40 years of osteoarthritis of both knees. 4 months ago I had a bilateral total knee replacement. I just came back form a 20 mile weekend hike. Feet were hurting but the knees nothing. Greatest surgeon and a fabilous team. Thank you for a new lease on life Dr. Bugbee. Dr. R Ghassemi read more

This Dr. Came highly recommended but unfortunately for me was a big disappointment. I had my left hip replaced two years ago and I am still experiencing groin pain and do not have full range of motion. I did extensive PT and one of my therapists had his hip replaced by DR. Bugbee and had the same lingering groin pain. The only time this Dr. took his time with me was when he was selling his services. I have seen him recently and he says I have hip flexor tendinitis and has suggested I get a cortisone shot which I will do. I told him how disappointed I was with my outcome and he said he was sorry to hear that I felt that way. I had my right hip replaced about 4 years ago at Eisenhower hospital in Palm Desert with a great result from the ease of recovery( they used Spinal Anesthesia that is considered the gold standard ) to total and complete range of motion and no pain. I requested spinal anesthesia from Dr. Bugbee and he wouldnt do it despite it being considered the gold standard. The Anesthesia he used not only made me sick and horribly constipated but it made for a longer recovery process. Maybe my case is a rarity, but my advice is to interview several surgeons before making your choice. I think there are a lot of good ones out there. read more

I only had a consult with Dr. Bugbee, and have no complaints about the time he spent with me to discuss my knee issues (due to a torn ACL some years before). However, he is a surgeon , and like the proverbial hammer he saw my knee as a nail he wanted to hit. He was adamant I needed a TKA (knee replacement) and not to bother with ACL replacement. 7 years later after getting my ACL repaired by another surgeon I am still doing great on that knee. So the moral of the story, is always get a second opinion no matter how highly someone is recommended. read more

THE GOAT! Total hip replacement results 5 days in are spectacular Dr Bugbee & Dr Vlahu are the Hip & knee Dream Team. Everyone on his team is top tier. Thanks to one & all. xxoo read more

I did not have a good experience ce w this Dr. Who comedy ignored every request I requested by calling g the office and speaking to his nurse prior to my surgery. I was promised a pre -op discussion which did not occur at all even when. I was in a hospital bed. He quickly came by just before I was euthanized a d asked if I knew what we were doing today. I told him knee replacement ement and he quickly said right and left in a hurry. Post op was the same. No Intro to the Dr who euthanized me in the operating room or other people who were present. Just slammed the mask over my nose as I had just asked to go lite on the sedative. I am a lite weight. I went out so fast I did the know what happened. I have had many surgeries in the past, as I am now 74 and never had a Dr who completely avoided and ignored my concerns I asked to be addressed prior to being admitted. I had called in numerous times to request a pre- op to address my concerns which his team told me not to worry. I would get one and my issues would be addressed. Many Incidences happened which were not cordial as well as no post op other than wanting to do my other knee. I replied NO thankyou. For some one that has so many stars, I was not impressed nor happy being in the dark and promised at least a meeting which Never occured. I am still seeking advice from other proff. 8 mo later. I am still in pain and feel something is not right. I am in very good shape, homeopathic. who still swims, excercises, walks, and boogie boards 3 or 4 times per week. Normally in my past I have healed quickly. Thankyou for this opportunity to warn others to pay attention and recognize signs of no empathy or even attempt to explain anything. I should have gotten up and walked after being admitted and seeing the way things were going. I Would have been better off than I am TODAY with pain and still issues when I move. read more

I have now had both knees done by Dr Bugbee. I have hyper mobility and so the joint issues are real. My knees are fantastic. I have flown from Northern California to see him him for years. I do post op care back. Now on Kaiser so can't go to Bugbee and my left ankle is painful. I will change my insurance next year if I need surgery. He is absolutely the best! read more

