Thanks to Dr. Virella, my debilitating back pain is now completely gone!!! Having had chronic lower back issues for decades, I had previously tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy, and epidural shots to alleviate the pain. While some of these treatments temporarily helped me, the pain kept returning until it became unbearable. After watching my friend recover brilliantly from her back surgery performed by Dr. Virella, I bit the bullet and scheduled my own two level lumbar laminectomy last February. I'm beyond thrilled with the results, and wish I had scheduled the surgery sooner! Mina, Dr. Virella's amazing office manager, effortlessly steered me through all the necessary paperwork, helped me prepare for my recovery, and calmly answered zillions of questions. (Sorry Mina!) Dr. Virella and the other staff who were involved with my surgery spent a lot of individual time with me before the surgery, explaining what their roles were, and what exactly was going to happen. They were all so kind and reassuring, I wasn't nervous at all before the procedure. The first few days post surgery were quite painful, but I was stunned that I no longer needed any pain medication at all after just six days--not even Tylenol. I continued to improve daily, and my recuperation really ramped up when I started physical therapy. After 12 weeks of P.T., I felt stable enough to begin riding my horses, and felt strong enough to hike with my three big dogs. It feels so amazing to have my active life back again! I couldn't be more satisfied with this surgery, and owe the success to Dr. Virella. I'd highly recommend this skillful surgeon and his wonderful staff to anyone who wants to alleviate their back pain once and for all. read more

Eight years ago I couldn't walk more than 100 feet without taking a break. I was in constant pain. I was hunched over and could'nt stand up straight. I did shots in the spine, physical therapy. Nothing helped. I went to Dr Virella with my MRI video. He looked at it and explained it all to me. I said can you fix my problem, He said yes. I proceeded to have him do a laminectomy on my spine. I couldn't be happier with the results. I have nothing but praise for this man. I have been pain free since. Thank You very much Dr Virella. John Kivlen read more

Hi Everyone ! I had my lower spine surgery on Oct-18-2022 and I will like to thank Dr. Virella because he and his crew did a wonderfull job ! I'm so happy that I'm recovering very good and I feeling stronger every day. My therapy sessions Nov-16-2022 to Feb-06-2023 and those help me a lot with the recovery. I still have precautions of no heavy lifting, no twisting and no bending until Dr. Virella approves it and just keep walking to fortalize muscles and give the time for the bones to get fusion. I sincerelly recomend Dr. Virella for your spine surgery, he is a very ethical and professional surgeon. read more

I really don't know where to start. After reading so many negative reviews on here it's amazing to me that the doctor has attorneys threatening people to take down their honest comments. I did not know that you cannot express your feelings or the attorneys will come after you. It's not Russia yet. Maybe then. Well let's go. First of all this Dr has an incredible smile, and a very strong need for money. I had surgery with him a while back and it was a failure. I came back to see him for an appointment to discuss my pain. It'll be hard for you to believe this next thing. He walked in the room where I was and had no notes with him nothing. I'm not proud of this, but I see many many doctors because of my age as many of you know our parts start falling apart. Well anyway, he had no notes and he asked me the question. Which side did we go in last time? I told him I think the back I'm not sure. Without even checking at all not touching me. He said OK will do the front this time. Just go ahead and schedule that at the front desk. Just like that is how it happened. I got to tell it's still Today that I will never forget. I don't know how many children he has, but they sure must need some tuition. I remember he had a newspaper review in there how great his bedside manner is. I'm not happy to say I have been in the hospital a lot, and I would say without a doubt he has the worst bedside manner ever. He has the world record of being the worst doctors bedside manner that I've ever seen. I have many doctors in the Westlake, and Thousand Oaks area, and I mentioned this to many of my doctors at what happened. Everyone knew about his reputation, and would never refer any of their patients to him. And by the way, I'm not gonna go into this one but Spade read more

