I would highly recommend Dr. Thunder for orthopedic spinal surgery. He was excellent before, during and after surgery. He explained the process well and was very supportive as I made my decision about if and when to have the surgery. My outcome was excellent and eight months later I am back to my regular lifestyle except that I am totally pain free after years of agony. Thanks Dr. Thunder. read more

If you want a very unprofessional bias uncaring and poor treatment from a doctor thunder is your guy ,making my father and his wife feeling unsafely, they had to requested a second opinion and to switch doctor. read more

Waited one hour to see Dr. Thunder who was actually seated nearby with his feet up chatting with the ancillary staff. When I complained about the wait I was told he was seeing another patient with problems. Not knowing what he looked like I actually questioned the young assistant who lied to me directly in front of Dr. Thunder. What a boob. read more

Did an amazing job on my mother's total knee. He made sure she didn't have surgery until she needed it and then she was up walking in two weeks or so. read more

Thank you Dr.Thunder! Excellent doctor, gifted surgeon, compassionate, takes time to listen to you. Explains options to you and puts one at ease. A very caring man and conservative surgeon, who tries orher options rather than just surgery. Sometimes surgery is the only answer and , in my opinion , he's the best. Explains diagnosis and treatment so one understands them. Great office staff and techs. No long waiting times at your appointed time. I am so thankful for the change he made in my life. read more

Dr. Thunder impressed me right from the start. I had been suffering for months with nerve pain down my arm. He diagnosed me with a bulging disc between C6-7. He performed an ACDF through the front of my neck. He also found a piece had broken off and was touching my spinal cord. The moment I awoke my nerve pain was gone! The fusion he performed was in perfect alignment. And you can hardly see the scar on my neck. I highly recommend Dr. Thunder. Two and a half months now and no issues. He's the best!!! read more

He's a magician. He's the best there is. The office staff is totally the best around and care about you I can't lose him. My advice is to go there and have faith it's all going to be ok. It will be. Thank you. read more

Even though I had slight complications with my hip replacement surgery, Dr. Richard Thunder is absolutely one of the best orthopedic surgeon. He allows you to make the decision and explains your options before and prior to surgery. In addition, he is very compassionate and kind which I needed since I had a longer recovery period. I highly recommend Dr. Thunder with his excellent accolades/background and extreme professionalism! His staff are wonderful and his office in La Jolla is outstanding! Grateful to have found Dr Thunder! read more

I had been suffering from sciatica for the last two years and tried everything prior to surgery. I met with Dr. Thunder to discuss my injury and possible surgery to fix my bulged/herniated disc. He set me up for a microdiscectomy. Surgery in general is scary especially in regards to your spine. Dr. Thunder was amazing in explaining the surgery that he would perform on me and made sure I understood and allowed me the time to ask any questions I had regarding the procedure. I highly recommend him! Not only did my surgery go perfectly but my recovery and incision wouldn't lead you to know I had just had back surgery two weeks ago. You are in good hands with Dr. Thunder. read more

Best care, wonderfull team i Scripps Memorial Hospital Best Orthopaedic surgeon. I really recommend him to anybody . He is my angel second to none Thank you read more

Terrible Dr. Thunder and assistant Ellie. My experience has been about as bad as one could imagine. In summary, this place is a meat market driven by profit for the doctor, without regard for patient care. I was referred to Dr. Richard Thunder for lower back pain. After waiting a few weeks, I had my first consultation. Five minutes later, he ordered an MRI and went on to next room. My wife and I could believe it when we saw him yelling across the office and a patient who was late! A few weeks later on my second appointment, the MRI showed a herniated disc. Dr. Thunder quickly became a used car salesmen and insisted he would fix it and operate on my back right away. He said that I shouldn't bother with a second opinion, as nobody would care enough to get me on their schedule. Dr. Thunder walked me and my wife over to the "scheduling bullpen" and insisted with assistant "Ellie" to schedule me at the end of a long day of many surgeries. I'm told that this simple procedure that takes about 60-90 minutes and will net the doctor $14,000. I was also told by a doctor in the emergency room, that orthopedic surgeons have been hit hard by COVID and desperate to cut. After researching herniated discs, it's clear that the herniated discs do resolve themselves on their own, however, it's how much time and pain you are willing to endure. Back to the surgery. I nervously got my COVID test to prep for surgery. About 24 hours before surgery, my pain went away and I was able to walk 2 miles and I felt pretty darn good. I cancelled surgery and Dr. Thunder's assistant, Ellie, said no problem. Well over the next 4 weeks, my pain returned with a vengeance to unimaginable levels. I called Ellie and left a message to ask for my MRI to be sent for a second opinion. No response. When I met with the other doctor, the MRI was not sent after a week. I called again and asked to have them send it to me. Still not sent... no response. My pain was getting worse by the day. I was desperate, so I called to schedule surgery with Dr. Thunder. I called 3 times on that Monday and 3 times on that Tuesday. No return call. I went to the emergency room for morphine on Wednesday morning. No call back. Was Ellie on vacation? I called into a scheduler for another doctors in that bullpen and they confirmed that Ellie was working, just with other patients. She was avoiding my calls. Worse yet, I believe this was at the hand of Dr. Thunder, as retaliating on her own would cost her her job and have little upside. Ellie told that assistant to let me know that she could get me in on July 23rd. It was April!!! For me, the hours mattered with the increasing waves of suffering. This was clearly retaliation. I believe it was both Thunder and Ellie. Dr. Thunder has a god complex. Just despicable considering the pain I was in. To not call back, to see my phone number on Caller ID, to not refer me to another doctor, to not release my MRI records. The pain was so intense for so long, it broke me. Good news, I found another Doctor, who scheduled me a week out, however, I was in such bad pain, I went to the emergency room again and fortunately the doctor had a previous surgery and could operate that day. He did a great job and I am currently pain free. I highly recommend avoiding the terrible god complex shamsters at Torrey Pines Orthopedic & Sport Medicine. read more