I had my surgery long time ago and couldn't bring myself to write a review because i am a nurse and in medical field and didn't want to cause trouble. But now after so many years I am in severe pain and am sufferings everyday, i don't want anyone experience what I am experiencing. I had my total knee at the age of 54, first month post surgery had so much pain and lack of movement, went to Dr Bugbee and expressed my concern. He took me back to Operating room and gave me anesthesia and took a photo of my bended knee when i was under anesthesia. He should have send me to REHAB, and didn't instead he showed me a photo of my knee bending . My ROM is very little, I could bend my knee up to 90 degree and now is much less than that. I can't come downstairs like everyone else, and going upstairs caused discomfort and pain. Because of the scar tissues and lack of right movement, my back is getting uncomfortable and caused severe pain and I have to go and get surgery to correct compression on my spinal cord. My body is not balance, because the left knee has so much scar tissue that doesn't bent and I have to adjust my movement based on the left knee. After the recovery of my back, the left knee is acting out and besides of being tight and no ranch of motion, I have sever pain on it. I have tight muscle all over my body because of limb is not doing its natural work, my body is unhappy. I checked with couple of Surgeons, no one wants to have surgery on messed up knee. DR Bugbee could only paid attention to my need of daily PT and sent me to rehab center, instead every time that I went and visited him he told me that if everyone recovers in a year i should recover in many year, "REALLY". Dr Bugbee do you know how hard it is to live with pain everyday of your life, even medications don't work. DR Bugbee is very famous and busy, maybe he should teach and do surgery on patients if he is not going to give them right instruction for the post op. He doesn't care how much discomfort he caused by not being proactive on the post care. I don't know if he used the right metal on my knee, I can see that my left knee is bigger than right side and i always have pain. read more

Always a great staff and quality care. Can't ask for a better surgeon who follows up and is empathetic.

This man changed my life! Bilateral knee allografts at the old age of 23 and still going strong I can never thank him enough and am eternally grateful. read more

I had a right hip replacement in March 2021. Today, 10 months later, my hip feels like new. Bugbee did an excellent job and gave me back my life. Previous to the surgery, I could only walk about 15 minutes before experiencing knife like pain in this hip. Now, after an hour of walking, a little tightness, but a 100% improvement from pre-surgery. For me, the week immediately after surgery was a nightmare. Lots of pain and little sleep. The second week got better and I was mostly healed by about September. Bugbee is a very friendly guy that will answer all questions and make sure you understand everything. After getting out of hospital, you only see him after 1 month and again after 6 mos. I had about 6 physical therapy appointments and that's all I needed to be able to walk again! read more

I can't believe I never wrote a follow up review. After Dr. Bugbee referred me to another specialist for my hips/femurs I came back and had my meniscus repaired. He. Is. Awesome! You know, it's not often you get an Ortho surgeon that you can truly say you enjoy their energy; they are good at what they do but we would be lying if we said they were all personable. Dr. Bugbee is the most personable surgeon I have met yet, and I have had evaluations by MANY; he is just good people. My surgery went great. A large part of my meniscus needed removed but I was in virtually no pain, recovery was a breeze and a year later you literally can't see my scar. (Ignore my awful chipped nail polish but I attached a photo for reference). I highly recommend Dr. Bugbee and his entire staff read more

Bugbee William, MD - My non-existent scar 1 yr post op (meniscus repair) - Orthopedists Near Me - La Jolla, California

Multiple procedures performed by Dr Bugbee, some quite complex i.e. Bi-lateral High Tibial Osteotomy, Fresh Osteochondral Allograft and 1 TKA. I was young at the time of the Osteotomies and Allograft, thus he was trying to do everything but a total knee. We ultimately had to replace one knee. He's performed thousands of hips, ankles and knees. NO other Doctor is cutting on me. I moved 250 miles North of San Diego and will continue to use Dr Bugbee as my primary orthopedist. All of the 1 star reviews on this page are from people who fail to accept any responsibility for their post operative care. read more

