I brought my son to see Dr. Afra for growing pains. He was very thorough and we have a plan in place that we feel great about! I appreciated that he spoke directly to my son and was incredibly polite and respectful. He did not talk down to him, even though my son is only 14! Super experience all the way around from the front office ladies, to the doctor. read more

I'm so sorry to write this, i really like the dr, but the staff as the front told me they took my insurance in fact they do not. They just give a discount for the insurance. The complete bill is not covered by my insurance. I explicitly asked them several times. Do you take my insurance? I don't want to do anything that is not covered by insurance, and they said yes each time. All of a sudden, I got a bill for the entire visit. when I called to ask why, they said you were only given a little discount, but we do not participate in the exchange. I said that should've been explained to me and she said "no that was my job to research" and I said "no that was her job to tell me", which she did not. I really like Robert Arfa, but honestly, this visit was a complete waste of time and money. They never even called with my results. I got no treatment. Did they really expect me to book a follow up appointment after this? read more

Great doctor. Poor staff. Wait time is always long but the most recent visit left us at 70 minutes and counting before being seen.

Either answer your phone or get an answering machine. Dr Afra consulted on my daughters broken arm, was very nice, but a doctors office who doesn't answer their phone all day long and doesn't have an answering machine is unacceptable. read more

I was experiencing constant neck pain (5-6 level) for almost 2 months and my wife suggested i make an appointment with Cathie (PT). Cathie massaged and stretched my neck in different directions for almost 35 minutes. No machines, no ice, no looking at a manual, just hands on for almost the entire visit. 24-48 hours later and i am 95% pain free and the pain is maybe a 1. I've seen many PTs over the years and Cathie stands alone. She combines experience, with current techniques, and is highly effective. I would urge anytime in need of a P.T. to schedule time with Cathie. read more

A little more than a year ago, Dr. Afra was very conservative in treating my right knee. He suggested Voltaren, a topical anti-inflammatory cream and gave me a choice regarding a cortisone shot. My knee was much better after using Voltaren but I got the shot anyway, perhaps a mistake. Now, more than a year later, I returned requesting a cortisone shot in my left knee, but the doctor seemed like another person. I almost did not recognize him because he lost a lot of weight, but his personality and demeanor had changed also.Gone was the affable, empathetic demeanor, replaced by a cold personality, no smiles, just advising me to get knee replacement surgery. I don't think he looked at my xrays, which they insisted I needed for both knees. He reluctantly gave me my cortisone shot but it may have been administered in the wrong spot, on the outside of the knee when the pain was on the inside. My knee is better but not pain free and the right one got better with Voltaren. I'm elderly and do not want knee surgery! My association with Dr. Afra is at an end. read more

Yes my husband is for five months and the facility good. They gave him bad two times a week and they come to every two hours to turn him. I'm really happy. They brush his teeth. They clean him and recommended 100%. They sent him over here by Kaiser. read more

Great doctor he help me so much with my knee pain, when in 1st came in I couldn't walk good now I can do my normal activities again

The staff is wonderful and nice. My son felt so comfortable while getting an xray and speaking with the Dr. we had a great experience

As a medical professional myself I was deeply disappointed in this physicians office. I was treated for a shoulder injury last year, during my first visit they took a credit card number for "services ". Since then I have been charged for services not rendered for over $100! Do not trust this office. They are only interested in charging you. read more

Dr afra tells it like it is and you are making your next steps in treatment when you are ready! He did my knee replacement and I am so pleased - time heals ... out of daily pain and back to activity! Thank you Dr afra!! read more

5 STARS Patients service 5 stars in communication 5 starts in explaining my mom concern. Receptionists 5 Stars super fast. My mom has a knee problem , Dr requested x-rays ,after 20 min or less he was back with results. He explain with details to my moms concern. I also noticed another thing about Dr. Robert Afra he records everything for his records, WOW, a mind never remembers especially with so many patients, but I believe a voice recorded, and a pencil does, Excellent. He explain to my mom what she should do to minimized the pain and request to see her back in couple of weeks to make sure she is doing much better. Excellent Doctor. Yes,Yes. I HIGHLY recomend Dr. Robert Afra read more