Ok where do I start? I made an appointment and went in for my initial consultation June 1, 2015. I filled out the new patient packet and they took my insurance card. When I met with the Doctor he went over my symptoms and did a exam along with looking over a 2 YEAR OLD MRI which I had brought in. He determined that I was a candidate for Micro Surgery based on a 2 YEAR OLD MRI! Within a few days Mina had called to set up the surgery for a little over a week. Unfortunately I had to cancel the surgery the beginning of the following week due to getting sick. A week later I called her MINA to say that I was feeling better and I wanted to reschedule the surgery. She then informed me that THEY NEVER HAD APPROVAL which she initially called me to setup. After finally getting approval and rescheduling I got a call from Mina 4 days prior to surgery (July 2,2015) to tell me she needed PAYMENT IN FULL being that they were OUT OF NETWORK! Never once did ANYONE inform me of this at the initial consultation visit. Also "SEE AMBER L'S REVIEW DATED 08/21/14" as to this is common practice here. I brought this to her attention and she told me it isn't NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to inform the patient and I should have called my insurance company prior to coming in for my initial visit. She said once I was there it's THEIR responsibility to service me. NEVER before have I ever heard of this! Being this was on the Thursday (July 2nd) before a long weekend (4th ofJuly) it was TOO LATE for me to cancel the surgery due to their 72 hour notice policy without paying a 20% fee. Knowing what I know now I should have paid the 20% penalty and NOT proceeded with the surgery the following Monday. The surgery went ok, or so I thought only to end up in the ER Wednesday not being able to walk. I called and informed Mina that day what was going on and that I was going to the ER. They admitted me and I woke up the next day with a 103.5 fever and an INFECTION in my back. Dr. Virella finally showed up to see me that Friday 2 days after being admitted. I informed him I was HIRING A NEW doctor "DR. ERIC SPAYDE" which he agreed with as a 2nd opinion. He then asked me if he could follow him? I told him there was NO reason to which disappointed him. REALLY! After a week in the hospital and on antibiotics I had to have a 2nd surgery to correct what was done IMPROPERLY originally! I stayed another week to make sure the infection was gone and finally went home after a 2 WEEK STAY IN THE HOSPITAL with a PICC LINE and me administering antibiotics twice a day for 4 weeks. What a mess for what was supposed to be a MICRO SURGERY and 1 week off work. Bottom line this place is a MESS from the from the front office to the doctor and I would check EVERYTHING out before using him! Just MY opinion but look at ALL that I've been through. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!!!! read more

The one thing today I am thankful for is Dr. Virella and his incredible staff! I have been misdiagnosed for many years lived in pain almost to for 10 years went to incredible doctors had the best insurance and these doctors but I've gone to before him told me there was nothing wrong with me and sent me home with not even an aspirin. I had 15 MRIs no one even bothered to look at them. My son took me to see Dr. Virella in my life changed. He told me I needed surgery he operated on me I'm still in recovery but I still I feel incredible amount of difference in my body already. I would recommend him to anyone! He's the only doctor that will actually listen to you! And if I could adopt a staff I would adopt his staff! His girls are so kind and loving and thoughtful took towards me even when I was crying on the phone.My name is Adela Taylor read more

I was referred here last year for a severely herniated disc in my lower back. Provided him with an MRI sat and talked with him for maybe 15 mins. Immediately referred for surgery. Trusting him and his staff I booked it. After deciding to get a second opinion they called me several times on the same day to "schedule a second opinion" with a partner doctor and trying to convince me to do the surgery with them. After I declined, the surgeon himself called me saying how important it was for me to have surgery. I chose not to go with them due to all of this treatment. It felt like they were in it for the money. Sure enough, a few weeks later I get a $500 bill for the consultation. Realty? AFTER I paid a consult fee at the time of the consult. Ridiculous. read more

