BONE DEATH, JOB LOSS & DISABILITY - My Experience with Dr. Richard Cain
I wish I could give zero stars. My experience with Dr. Richard Cain at BayCare Orthopedic Institute has left me permanently disabled and struggling to take care of my family.
I first saw him in March 2025 with an MRI showing a subchondral insufficiency fracture in my left knee. He put me on 6 weeks of non-weight bearing, then told me to walk again with an offloader brace that didn't help at all. Despite my severe pain and repeated requests for updated imaging, he refused and instead pushed ahead with surgery.
On May 5, 2025, he performed a subchondroplasty using an MRI that was already nearly 3 months old. After surgery, my pain only got worse. At follow-up visits in May and July, I begged him for help and asked again for another MRI. He brushed me off, saying, "Sometimes you'll still have pain after surgery," and offered no pain management.
By July, I was in so much pain that I booked an emergency appointment. Only then did he finally order an MRI -- and even admitted he had never reviewed a post-op subchondroplasty MRI before. That MRI (July 24, 2025) showed the fracture had grown larger and now there was bone necrosis (bone death).
At my August 1 visit, he promised to call me personally after consulting a colleague but never did. I had to chase him down through the patient portal just to get a referral a week later.
Because of Dr. Cain's negligence, I've been wheelchair-bound for months, unable to properly care for my 3-year-old toddler, and at serious risk of losing my job as I've exhausted FMLA benefits, and my job has let me know they will let me go if I need more time off for additional surgeries and recovery. My condition has progressed to bone death, and I feel completely abandoned as his patient.
I went to Dr. Cain expecting for my condition to improve, and instead, it drastically declined. I strongly believe Dr. Cain should not be allowed to operate on anyone else, and I definitely cannot recommend him for any and all orthopedic needs, especially with anything to do with knee issues. I write this as I sit from my wheelchair, and I used to be a very active person. Do what you will this review, but please reconsider and stay away from this orthopedic practice, especially Dr. Cain. read more