I was very happy with my experiences, and ultimately surgery with Dr. Thunder. He saw me and diagnosed the herniated cervical disc issues I was experiencing which were so severe it resulted in surgery. One week post-surgery, the results are fantastic and I am pain free thanks to Dr. Thunder. For me, he was the perfect doctor to have through this experience and my results could not be better. No pain and an incision closure so great the x-ray tech at post-op appointment had to look closely. read more

Dr Thunder performed back surgery on me and I couldn't be happier. I came to theafter a failed back surgery was performed three years ago by another doctor. He took the time to explain the procedure he was going to do and the risks involved. I am happy to report the surgery went exceedingly well and I am extremely happy with the results. I came to him in pain and I am now pain-free. I highly recommend Dr Thunder to anybody who needs orthopedic help. read more

Everyone wants the perfect patient or client .. but some of us are not. After consulting with another surgeon...who promptly assessed that my spine impingement was going to render me a quadriplegic! He scheduled my surgery twice and cancelled twice due to concerns with my A1C....even with assurances from my GP that my blood sugar was lowering. I saw one other surgeon who couldnt take me for a number of weeks .... all the while I'm losing hand and leg function. I was referred to Dr. Thunder who made a effort to squeeze me into his schedule for a consultation. Upon seeing me unable to walk without a cane, assessing my health history... he and his efficient staff had me scheduled for surgery two days later before even leaving his office! The relief that finally someone listened to me and cared about future was overwhelming! I will ever be grateful to Dr Thunder for weighing the risks of not doing the surgery and what the end result would have been! Thank you Dr. Thunder for taking a chance on me and giving me hope for my future !! read more

Dr. Thunder has been excellent. I went in for a back problem which he prescribed physical therapy for. My MRI didn't show that much damage in my spine. They found an incidental issue unrelated to orthopedics. Dr. Thunder followed up with me, has his assistant make appointments with the imaging specialists and got me in to see a very good specialist. He then followed up with me afterwards. He could have just told me to do all this myself, but he didn't. He really went beyond anything I was expecting. read more

Dr Thunder was very responsive to my pain from a herniated disk and a pinched nerve. He got me into surgery within 4 days. The surgery was successful in removing my leg pain and I am healing rapidly. Dr. Thunder did an excellent job. I highly recommend him for back surgery. read more

Dr Thunder was at Mammoth Hospital when I crashed snowboarding. I was fortunate to have an orthopedic surgeon available to perform surgery on my wrist. He's an expert and communicated the options clearly. I made the right decision to have the surgery done immediately. Mammoth Hospital is a great facility too. read more

I came to Dr. Thunder in extreme neck and shoulder pain with pulling on my arm. The pain was so severe that I could not be in a vertical position. All I could do was lie down staring upward. He did everything he could including injections before deciding on a surgery. But told me not to give up on physical therapy. About a few days before my surgery and after pre-surgery I felt minor relief. And by the time the surgery came I still had a lot of tingling in my fingers but no severe pain in neck and shoulder but still we went ahead with the surgery and registered in the hospital and I was waiting for the nurse and anesthesiologist to put in the iv and talk to me. At the same time Dr. Thunder walks in to talk to me before the surgery. He looks at me and tells me I am a different person then he saw a week ago and asks me if I want to cancel the surgery! The nurse is there holding the IV and the other doctor is there and I ask him if that is allowed since I have never seen a surgeon do this. And it would have been my 11th surgery. He told me that he is my doctor and he decides what is necessary for me and if the pain return then he will not let me of the hook that easy but for now I can get dressed and go home and enjoy my day. The fact that he did not operate mean he does not get paid! He was not worried about that but was concerned what was best for me as a patient. To say that it is impressive is an understatement. If before, to be honest, I was not sure about anything , now I trust him 110%. And if the pain returns the same way I would not hesitate to go to him again for help knowing fully well that he WILL do what is the best for me. And by the way , when I told people , including my family , about what happened no one believed me. For surgeon to cancel the surgery is unheard of. read more

This review is long overdue.Dr.Thunder is a great Ortho MD,he did the Laminectomy of my mom 2 years ago without any problem and with positive results.His bedside manner from start up to the end is excellent,he explain the procedure well,he will answer all the questions you have without hesitation and he take good care of his patient well.We came back to see him today & he is still the same great Doctor.Kudos Dr Thunder!..May up above give you good health & long life to serve Sandiegans!!! read more