I was long past due for replacement of my left hip. At age 66 and having never had surgery (or even any dental work - I know I have good teeth!), I was not looking forward to any kind of surgery for any reason. My hip was growing increasingly painful, my ability to walk up stairs was limited, my quality of life was suffering, I had pain even when laying in bed, so I set out to find a great surgeon. Dr. Bugbee was recommended to me by two separate doctors who are personal friends, one who went to med school with him and now works at Sharp and one who teaches at UCSD Medical School. Dr. Bugbee has a wonderful, positive and reassuring bedside manner, a great staff and best of all the surgery was a life changing event. No more pain, great range of motion, return to a much better quality of life. My day will come when I need my right hip replaced as well and I will once again be knocking on Dr. Bugbee's door. Highly recommended! read more

I went to Dr. Bugbee approximately 2 1/2 years ago. He recommended replacing both knees. Lt. one bone on bone, Rt. one bad arthritis. I waited another year and decided to have the left one replaced. I couldn't have it done in San Diego because I had no post operative care available, so had it done in Cincinnati by a doctor recommended by Dr. Bugbee. He agreed to provide follow up care. After a year with three follow up visits, I still experienced pain in the knee. On last visit, he never examined the knee and said just to keep riding exercycle and come back in 4 years. He pointed out how bad right knee looked to his PA. Seems that was his main interest. I found another ortho doc to get a second opinion. What a difference! The PA examined the knee, asking where it hurt, etc. When doctor came in, he immediately touched on the main sore spot and said I had a very tight IT band which was causing the pain as it rubbed across the knee. Prescribed physical therapy. After 4 weeks, pain is significantly reduced. Physical therapist has been outstanding, also finding that patella is riding toward lateral side, also causing pain in front of knee. Doing exercises for both, and while not totally pain free, much, much improved. Orthotics are helping me keep from pronating which may be main cause of pain. This is what should have been diagnosed over a year ago, but Dr. Bugbee solely looked at x-rays, did not listen to complaints about pain or examine knee. read more

This review is from the words of my wife Eva. I had a bilateral knee surgery on October 20th, 2014. Suffering from pain of knee osteoarthritis wasn't easy, but it was a very difficult decision for me to go through the surgery. I was looking for the best doctor who would do at least one knee not two at the same time. I never regretted choosing Dr Bugbee - a well known surgeon to perform the big surgery. Dealing with his clinical nurse Cheryl was really a great pleasure. She always helped me to understand all the challenges I'll have to go through. Dr Bugbee and Cheryl were the best blessings in my life. I have now a new life using my new knees and doing things I only dreamed I'll be able to do. I would recommend Dr Bugbee to all of my family and friends. read more

I have had 5 failed hip arthroscopies from other surgeons, leaving me with severe hip pain in the left hip, and a right hip that would lock up with exercise. He evaluated the previous surgeries, the radio-graphs, and hip function. On the left, the psoas tendon release done by a previous surgeon made it impossible for me to get in the car without lifting my leg with my hands. Walking was super painful and I needed crutches to control the pain. He knew that hip replacement on the left side would fix the hip instability and much of the pain, but did not believe it would do anything to fix the damage form the psoas tendon release. A couple of days after surgery, I was standing at my sink, amazed that I was in zero pain. A year later, I was able to build up the strength in my psoas to be able to get in the car without lifting my leg with my hands. The results of the hip replacement were much better than Dr Bugbee though they would be. I started cycling again working my way up to 30 miles. The issues with the other hip became more severe, and we replaced the right hip 18 months later. Within a month I was doing short rides on a bicycle. In 18 months, I did a century bike ride, with no hip pain whatsoever. I am so happy to get my life back to normal. read more