In May of 2017, I was hit by a huge medical transport van going full speed on the freeway which resulted in severe neck and back pain with restricted mobility. It was devastating, as I am, and always have been a very active person both professionally and recreationally. After trying physical therapy, aquatic therapy, and 2 epidurals, surgery became my only option. I consulted a well-known neurosurgeon at UCLA, that recommended disc replacement in my lumbar region and a possible fusion in 2 levels of my neck. I asked for a second opinion with Dr. Virella because I had taken my 81-year-old mother to see him 8 years earlier and had been impressed with his straightforward clarity as to what the risks would be for her to have a surgery that was being recommended to her. Based on her consultation with him, she elected to cancel her surgery. Mom will be 90 this May, and our family remains grateful for his honesty. I was able to get a consultation with Dr. Virella and after looking at my MRI, he recommended a fusion right away and said that he would not recommend disc replacement surgery for me, nor did he feel I that need the surgery on my neck at this time. I felt so comfortable with his straight forward diagnosis and his reasoning behind his recommendation that I scheduled my surgery with him before I left his office. His office manager, Mina, and his front office nurse, Jenny, along with his other staff were as efficient as he was. I was the office manager of my husband's medical practice in Northridge for years, so I know what a well-run, efficient practice looks like. I just saw Dr. Virella for a followup. It is now 11 weeks post op and I am PAIN FREE! I am back at work, and beginning physical therapy next week. read more

I cannot believe that I am the first to write a review for Dr. Virella. Wow! I am his patient, he did 3 back surgeries on me. I am extremely happy with him! Anyone who has back problems should definetely see him! My last surgery was a little more than a week ago, it was Micro Surgery. 45 minutes after waking up from anesthesia I was able to stand up, get dressed and go home! Pain Free! Dr. Virella employs 2 wonderful ladies, Renee and Mina. God bless you for all the hard work you do. From the time you call for an appointment you are treated with respect, with courtesy amd understanding. You dont spend a lot of time in the waiting room. Appointment times are prompt. Love it! Did I mention that he is extremely handsome? Just saying........ Thank you Dr. Virella! read more

I posted a review a few years ago because of the lack of professional care I received by Dr Virella. I was asked to take it down and I did but after struggling these last few years both physically and emotionally due to the experience, I have decided to repost my review so that others can see what happens if things don't go well. Here is the original post. I had back surgery (laminectomy and fusion) with Dr Virella over a year ago a few days later had complications that landed me in the hospital. I understand that these things happen but when they happen its how the doctor and his staff respond that tells me what the dr is really about. I found out that for this practice the focus wasn't on me, the patient, but the fees earned for doing the surgery. I sat in the hospital for almost two days without food because Dr. Virella wouldn't respond to their calls and they said I needed another surgery. On the third day he finally came in, wouldn't look me in the eye and didn't ask me how I was doing or explain what was going on. In less than 10 seconds he told me I didn't need surgery and walked out. I was scared and worried and the doctor I had put my trust in to do the surgery and see me through this couldn't be bothered to take time to explain what was going on or the next steps needed for me to recover. Shortly thereafter an infectious disease doctor came in and told me that I did need surgery or I would be in serious danger. The infectious disease doctor too was ignored by Dr Virella but was finally able to compel him to do what was needed for my health. I spent 6 days in the hospital and Dr. Virella never once checked in to see how I was after the second surgery. I felt like He had earned his fees and I was on my own. At my follow up appt he told me to come back in a month. He knew I had removable stitches from the second surgery and while I thought they should not stay in for six weeks I figured he was the neurosurgeon and he would know best. At the next visit he said all was well and to come back in a few weeks. He didn't even have my chart and clearly forgot I had stitches still in. I had to remind him as he was walking out the door to remove them. My next visit was cancelled at 8 am the day of the appt because I was told he decided to take the day off at the last minute. They never called to reschedule either and I found a new doctor. The surgery did not work and I'm in more pain than before but that can happen. What should not happen is the total disregard for the patient as a person. There are other skilled doctors in the area that can offer the same treatment and will treat you as a human being not just a meal ticket. read more

Quality of life is, to my mind, more crucial than longevity. What I received from Dr. Virella's talented and honed skills was exactly that, combined with gracious service from his staff. Mina and Judith were particularly caring, calling daily after the surgery to track my recovery process. After two weeks, I can absolutely acknowledge that the surgery was a success. My pain level is down from nine to about one to two, as at the end of the day I ache more than I'd like. That, I'm sure will go down as the healing continues. It's too bad that negative comments are included when the complainer didn't follow through with surgery. Surgery is not free. Deal with it. If you bring in a two year old MRI, that's what they'll use. Unless you've had further injuries since the date it was taken, that should show more than adequate guidance for the diagnosis as well as a competent guide to surgical repair. A patient could always request a new imaging be conducted, but as there is an obvious reluctance to spend on the process, it seems unlikely that the request would have been made. I am grateful for his skill and continued education in his field. While in my bank talking to the branch manager, I told her of my surgery. She said her husband had gone through back surgery recently, six months if I recall correctly, and that he was very impressed with the surgeon, the staff and the surgical results. Who was his surgeon. Dr. Virella. read more

