***I am writing a separate review for SCOI (Southern California Orthopedic Institute) and their PT department (where they will get 1 star) At first, I liked Dr. Guanche and he was thorough in explaining the degeneration in my knee. He had side by side comparison x-rays done of both knees to help show this to me. He thought orthoscopic surgery would be necessary soon and a knee replacement in the future. However, he suggested I try PT first and also gave me a shot of cortisone. PT at SCOI was horrible (see my SCOI review), but the cortisone shot helped. He still suggested I get the orthoscopic surgery though. I made my surgery appointment with Audrey (his surgery scheduler) for August 1st. One piece of paperwork I signed was the cancellation/reschedule sheet that said if I cancel or reschedule within 1 week, I pay $300; within 72 hours is $500. I ended up having to go to Seattle for work on the same day as my scheduled surgery. I called and left a message on July 27th (six days before my surgery) that I was going to have to reschedule my surgery. I was told that I had to pay the $300 even though I had my surgery exactly one week later on August 8th. Although I signed this paperwork and paid, it is just wrong to charge patients that. I understand if someone flakes or never reschedules and you then charge them, but I did reschedule...exactly one week later. My first post-op I saw the PA. For my second post-op, it was supposed to be with Dr. Guanche. But when I received the reminder phone call the day before, it was scheduled with his PA again. I didn't want to see the PA. I wanted to see Dr. Guanche. When I called to reschedule, his office couldn't get me in until mid-October, which by then, my insurance was cancelled (it cancelled on 9/1). However, Audrey was able to squeeze me in to see him which was very helpful before my insurance cancelled. So, now at my 2nd post-op with Dr. Guanche, NOT ONCE did he look at my knee. He didn't touch it or examine it. He showed me photos from the surgery (only because I asked a lot of questions but had actually saw them from my first post-op). I find that very odd. Why would he not look at it and examine it?? Then I asked him about the $300 fee I had to pay. I explained how I had to go to Seattle for work and I rescheduled as soon I knew. He said "I should be able to take care of that - not a problem". He said I would receive a letter in the mail. After a week, I never received that letter so I called Audrey. She knew nothing about it but would look into it. A few days later I got a call from Candy in the accounting department and said that Dr. Guanche would refund back half the amount of $150 but would apply it to my outstanding balances. I guess that is better than nothing but very disappointing none the less. Dr. Guanche did a great job with my knee and since surgery, I haven't had any problems except for some swelling and minor pain but that is to be expected. My issue was my last post-op. I felt like he was checked out and not interested in my case anymore. And that $300 charge. Thus the 3 star rating. read more

Just saw Dr. Carlos Guanche at Southern California Orthopedic Institute for the first time. I was the 2nd appt after his lunch so a very short wit time after the paperwork was done. Got X-rays taken & he reviewed the MRIs I brought in. Very nice & right to the point surgery was recommended. read more

Carlos Guanche, MD - Just saw Dr. Carlos Guanche at Southern California Orthopedic Institute for the first time. - Sports Medicine Near Me - Van Nuys, California

I love Dr Guanche. It's possible I've written a review before but he just did my second hip and I have no complaints. Had some issues with pain medicine, then the surgical leg going totally numb for about 18 hours. It scared me but Guanche reassured me. He has since called twice a day to check in. I was a bit needy at first and I think he realized it and has been utterly fantastic. First hip repair went well and it was my worse hip so hopefully this one goes smoothly. I love his team. I love SCOI--they're being extra careful about COVID so I truly felt safe having surgery in their orthopedic hospital. read more

In 2014, I had a torn Labrum and some arthritis growing in my right hip. (I also had Obama Care's crappier version of Covered California.) Doctor Guanche is the only Orthopedic Surgeon, in the greater LA area, that would accept my Covered California Anthem Blue Cross insurance. Everybody else that I called were not taking any new patients as they were inundated by all of the new Covered California patients. So I had my surgery and I just wanted to say thank you, to Doctor Guanche, for making me feel like he actually cared about me. He was very courteous and friendly. Some of the office staff were a bit short with me. But they were also really busy too. (My average office wait before seeing the Doctor was usually around 15 to 20 minutes.) Thank you, Doctor Guanche. read more