This was my surgeon for total knee replacement left knee. He is a great surgeon. Brilliant. The result at 6 weeks already allows me to do things I could not do in the last couple years. Hurts a little now but I only took one Advil for it. I take a time release Tylenol in the morning with 1 or 2 Advil. I hiked with poles half way up Elfin Forest "way up" trail. Hiking is my main enjoyment but Swiss studies show the forces when going downhill are severe. The solutions are go slow and use poles. No problem. I have no plans to run, play tennis, etc. I did a lot of study to find Dr Bugbee and I am glad I did. It came down to him or Steven Copp. UCSD also has a world renowned knee surgeon, Scott Ball. My final decision for Bugbee was an article he wrote about outcomes stating that getting the surgery makes the patient happy. (Not a quote, the general idea.). Many doctors (Ball?) have the outdated idea that you wait another 15 years so you only get one. I was tired of gaining weight and being in pain for two days after a hike. I could no longer walk across rocks in the outdoors. I could no longer use a treadmill or elliptical. It was hard to carry things. I am so happy he did this life changing surgery for me. Dr Bugbee and I do not see eye-to-eye on some things. They use a terrible software program to replace all aftercare. I said in advance I had a low pain threshold but they do not seem ready to help with that. So demand actual physical therapy. If you can not tolerate pain, plan ahead. Be clear if you need more opiates and know you have to go pick them up in La Jolla. Use NIH and WebMD and Drugs.com and you will find there are sleep aids (melatonin, 5HTP, GABA, Unisom) that do not conflict with opiates. Get good ice wraps at the drug store. They use Velcro straps to stay on. Real PT will let you know when to do each exercise to avoid some pain. I used a lot of cannabis some early nights in controlled formats, reducing to a micro-dose relief dose pen at the end. Considering I am not a regular user, I now have a lifetime supply left over for the occasional concert. At six weeks I like having a clear head and stomach so just minimal Advil/Tylenol. Um, send them pictures from time to time and they will analyze. The staff are great. A few points in their documentation were contradictory or wrong. The staff was very responsive on each issue I had and you are sure to win with this group. Note: I am not qualified to give medical advice. Use reliable sources such as NIH And again, their software is terrible. Ask for PT. read more

Dr Bugbee is very good doctor.He performed bilateral allografts on my knees in 2013.I came from Florida to San Diego to have this surgery.I have some restrictions with my knees but I am pain free most of the time after my surgeries.I spent with pain every moment before I have this surgeries.I pray to God to take care of Bugbee and through him he can touch so many who have pain. read more

As many of the reviews say, DR BUGBEE CHANGED MY LIFE! I had 5 knee surgeries (I'm 25) and finally researched and found dr bugbee. I am from Missouri and flew to California just for the surgery. He did an allograft and I am FINALLY able to play sports again after 7 long years of pain. I used to not be able to even sit on a toilet without bracing myself on handle bars, now I can't do squats with weight!!! I am forever grateful to dr. Bugbee!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Bugbee William, MD - Left knee allograft- best decision of my life. - Orthopedists Near Me - La Jolla, California

See all

In August of 2011, I underwent a total knee replacement (right knee) performed by Dr. William Bugbee (Scripps). Received in-house physical therapy and care for +/- one month in a rehab/nursing facility here in San Diego. My progress was deemed excellent (above average in range of motion). After which I was assigned to outpatient physical therapy care at home for an additional 3-weeks. Then, followed with outpatient therapy for about 4-weeks. During such period after the surgery I my progress (or the lack of) was monitored by the surgeon. It was not until around the 6th month of rehab did the doctor recommend the use of a splint device to gain more range of motion. The rep for the split who fit me for the device told me that it was very late in time for such a device and that normally it was utilized in the 1st to 3rd month after surgery to render any beneficial results. At six months + it would have to be worn for a period of 6 months or so for 4-6 hours per day. I feel the doctor failed to properly monitor my recovery therefore leaving me with basically a 'deformed knee'. My extension is now measured at 15 degrees off in the extension and 10 degrees off in bend. I suffer considerable pain/discomfort in my leg and it is a hindrance to any normal bending of my knee i.e., removing and putting on pants, getting in/out of car doors, stairways, etc. Standing up from a sitting position proves painful, sleep is restless due to pain, bicycling (one of my outdoor interests) is very difficult as well due to the pain from pedaling, etc. I will be undergoing corrective surgery in September with a different surgeon as, I would not put my health care in the hands of Dr. Bugbee again! read more