What can I say?! I've been suffering from back issues for many years now. I recently had two epidurals from another doctor that didn't work. I was out of options! Dr. Virella was the second surgeon I saw for options on my back. One wanted to fuse me.... Dr. Virella made it so easy and gave me an amazing vibe that I should use him for my surgery. First visit and already have surgery in the books! Huge thanks to Dr. Virella for making this experience so easy and thank you Mina and staff for guiding me through the process for surgery and answer any questions I have! read more

Dr Virella and his staff are top notch! They are both friendly and professional. I have been seeing him for back issues for a few years now. He has a surgery center right next door to his office which is top quality! Everything is extremely clean. I highly recommend him! read more

Anthony is a joke and the epitome of a waste of time. Before the appointment even started we overheard him talking to a nurse about how he didn't want to be at work, but at home, because the traffic was so bad. GREAT START. After supplying an MRI and information from our current OB about serious pain during a pregnancy that was weeks away from delivery he approached the appointment like an obligation. He had no idea why we were there and gave absolutely zero conclusive information, suggestion, or even an opinion. Simply put, he stated information that was beyond obvious and the polar opposite of helpful. Not too mention his enthusiasm could be matched with a dead horse falling off a cliff. He felt it necessary to SUGGEST we don't do back surgery during the pregnancy. OH REALLY? After providing some leading information (which would suggest a critical injury) he had nothing more to say than "that's pretty normal during pregnancy". Keep in mind the leading information suggested severely permanent nerve damage. Do not use Anthony unless you take pride in wasting your time. read more

Does not seem much knowledgable. I had a slip disc & he told me that "he does not recommend surgery to 98% of his clients, but I fall in that 2% category". He said that just by looking at my MRI & asking me to lift my leg 90 degrees. If that's how he determines, if the patient needs a surgery or NOT, good luck getting a surgery from him! Anyways, here I'm 6-7 months later 75% recovered by stretching & seeing a chiropractor. All those accolades are meaningless, until a doctor really knows his stuff. read more

Where to start. Found him as a creditable neurologist boy was that wrong. I paid thousands of dollar for him to look over CT and MRI's and he said he found nothing wrong. It took him months to review and then when he was finally done and I asked for a complete review he didn't even know or remember where he had put my scans. After that he sent his review which was only a paragraph not telling me much about his findings. After I sought out a top neurosurgeon who knew more about this particular surgery he found many things even hidden CT and MRI's that had been mislabeled. That proved to me that Dr. Virilla didn't really look at my scans and just over charged me on time that he never took to do a through and good job. If I could give a zero star I would. read more

Wanted to see this Dr. for a consultation and before I could visit they wanted so much money upfront. I questioned their practices and they stated that it is standard industry practice to collect monies up front for a consultation. But the amount wanted was ridiculous in my opinion and I was shocked. I ultimately went to another NS because they allowed me to see them and then they billed my insurance company to see what the insurance company would collect. After reading the other reviews here I'm glad I went elsewhere. I decided to write this review because I wanted others to know that there are doctors out there that will work with you and understand that when you are in pain you need answers and hopefully relief but that not everyone can shell out thousands of dollars for an opinion. I received an opinion from a well respected local NS and from another NS at UCLA. Both charged reasonable fees that allowed me to make an informed choice with respect to my treatment. Please, if you are in pain, don't give up. There are doctors out there that aren't all about money and really do care about you as a person. read more