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There is one thing I learned from seeing Dr. Afra and another orthopedist. If you have a torn meniscus, wait and see first, and remember that orthopedists make money from performing surgeries, so it is very likely that their opinions are biased. For me, it was NOT necessary to have surgery. It's been 6 months now since my injury and I'm walking fine and can get back on some rigorous yoga. Our bodies are amazing machines that can do things we cannot understand completely. Any injuries take a long time to heal and surgery should be the last resort. Which brings me to talk about why this place didn't deserve 5 stars. The doctor totally pushed me for surgery. I went in and he got me in for an MRI the same day. The next day was my follow up appointment and he diagnosed my torn meniscus on my knee and recommended surgery and could do it as soon as the following week! He even told me I should get blood work done ASAP to clear for surgeries and explained to me how easy it was and how common the surgery was. Just because it's common it doesn't mean that it's right for you. Divorcing is common in America these days but not everyone should do it, so is plastic surgery and dealing drugs. I admired how efficient he was but it's hard for me to trust a doctor who's hard-selling surgeries to me. I'm SO GLAD I went with my gut feeling. Right now my knee is not 100% but maybe 95% which is good enough for me. Most people who had surgeries don't have their knees back 100% anyway. My coworker who had meniscus arthroscopic surgery still complained about the pain from time to time. The damage is done. Let's have realistic expectations. I'm not discouraging any sort of surgery. For some the damage is so severe that the only pain-relieving solution is surgery. I'm saying to do your research and trust your gut feeling about your body before trusting the doctor blindly and rushing into surgery right away. You can always wait to have surgery but you cannot undo a surgery. That aside, the staff were all very efficient, friendly and helpful. The front desk lady was not the friendliest but she got the job done quickly. Dr. Afra was patient and took the time to explain things to me with diagrams and procedures. They also had in office X-ray which was very convenient. Because of the hospitality of the staff, I'm still giving it a 2 stars but I wasn't happy about the pressure into surgery; it's too business-like to me. But if you know you need a surgery, I'd say it might be a good place for you to start! read more

I saw Dr. Afra for a second opinion. His office did not bother to inform me that he was not part of my insurance network. When the bill came, it was much higher than anticipated. I called and was told it would be much better once I met my deductible (which is thousands of dollars), and so I should keep seeing the doctor. They should have informed me before my first appointment that they were not part of my network. Live and Learn. read more

Oh so disappointed! Having read several reviews, I made an appointment to have secure a 2nd opinion on a injury. The initial wait for the appointment was reasonable. I called the day before to confirm and the receptionist initially could not find my appointment... as a new patient I showed up early with all my forms completed and was asked for ID, Insurance card, and a credit card. I advised I pay my Co-payments in cash. I was advised that Dr. AFRA required a credit card. The receptionist told me no credit card, no appointment with DR. AFRA, she then stated she must confer with DR. AFRA, she went into the back room and he walked out down the hall eyeballed me and went back into the room. The receptionist walked out and gave me a name of another doctor... The good DR. AFRA didn't even have the customer/patient care to stop for 30 seconds and discuss my circumstances with me... beware beware beware read more

Dr Afra did a great job on my surgery. My thumb is as good as new. I really appreciate his skill and caring.

Dr Afra is the most arrogant and incompetent doctor I have met! I accompanied my wife for her knee issue. After lengthy discussion between my wife and Dr Afra about the underlying problems, I asked him what would be the worst case scenario in her case. His response: Death! He performed an unsuccessful surgery which did nothing for my wife, forcing her to seek another surgery with another surgeon. Dr Afra lacks people skill and empathy. read more

I'd like to review his care, but I can't even get an appointment. I called two days during business hours and there was NO ANSWER --at a doctor's office! No voice mail, no answering service, nothing. I called back a couple hours later and a woman answered, took my name and number, and brusquely said they'd call back with an appointment. Still haven't heard from them. read more

