with Dr. Lebl.

I had A horrific car accident in 2018 was beyond petrified to have the neck surgery due to four…read moreherniations and a pinched nerve in my neck, interviewed eight Spinal surgeons the moment I met Dr. Lebl I felt I was in good hands. I had the surgery on election day of 2022 was released the next day. had zero pain in my neck from the surgery. It took me four years to get the courage to have the surgery wish I would've met Dr. level from the beginning