Based on my experience with this "doctor," I would urge anyone with a spinal problem to STAY FAR AWAY from this man. He claims to be an outstanding surgeon, has pictures of himself all over his office, buys full-page ads in local magazines. My experience: he's a NIGHTMARE - callous, uncaring, incompetent.. I had been having serious back problems and he was recommended by the anesthesiologist who gave me an epidural. The first time I saw him, he hardly looked at the two MRIs I brought, told me it was arthritis and recommended physical therapy and a nerve test. I started physical therapy at the facility he recommended, and the aggressive therapy was definitely exacerbating the pain and numbness. I had the nerve tests several weeks later (the earliest appointment), and the neurologist who performed them told me that surgery was urgently needed: the nerves in my leg were "dying". I immediately called Virella and got an appointment for two days later, fully expecting that he would recommend surgery. At this point, my leg was dragging ("drop foot"), I was falling, I couldn't write or even feed myself (my hands were so numb), and all these severe symptoms had developed in the space of a couple of weeks. It was terrifying. My husband and I were sitting in the exam room. He walked in with no test reports or MRIs. Standing up (never sat down to talk to us or explain anything), he made this pronouncement: "there is nothing I can do. It's arthritis." He asked how many epidurals I'd had. I said two - one in lower back, one in cervical spine (but the anesthesiologist had said that the neck was so tight that he was not able to put the needle where it needed to go. Virella made a face when he heard that. He said I needed to go back and have more epidurals. He insisted that a patient could have 3 epidurals in one spot every 6 months. (That is not true: it's 3 per year.) He told me to continue physical therapy, have the epidurals, and come back in 2-3 months. My husband said, "I don't think you heard her - she can't walk!" Virella's answer: "It's arthritis. Surgery would be dangerous and probably wouldn't help and most likely would make it worse. You might be able to find a doctor to perform surgery, but he wouldn't be a good surgeon." That was it. I was devastated. My husband and I left his office and called UCLA Spine Center. (Virella boasts of having been trained at UCLA; he obviously didn't learn much there.) I was seen three days later. Dr. McBride and two associates looked at the MRIs and test results and said that surgery could not wait. The cervical spinal stenosis was causing the numbness and inability to walk and was so severe that without surgery I could be paralyzed! He recommended fusion for the neck and a laminectomy for the lower back. I had the surgery six weeks ago. The numbness is almost completely gone; I can walk, write, live normally again. Heaven knows what condition I'd be in had I listened to Virella. Total lack of compassion and incompetent!! read more

I've had a great experience with Dr Virellas work and one year after surgery I feel great. I've never felt like him or his staff were unprofessional I work in the medical field as well. I found them to be pleasant. Great results with laminectomy/microdiskectomy for L3-L4. read more

PAIN FREE! That's what we all want, right? Well, after two years of constant pain, and now two and a half weeks after Dr. Virella removed a large cyst from between L4 & L5 which was pressing on my sciatic nerve I am pain free. The incision is still tender as expected this soon after surgery. Everything to be done was explained in advance. His staff is nice and they found that my insurance would cover the most at Simi Valley Hospital. read more

I was having numbness and pain in my right leg for over s month and I didn't have any feeling or reflex and had gone dr to dr for tests and once my mri came back I found Dr Virella and the moment I showed him my mri he was so confident in my problem being a synovial cyst on my spine blocking the blood flow to my leg and was a sure easy fix. Met with Nina and stared the process to have back surgery. I was so nervous and scared but felt very at ease with Dr Virella. I read his testimonies and did my research and knew he was spot on and this surgery would fix my issues. Fast forward to my surgery day at Ridge surgical 2 weeks later I was so again so nervous and scared that morning and all the staff was very comforting and very knowledgeable and I felt up to going into surgery I was in very good hands. The surgical center is very clean and nice and when i Woke up from surgery Instantly I had feeling back in my leg. I was so pleased and happy i could walk and a week later I was already off my pain meds and I've got 100% feeling back in my leg with no pain. I can walk stand and not have that horrible feeling any longer. I thank Dr Virella and his staff for getting my life back to normal and to be pain free. I highly recommend him and his staff!!!!! read more

All this place cares about is money. STAY AWAY!! They do not care about the patient. I was never informed they were not in network until it happened to be too late to cancel the surgery. They called to go over my benefits only after it was too late to cancel. WTF. I asked if they took my insurance and they said "Yes". I work in the medical field and I always inform my patients if they're in-network or out-of-network prior to taking their money. If you're considering this doctor, be careful. They will tell you "white lies" to get you to the point of no return. read more