It's been quite a journey! I've been on workers comp for over one (1) year and during that time have had a series of physical therapy related treatments -I was transferred out of the Sharp occupational medicine doctors office because they seemed to give up after not being able to fit me in the "carpal tunnel" box. I was referred out to an Orthopedist. Dr. Afra was the 2nd one I saw and although apprehensive due to my fellow Yelpsters review of him and the office staff, I decided to go with him after reading his bio and my online research of him. In my 1st visit, he provided me more information than I had the entire year in understanding my situation and how to move forward. He did not recommend surgery immediately but took time to have me go through more conservative treatment to see if my particular injury would get better. It didn't. I did end up having surgery after all but only after other options had been exhausted. Post surgery, I can say that although I'm obviously still healing and am not pain free, Dr. Afra is an exceptional surgeon and his guidance and treatment plan was what was best for me. I am continuing to see Dr. Afra for other areas of injury and can at least see a light at the end of this dark tunnel where I felt I may never get better. He IS pretty straight forward and does not sugar coat what he says but I prefer directness when it comes to my health. The entire office staff has been great, including Elvina at the front desk whose also pretty no nonsense, which again, I prefer. She has always been pleasant so I'm not sure why others have had the opposite experience. As far as Dr. Afra being pro-surgery, I came to Dr. Afra's office with him knowing I had previously seen another Orthopedist who didn't think I was a surgical candidate and pretty much wrote me off after 1 visit and a cortisone shot which didn't help me in the least BUT Dr. Afra was still willing to review my case, listen and treat me with surgery possibly not being an option at all. I will update my review as I continue my treatment with Dr. Afra and hope that anyone else who finds their way to him give him a try. read more

I initially saw Dr. Afra for knee pain, and he quickly realized my bigger issue was hip impingement and labral tear. He performed surgery after conservative measures didn't help, and I felt confident in his skills and precision. I'm well into a good recovery on my right hip. He is always willing to answer all my questions even though it is clear he is very busy. I find it helps to go in with a written list to be efficient. He has a reassuring manner, particularly on surgery day when I was pretty nervous. His assistant Michael is always warm and friendly and helped wade through some ridiculous issues with the medical group I am with and insurance. His scheduler Elvina is also kind and helpful to me. I feel fortunate to have found such a skilled and compassionate doctor. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Afra for the past 4 months for a very complicated tibial plateau fracture from a skiing accident in Utah. After the incident first happened in February I was required to get the 1st surgery in Utah to stabilize it and then get another surgery here in San Diego. After difficulty scheduling an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon my Utah doctor suggested, I got the name of Dr. Afra and am so glad that I did! He was able to initially see me the next day and perform the major surgery to insert the plates and screws needed 3 days later. Since then I have had to get 2 other procedures done (a manual manipulation and knee arthroscopy) to speed up my recovery which has been a little slower than originally planned and hoped for. Throughout all the visits though during and after he has always been kind and caring and willing to answer any questions my family or I have had. He explains everything well so that you understand the process fully and are comfortable with the next steps. Dr. Afra and his nurses also make sure to provide all the necessary paperwork such as disability forms, handicapped placards, test results etc in a timely manner. I will be moving next week to another state and continuing my recovery there. Dr Afra has already reached out to a colleague to find out who can continue my treatment there and to help my transition go smoother. It's been a very long and arduous journey with many hurdles but I am hoping to be back at 100% soon and know that I couldn't have done any of this without Dr. Afra and his great nurses, Robert and Jose! read more

Robert Afra, MD - Tibial Plateau fracture Schatzker type VI internal fixation - Orthopedists Near Me - Encinitas, California

My experience with Dr. Afra was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and helped me immensely with my knee injury. We tried to improve it with PT but after my knee still did not feel good he advised surgery. The surgery was great and I've now recovered and gone back to doing most activities like I used to before the injury. I would most definitely recommend him to anyone with Knee Injuries. read more

He is a part of Concentra and I seen him one time and I thought he had read my chart but he walked out of the room and in walked his asst David with 3 prescriptions and I realized that 2 of them were ones I couldn't take them and would of sent me into complete kidney failure. I tried to tell David and he gave me attitude and said I won't get any higher pain med. Well thats not what i was asking for. All I wanted was pain control by a Dr that would listen. Instead I have been thrown out of Concentra with no Dr to follow my care. I'm in need of surgery. I've had no pain control in over 48 hours. So YOU BETTER GO ALONG WITH WHATEVER THIS DOCTOR WANTS OR YOU'LL PAY A HIGH PRICE. ME IN PAIN AND NO SURGERY. BY THE TIME I GET A SURGEON THEY WILL HAVE TO REBREAK MY WRIST. THANK YOU DR. AFRA read more