I had a hip replacement done by Bugbee approximately 2 years ago. I followed all recommendations and follow-up visits, did physical therapy and remain in chronic pain to this day. His last statement to me was, "My work looks good." This man lacks empathy. read more

Dr Bugbee scoped both of my knees in the past year. He also did a hip replacement for my husband 3 yrs ago & last month did a hip replacement on his other hip. We both have had excellent results. Dr Bugbee is not only a brilliant surgeon, he is warm, caring, fun to be around, great sense of humor. We have never felt rushed when on an office visit, he answers all of our questions. We trust him completely. All of the surgical staff, therapists, home health nurses & hospital nurses rave about him, what an excellent surgeon & doctor he is & how great he is to work with. I don't know who the doctor is that people have written negative things about on Yelp, it certainly isn't Wm Bugbee!!! read more

Dr. Bugbee made knee replacement for my mom who is 77 years old a week ago. It is a very good surgery. My mom is very happy with what he did for her. Nine years ago he made the left knee replacement for her and it was also excellent. I strongly recommend this doctor for anybody who suffers of knee problems to consult him. This doctor is nice and all the assistant crew are nice and helpful. read more

Dr. Bugbee changed my life. He did an allograft on both my knees. My knees were bad from too much basketball. Before my surgery I would be able to play basketball at most once a week, but it was probably closer to once every two weeks. I now can play three two four times a week. One of the best decisions I have ever made. read more

Dr. William Dick Bugbee did a full hip replacement on me 14 months ago and I still can't put full weight on my leg, or walk without a cane. I did all the physical therapy after the surgery, and kept going back to him every few months. He just kept saying, "the surgery was perfect and that he did a perfect job". But when I ask him why I can't walk and he says, "I just don't know, but it is perfect!". I finally decided to get a second opinion with another orthopedic surgeon. It has been proven via a 3-phase bone scan that the femoral prosthetic that Dr. Bugbee put in me is loose. I'm now going to have a complete hip revision as soon as the hospitals open up after the corona-19 issue is over. A revision surgery is worse than the original on, they will have to saw and break my bones apart in order to remove the prosthetic that Bugbee put in. They will have to use screws and cadaver bones to put me back together again. My ordeal is going to last for a least another year. DON'T ever use Dr. William Bugbee!!! read more

After years of suffering with my knees, I decided to have a bilateral knee replacement. The result is like a miracle. I can walk without pain and without a cane. I can barely even see the incision. Dr. Bugbee is not only a gifted surgeon, but a kind a caring human being. His staff is amazing. I am so glad I chose this surgeon. read more

If there were more than five stars, I would give more to Dr. Bugbee. Eight years ago he did my right total knee surgery. I have had an excellent result from that surgery. I'm able to walk, hike, exercise....anything I want to do. Eight weeks ago Dr. Bugbee did a left knee total replacement. I am following the course of rehab he outlined for me starting the day after surgery. I now have almost full extension with my left knee and my flexion is at 130, which is excellent. I am completely happy with the care I have received from Dr. Bugbee and his entire staff. While in the hospital after surgery, I was told by the nurses how excellent a surgeon he is and how very nice a person he is to work with. These comments were completely unsolicited! Since nurses work directly with the doctors, their opinions are invaluable. read more

Dr. Bugbee did a bilateral knee replacement on me in August, 2011. I completed physical therapy first in Scripps Rehab Encinitas, then physical therapist who worked with me at home and, finally, outpatient physical therapy through Scripps. Dr. Bugbee did a superb job and I am now doing everything I want-zumba, water aerobics, and wlaking just about anywhere. read more

Dr. Bugbee just completed a hip replacement for me 4 months ago and what a difference from my first -therefore, I have an excellent comparison. My follow-up therapist says Dr. B. is the finest available. I agree; caring & attentive. In my 80 years have been through a lot of meidcal treatments - This was an awesome experience, including outstanding care at Scripps Hospital, Torrey Pines - I can think of no compaints. Dr. B. briought humor to the bedside & showed he cares. read more