Don't Do Surgery here I'm worst now than before I had surgery a freak show type work I have nothing too gain I have already Lost by having Surgery thru Dr Virella if your going too do this type which I'd cervical neck do it with Giants safe hospital staff n drs .with the best Rating possible and a Large back drs. Who have the best training posible if I could turn back time I would have never came here left arm paralisis.And 3years later C2/compression again and hardware migration he also missed a spinal compression at C-5 because he didn't do his own investigation with a new MRI image just used one I brought to him this storey goes on n on I could write a novel here about what has happened to my health n life. Good Luck ! read more

I consulted with 3 doctors regarding a cervical herniation between C5 and C6. I did not want surgery and tried everything to avoid it. Dr. Virella was the first doctor i saw and he told me I needed surgery, but because I was so opposed to the idea, he offered me other options in the hope I could avoid it. Unfortunately, all the doctors I met with said I'd have to have surgery to fix my problems. After having already been through years of physical therapy and four years of pain and misery (despite having cortisone shots, etc) I realized Dr. Virella was correct in his recommendation. Because of Dr. Virella's amazing reputation, experience and education, I opted to have him do the surgery. He did not disappoint! He was so reassuring and patient with all my questions. The results have exceeded my expectations and I would definitely recommend family and friends to him. The office staff was also really polite, knowledgable, and helpful with all my financial issues as well as medical concerns. read more

Run Away. The Dr is fine, when his hands are out of your wallet. He promised the surgery would not cost me, he lied. That little Tens unit he gives out like candy is $5000.00, and god forbid you "need" a bone stimulator. They send this nice lady out to your house to set you up, by the way that trip cost $5000.00 for the half hour consult. The unit that I asked the cost of 3 times and never got an answer is $15000.00. All this equipment is billed to Dracay LLC which his Billing manager also works for. Can we say CONFLICT of interest. I truly believe there is something illegal going on there. The whole experience is still haunting me over a year later and now Accurate Diagnosis and Service Management is now trying get $500.00 for what I not know. He is what is truly WRONG with the health care system in the USA. read more

A friend referred me to Dr. Virella. I've had 7 epidurals since February this year. They only lasted between 3 to 10 days if I was lucky. Dr. Virella said the surgery I needed was an easy surgery and had me scheduled within 2 weeks. When I went for my pre-op with my primary physician, my primary physician also informed me he knew a few people who had surgeries from Dr. Virella as well and highly recommended him. With that reference alone made me feel that I made the right choice in choosing Dr. Virella. I had a Laminectomy on my L4 and L5 and my nerves were crushed. I can't believe how good I am feeling in a matter of days. His office manager called me everyday the first week post surgery to see how I was feeling and to check to see if I need anything. I had some concerns over the weekend and the Dr. was very easy to get a hold of to address my concerns. I cannot believe how nice the front office staff is as well. Everyone from the office staff to the Dr. have been outstanding. It has been the best experience I've ever had from a doctor and staff. On top of all that, a few days after my surgery I received a special get well soon gift from them that the whole family enjoyed. I haven't heard of a doctor ever doing anything like that before. Dr. Virella and his staff really know how to make you feel comfortable, important, special and you are not just some money in his pocket.I will definitely refer all my family and friend to Dr. Anthony Virella. read more

Please read this! From what I have read so far, this guy is good with back issues. If you ever get referred for a brain issue, look elsewhere!!! This man told a family member of mine that she would only have 2 months to live. The WORST bedside manner ever. He said radiating the brain would only give her a few more months. Told her that she had 2 tumors when she only had 1. Then we went to some REAL doctors at Cedar Sinai hospital. The doctors there removed her tumor and now instead of only 2 months to live, there is no more time table on how long she will live. Thank God we went for a 2nd opinion! If we stuck with him, she would be dead right now. Stick to the back Dr. Virella! read more