By far worst experience ever. Went there for a work injury and he totally dismissed any of my injuries. Never returned to exam room sent nurse in to say I was done. I clearly went to get a second opinion that resulted in surgery. It was clear that this Dr. was more concerned about the company than my health. read more

After reading the review about Dr. Afra, I wanted to schedule an appointment with him to go over the options for my knee. The receptionist had the warmth of an ice cube while trying to schedule an appointment. I found her attitude to be rude and short, and that was before I said anything other than "I'd like to schedule an appointment". If you can get past the crass receptionist then by all means go on but I'll never know because first impressions are everything to me, especially when I'm paying as much money as I am willing to pay for surgery. Front desk: 2 thumbs down - If I had more hands I'd give the front desk more thumb downs. Dr. Afra: I won't ever know due to the rudeness of the front desk. read more

Does Dr. Afra read his reviews? I hope so. RE the other Yelp comments on his front desk staff, I'm sure we're talking about the same person when I refer to his receptionist. Kim Kardashian with the long black hair, perfectly manicured nails and perfectly applied makeup. I only wish she would give as much attention and care to the patients that she does to her own external appearance. In the few times I've been to the office, she acted like I was bothering her to come to the front desk to check in or ask a question. When I called to change an appointment and ask for a bill to be sent to me, she was either falling asleep or as interested in my situation as in watching paint dry on the wall. My impression of Dr. Afra was of someone in a big hurry to get in and out of the examination room. He seemed competent and thorough, but had that slightly condescending manner that some doctors have to us mere earthlings. My father, sister, son-in-law and 2 cousins are all MDs, so I'm not impressed. Won't be going back! read more

I am usually not one to write reviews but I wanted to for Dr Afra. What stands out the most about him is that he listens, he makes time for you if you need to see him right away, he lays things out very clearly so there is never confusion and he really does care about his patients. I have had to go to him multiple times in the last month and every time, always patient and always has a plan to set in action to help me feel better. I totally recommend him if you are looking for an Orthopedic Doctor. read more

The office is very busy, but Dr. Afra gives you his full attention when you are visiting with him. He advocates for you to get the care that you deserve and does a great job of helping you to understand what is causing your pain, as well as options available to help relieve that pain. read more

There's a reason Dr. Afra gets great reviews. I saw several doctors for a really bad ankle sprain with extreme swelling and immobility. The other doctors I saw at Scripps and Sharp did not help much and were not thorough. Getting a first appt with Dr. Afra was only a week out, which is pretty good. He does his own X-rays and checked my MRI report first. He's the first one to bust out a foot model and explain what's going on. He lays out all the possibilities clearly to the point where I couldn't think of anything else to ask. What I really like, though, is that he isn't rushed and stops at the end of his explanation to make sure there is space to ask questions. He didn't pretend to fully know why the ankle and foot were so swollen and bruised, which was really nice because some doctors don't want to admit they're not sure. I also like that he sent me to acupuncture and told me to start using arnica salve on my foot and ankle. read more

I do not know if Afra is a good surgeon, but he did not help my wrist problem. Saw Dr Afra at Concentra. He was rushed and did not ask a lot of questions; ignored my MRI and mis-diagnosed me with de quervain's tenosynovitis and shot me with cortisone in the wrong spot: no effect. Went to Dr Chao at Oasis MD and he ordered another MRI and found torn cartilage in my wrist. read more

Wait time is 1 hour. Felt that there is a lack of value of other people's time. When I was seen, evaluations and treatment plan was helpful. Waiting for prescriptions after seeing the doctor was extremely long. Fifteen minutes. Perhaps there are too many patients in a day. I need to revise my post. Dr. Afra called me and apologized. He then consulted over the phone on the injury. This definitely helped my views of my overall experience. read more

I saw Dr. Afra for a strained right calf caused by overtraining for long distance races. Dr. Afra is an excellent doctor who thoroughly diagnosed my condition, provided me with a short term and long term treatment plan (physical therapy, exercise , and training recommendations). I highly recommend Dr. Afra, he has me back to running stronger than ever! read more