1/23/15 This is an update to respond to a couple of things that Dr Guanche said in his response to my previous review. Firstly, I did not come in with a specific request. I specifically stated that we were asking him, as the surgeon, to explain a particular treatment that he sometimes does in conjunction with a hip arthroscope and labral repair, and whether he felt it necessary to do in my case. His answer to this question was to say he won't know until he's in preforming the surgery, and that if a psoas release made me nervous he didn't have to do it. HE gave me the option, I didn't request it, but when I accepted that option, he flipped. Just for further clarification, I have bilateral labrum tears caused by CAM FAI. (too much bone on top of the femur). Many patients who have what I have, develop tight psoas muscles because they change their gait in order to keep their weight off of their hips. As a result, this is often a secondary issue, not a primary issue. Dr Guanche potentially wanted to essentially cut several slits in the muscle so that it would stretch father (called a psoas release), but while in the appointment he specifically validated, when I asked, that a psoas muscle can be stretched just like any other muscle in the body. The reason why this entire conflict started is I wanted him, as the "expert", to help me understand why it was worth the risk of potentially loosing the ability to lift my leg, by cutting slits in a muscle, that can probably be fixed by stretching after the primary problem is treated. He never explained that. Instead he said, "If it makes you nervous, I don't have to do a psoas release." Seeing as how I had other consultations with top surgeons like Snibbe (who by the way is amazing! see him if you can) before seeing Dr. Guanche, and they do not do a psoas a release in conjunction with this procedure, I decided to take Dr. Guanche's offer and not do the psoas release. As soon as I made that decision he got angry, and as stated before, used profanity and disrespect to assert his level of expertise, which was never in question. It concerns me that a professional in his position would do this to bully patients into procedures they aren't fully comfortable with. As seen below, other patients have had the same issue, and I have several emails that I can forward to anyone interested from other past patients (who have not left reviews) who had the same experience with him. Unfortunately for them, they gave into the pressure of a psoas release and can no longer lift their leg to do things like bend over and put their pants on. Furthermore, I want to address his statement that I got my information on a website, though I did do some research on psoas releases, the sources I mostly got my information from was two other surgeons, a physical therapist, a chiropractor, and a doctor who all warned me extensively. I only get one set of legs. As a logical person, I could completely understand why the surgeon would have got mad if I had treated the surgery like a personal pizza, requesting every little part be tailored to the way a wanted it, but that wasn't the case here. We were taking him up on his offer to not perform a surgery on a muscle that may be perfectly healthy. In addition, the doctor states that I wanted him to sign something. I have no earthly idea where that came from. I never asked the doctor to sign anything, nor did I have any paperwork for him, so that's either a complete lie, or he's referring to something in his own stack of documentation that he required me to sign authorizing him to do the surgery. I also want to address the fact that Dr Guanche pointed out a potential pattern in some of his negative reviews. My take is that when a pattern emerges in negative reviews, it generally isn't the patient, but the the problem lies with the one being reviewed be it's often hard to see our own issues single-handly, but when many people begin noticing the same issue, it's time to take note. I don't doubt that Dr Guanche is a qualified surgeon. We would not have traveled 4+ hours to see him if we did, but I did not want to allow the dr to take any unnecessary risks on my body when the stakes are high. The point in all of this is, despite the difference in opinions here, it is NEVER okay for a surgeon to speak to patients in the manner in which he spoke to me and my husband. He did not deny his out right lack of respect, nor did he ever apologize, only justified; and furthermore, it doesn't make sense to offer a patient a course a treatment and then pull the procedure because you don't like the choice they made. If any of you have any questions, please contact me as I can give even more compelling documentation to how this surgeon behaves in his appointments which appears to be entirely different than the calm logical responses made to yelp reviews. In any case, good luck with the decision you make. read more

I've had a couple of surgeries by Dr. Guanche, they both had to be re done by another Dr. Let me tell you about my right shoulder. He was supposed to have removed part of my clavicle since it was rubbing bone on bone. He took x-rays and a MRI. After surgery I still had pain for years. I switched to another Dr. and he repeated the X-rays and MRI. My new DR. did a comparison with me and nothing had changed . He didn't do what was on the report or what he said he was going to do in surgery. My new Dr. said he didn't do anything. My clavicle did not regenerate. I asked if I could sue him for doing an unnecessary surgery and he said yes. What a joke. Something could have gone wrong and I might have ended up dead. What a disgrace. Never will I see him again or recommend him. read more

Let me start out by saying Dr. Guanche is so amazing, that I flew out from New Jersey for a second time. In 2012, I tore my right hamstring and I had Dr. G repair it. Within 3 months I was back to training for a marathon. Last year while training, I slipped on ice and tore my left hamstring. I knew Dr. G's work was amazing but when the radiologist who reviewed my MRI for my second tear commented on how impressed he was with the repair of the right hamstring. I knew there was only one doctor to go to for this repair. From scheduling of the appointments, approval of procedure with the insurance company to the professionalism of the surgical team - truly amazing! All my appointments were on time. Dr. Guanche's bedside manner is wonderful!! The day after my surgery, both Dr. G and my surgical nurse personally called to see how I was!! My experience was nothing short of amazing that my running buddy is flying out from Jersey to have her hamstring repaired too. Dr. Guanche's team should be the benchmark of all medical professionals! Thank You!!! read more

Brought my mom to see this Dr for her knee issue. He has the patience and extra finesse in his craft that many specialist lack in this field. Really appreciate him explaining everything and not making any decisions until my mother felt comfortable moving forward with his course of treatment. Thank you Dr Guanche and staff.!!!!! read more