First of all, I don't know what all these people are raving about on how great of a surgeon he is! Let me tell you this...he is the total opposite ladies and gentlemen! Don't be fooled by what his website says about him. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!!! Where do you find a doctor munching on his food right infront of his patients? During my very first visit in one of his clinics he didn't even have my chart handy. He had nothing but a piece of paper and pen then started asking about my condition. He did his examinations and didn't plan on taking it further until he saw me in tears due to the pain being so unbearable. I begged him to help me. He then ordered some tests that were unnecessary and had me go home with SEVERE pain. On top of all this, they were very quick on asking for my copay during my visits. They demanded for the copay to be paid first before seeing me. Money was never an issue to me. He wanted me to do the treatments that I have already done. I informed him that I have been suffering from this debilitating pain for a year now and none of the conservative treatments I've done seemed to help. This doctor wasn't attentive at all! Then on my next visit for follow up he walked in to the exam room with food in his mouth and was munching right infront of me. Upon entering the room, he was empty handed. I am in the medical field and professionalism is a big deal to me. I brought all of the necessary files that I've had from my previous doctors and all of the X-rays and CD's. They made copies of them to keep in their files. I come to find out that all of the copies they made for their records were all thrown back inside the envelope along with copies of my films. While I was in tears begging for his help I couldn't believe my ears when he told me "I'VE SEEN WORSE". Wow!!! How comforting from a surgeon who claims that he's caring, excellent, compassionate, and so on. When he insisted on sending me to another physician to get an epidural injection after I had just told him that all of my injections failed, he demanded that I get another one which doesn't make sense. He should know better since my injections failed he then told me "I WANT YOU TO GO TO THE DOCTORS THAT I TRUST". Then asked me if I use a tens unit (electrical stimulator). When I told him right off the bat that I did all of the conservative care and he should know that a tens unit is part of physical therapy, chiropractic care, etc. (to Dr. Virella: do you really think a tens unit will fix my disc protrusion and the other problems? Absurd!!!) I mean is he really good or he just bought those plaques in his office which said he's considered one of the top surgeons? And has quite of an attitude when being asked questions. All I can say is, if he thinks he won't benefit from your case he won't help you. Because what he does is work on a case that will HELP HIS POCKET, not his patients! read more

My pain management doctor told me that there is only one surgeon he trusted enough to do spinal surgery on him and that individual is Dr. Virella. I couldn't be happier to have been introduced to such a competent, confident and trustworthy physician. Dr. Virella is gifted as a practitioner and it is evident how much he cares about his patients. His academic pedigree is remarkable and it doesn't take long to realize how much Dr. Virella takes pride in his work. His website is packed with valuable information and the animations in particular are very helpful in understanding what to expect from surgery. It hasn't even been two months since Dr. Virella performed an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion on me and 100% of the constant pain that had rendered both of my arms and hands useless is totally gone. Full functioning of my arms and hands has returned and I'm now wondering why I didn't have this procedure done sooner! In addition to Dr. Virella, his staff at the Westlake Village location are amazing. Judith, the front desk receptionist is warm, welcoming and always willing to be helpful in accommodating scheduling needs. Mina is a tremendous patient advocate who works tirelessly with the insurance companies on behalf of Dr. Virella's patients and always makes herself available to answer patient questions. It is so important to have a surgeon that you can trust and it is with great pleasure that I write this review in recommendation of Dr. Virella and his team!! read more

Not sure where to start. I was referred to Dr Virella by my GP( who is also head of surgery at my local hospital), and said "if you want a spine guy, he's your best choice". He could not have been more accurate. My job is very demanding and physically challenging, and after a severe L5-S1 injury, I was not sure I would be able to return. After seeing Dr. V, he assured me that they would try all other avenues before surgery. Of course none of them worked and I was in agony and thought I would be forced to medically retire. Dr. Virella explained to me what he would do, and with the aide of Dr. Speigal (who is also amazing), I had my surgery 8 months ago. I am now back to work and could not say enough about the job he did. If you are looking for a teddy bear, then this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a doctor who knows what he is doing and is highly skilled then Dr. Virella is your man. You will get to do the things you loved before you surgery. Oh and on a side note, Mina and Judith are awesome as well and do what they can to help you too, and go that extra mile. read more