Robert Afra, MD - Orthopedists Near Me - Encinitas, California

You can say that Dr. Afra is our family sports Doc. My wife was a long distance runner (she still runs several miles every morning but she doesn't consider that long distance) and she been seeing him for years. Both our kids were very heavy into high school team sports and went to him for injuries beyond having the trainer put on ace wrap and applying ice. Then, of course, I went to him when I injured my knee doing dog agility. We love that he takes the time to explain things in plan, simple English, but will go into as much detail as we want when we ask him complicated questions. He has always completely discussed what the treatment options were and discussed the pros and cons of each course of action so we could make an informed decision. We also love the attention he and his staff gave us during our treatment. We trust him because he's a great surgeon who will make sure he explores all other options before recommending surgery. So far of the four of us, I'm the only one who's needed a surgical procedure, and a minor one at that. His follow up has been great. We will always go back to him and we've recommended him to our friends who had sports injuries or orthopedic problems. read more

This place is horrible! I am a pilot by trade. I walked into the Orthopedic Surgery Center and explained I was a "cash" patient because I am here to get a second opinion. I had an issue with my elbow. They said not a problem, fill out these papers and we will see you. I did and 45 minutes later they called me in, took the regular BP and asked normal questions. Then Dr Afra came in did a consult, I brought a copy of x-rays with me from my prior doctor's. Dr Afra said there was nothing on the CD and they needed to take X-rays (more $) but, I did. Dr Afra asked me to come back after he had a chance to review the x-rays. After the consult I walked up to the front desk and they charged me $196.00 which I paid at that time in full. The following week I came back and spent no more than 10 minutes for Dr Afra to tell me he reviewed the x-rays and recommends me to another doctor who specializes in "the elbow". I walked back to the front desk and explained I am a cash patient and is there anything I owe. The lady told me "no, I was all good to go". I said this is a follow up, she still said "no, you are good". SIX MONTHS later I receive a bill in the mail for $97.00, I called immediately and the lady at the desk explained it was an error and she would correct it. Another month went by and I received another bill, I called again and they put me through to Elivina, who is in charge of billing. She was hostile from the beginning and only kept repeating her policies (that every visit is charged and the front desk know that) instead of listening to the whole story and process and finding compromise to a solution or at least acknowledge the lack of communication / education on the front desk staff. I asked if I could speak to Dr Afra, she said he was extremely busy, I asked if I could have his email, she gave me "her" email, so I am left with no choice but to put this out to everyone. Beware, they are not in the field of medicine to help people, only to take their MONEY... No matter how small... I am very dissatisfied. I urge you to look elsewhere for your medical needs. read more

Dr. Afra has helped our family through multiple injuries this past year. Both of my children have broken bones, as well as my son developing pain in his achilles tendons. Dr. Afra is patient, warm, smart and open to alternative therapies. At his suggestion we also visited an acupuncturist to help aid in my son's pain, which was enormously helpful. Having two very active (and injury-prone) children, we end up seeing Dr. Afra frequently. The entire staff is accommodating and friendly, and we've always been able to get an appointment quickly in an emergency. He considers the whole picture when treating his patients. We are so lucky to have found Dr. Afra and his practice. read more

We're very happy with Dr. Afra & his team. He saw our son on very short notice, and helped immeasurably with his knee issues. On top of that goes out of the way to be sure that you have an excellent understanding of the next steps to rehabilitation of the injury. 5****** star service and highly reccommended read more

Dr. Afra treated my wrist injury for many months. Today, it is feeling great and I am very thankful. Dr. Afra is a kind-hearted doctor with a lot of patience, knowledge, and expertise. In addition, his staff members were wonderful. I would recommend Dr. Afraa to any and all with a sports injury needing an orthopedic sports doctor. read more

I'm extremely disappointed with the doctor, and very very disappointed with the office staff. Here is why: 1. During my first appointment, the doctor requested only hard copies of my orthopedic medical records. I advised him that it's over 12,000 pages. He said he is "old school" and he needs hardcopies. I asked if he just needs the most recent information, and he said no, he needs it all. He did say to bring the MRIs x-rays pet scan's on discs, because printing those would be worthless.. I was seeing him because of severe damage to my elbows wrists and thumbs, bilaterally. I told him it would be very difficult for me to print everything. I spent over $300 in paper and toner for the printer, re-injured my hands and elbows more, and it took almost 40 hours for me to assemble everything the way he wanted it. On a sidenote, he never looked at a single page. 2. The morning of my second appointment. I called his office and spoke to Elvena who confirmed my appointment was at 2 PM. I went to the appointment at 2 PM and brought the materials that were requested,. I reinjured my right elbow bringing them to his office. I was met with and aloof response from Elvena as I tried to open the door and get my records through the door. After sitting in the waiting room for an extended period of time, Elvena says they can't see me because there is a issue with the paperwork from the work comp adjuster. I asked why they confirmed my appointment, and wasted my time driving all the way to their office, if they had no intention of seeing me. After reviewing the referral paperwork with my referring physician, my lawyer, and the adjuster, it was determined that Dr. Afra's office was inappropriate, and all the paperwork was correct. I asked for help to get my records back to my car, and she refused. She suggested I leave the records there until the paperwork gets fixed. I reluctantly agreed but I had no choice because I couldn't carry my records. 3. A few hours later, after finding out that Dr. Afra's office was being unnecessarily difficult, I called Elvena and requested a date and time to pick up my records. I've had doctors not return my records in the past, and they always say they lost them. After all that work and money I didn't want them lost again and she agreed to return my records the following day at 8 AM. Her conduct on the phone was extremely arrogant and unprofessional. 4. The following day, at 8 AM, I arrived at their office to pick up my records. The office was closed up tight with no lights on, the door locked, and their office hours clearly listed on the door indicating that they are open at 8 AM. After waiting over a half hour, an old lady came up to the door with the keys to open the door. She proceeded to complain to me about the traffic and that she's normally not late and proceeded to tell me she has nothing to do with Dr. Afars office, Dr. Afars people, Dr. Afar's records, I told her if she's got issues with her boss about her showing up to work late, that's their problem, I just came to pick up my records. I asked her simple questions like "do you know when they show up.?" She said "I have nothing to do with Dr. Afar. ". It appears that Dr. Holland's front desk staff is as incompetent and surly as Dr. Afars. It doesn't look like anybody shows up during their office hours. 5. Fast forward a month, and I still didn't get my records back. I had to talk to the local sheriff about the rules for getting my records back and I had to talk to my lawyer to have him coordinate getting my information back. 6. I'll leave out all the details, but as of now I have my records back and I had to pay somebody to go get them for me. 7. During this fiasco, I made a comment to a few of my friends in networking groups. I soon found out that two other people I know had almost identical problems with this doctor. I've asked them to make sure they update their comments to yellp too so that others aren't inclined to be abused by this guy. One of my friends said he ultimately removed his own stitches because Elvena wouldn't make a follow up appointment for stitch removal after his carpal tunnel surgery. Another friend of mine said that the doctor performed a carpel tunnel surgery and sliced through a cyst. He said the doctor didn't remove the cyst because he said he had to do it as a separate surgical procedure in order to get paid. I hope I never see Dr. Afar, Dr. Holland, Elvena, and Dr. Holland front desk person ever again. Save yourself the frustration and avoid them. read more

We have had several great experiences with Dr. Afra. Unfortunately, my children are accident prone, but thankfully we have Dr. Afra to treat them. The most recent experience was when my son hurt his wrist. It was over the weekend so we took him to the ER.The ER was vague and said it might be a fracture and they put a splinted his arm. My son was in a lot of pain and when I called Dr. Afra's office he already had a very full schedule. The very nice receptionist asked some questions about the accident and said she would call me back with an appointment. She spoke with Dr. Afra and they squeezed us in that very day. Dr. Afra was very knowledgeable and kind. He made my son feel very comfortable and my son left the office that day with a cast and pain free. All my experiences with Dr. Afra and his office staff have been very positive. I recommend him highly!!! read more

I was referred to Dr. Afra for a sprained wrist through workers comp. Dr. Afra was very personable and warm. He was very knowledgable and took the time to explain diagnosis. He was always willing to listen to my concerns and preferences rather than other doctors who tell you what you are going to do. I highly recommend Dr. Robert Afra to future patients. read more