I had hip surgery a year ago. My surgery seems to have been a success, but I still have a lot of back pain. I believe that Dr. Guanche is a good surgeon, but like someone else mentioned here, once the surgery was over, he was "done" with me. During my last post-op appt, I explained that I was still having excruciating back pain. He basically said that he had done the surgery, and that there was nothing else he could do and to go see a back doctor. Perhaps this was in fact the best next step, but it made me feel as though I was no longer his "problem". It took weeks and often well over a month to get an appt. If the insurance hadn't approved one of my post-op appts, they wouldn't schedule it...and we're talking several months out. Come on, you know they will approve a post-op appt. Because he was so busy, by the time it was approved by the insurance, I would have to wait several additional weeks for the appt. They could have scheduled it at that time, and then canceled if my insurance for some crazy reason had denied it. Again, I'm talking about scheduling a 15-minute appt a few months out. It wouldn't have killed them to just pencil me in. SCOI as a whole is a bottleneck. Everyone you talk to says their hands are tied because of someone else or because they are waiting on something from someone else. My surgery was delayed months because of their inability to communicate efficiently and immediately with my insurance company. I felt like I was treated as a second-class citizen because I had an HMO. Finally, his nurse, Tina, is the most horrible person I have ever had to deal with. She is rude, unsympathetic, argumentative, defensive, and aggressive. Of course, I could never talk to the actual doctor or even his PA so I was often stuck having to ask her questions regarding my surgery (before and after). Even she was near impossible to get on the phone, but when you did talk to her she seemed to get frustrated, annoyed, and snippy. read more

Had my left hip surgery a year ago, and I feel great! Dr. Guanche is a knowledgeable, professional and highly skilled surgeon. He has wonderful bedside manner and was very attentive throughout the whole process, from pre-op all the way to post-op and recovery. I would recommend Dr. Guanche to anyone that has hip issues, without a doubt! read more

Dr. Guanche performed a total hip replacement on my wife and consulted with me on my tennis elbow pain. We have dealt with many physicians over the years, but our experience with Dr. Guanche and his staff stands out as exemplary. You are not treated as a number or as just another insurance claim to be processed. Instead, Dr. Guanche speaks to you in plain English, he gives you his candid assessment, and he lets you decide how you would like to proceed. In our case, my wife followed his recommendations, and the outcome was just perfect. Four months after surgery, she was back in the tennis court and six months later she's as good as new. Dr. Guanche's credentials are impeccable and impressive, and his interest in writing, teaching, and training others demonstrates his dedication to his field beyond his own practice. I can't imagine finding a better orthopedic specialist anywhere. read more

Had two procedures with the doctor. He tried to get me pain free. I appreciate his time and effort.

I underwent a left hip labral repair with Dr. Guanche 4 months ago and I am very satisfied with my outcome. His secretary Lilit was awesome with getting all my needed paperwork completed and always was available to me for questions/needs, etc. SCOI used an online portal to keep in touch with me throughout my preparation for surgery and recovery so I was able to communicate my questions or concerns through that and received answers or advise in a timely fashion. I am already back to exercising and being able to do things I love so I am very grateful to Dr. Guanche and his staff! read more

DR. GUANCHE IS AMAZING!!! I was severely injured at work and had many injuries including a nasty shoulder injury. My first Dr. (Whom I won't name) didn't notice that my shoulder was dislocated for 7 months!!! It was outrageous. He was only taking X rays from 1 direction. So after he FINALLY got the MRI report back, he realized that my shoulder was much worse than he thought. Since my shoulder was dislocated for so long and never detected, my bones had ground down and were no longer a properly working rotator cuff! He wasn't comfortable doing the repair, so he sent me to Dr. Guanche who is an expert with this type of injury. I am so grateful that he sent me to Dr. Guanche because my first Doctor repaired my ankle (which was severely broken) and it was not done very well at all, especially compared to the precision work that Dr. Guanche does. Right away, Dr. Guanche relieved my concern by telling me he could fix my shoulder. He informed me that I would need a shoulder replacement surgery. His team of nurses (Blanca and Lillit) did an excellent job with following up w/the Workers Comp rep to get my surgery done. Workers Comp always SO long, but they were persistent and stuck with it. They got my surgery scheduled faster than my other Workers Comp surgeries by far. Dr. Guanche did a tremendous job w/the surgery and I am so happy with my progress now. I had the surgery about a month ago and I'm on the way to a full recovery. Their was minimal swelling afterwards and the incision looked like something a plastic surgeon would have done. I am in pain but that is to be expected. I have tattoos all over my arms and shoulders and Dr. Guanche said he would try and line my tattoos up as best as possible. Which he did, there's barely a scar!! I am in physical therapy now and although it's too early to say if I am going to be back to 100%, I can say with honesty that Dr. Guanche is the best surgeon I have ever received care from. He is kind, professional, easy to talk to and is punctual, which is usually unheard of in the medical field. I suggest to anyone reading this, have Dr. Guanche do ur surgery and assist u in healing. He is the best!! read more

Dr. Guanche is the BEST doctor I have ever had. I had left shoulder surgery to fix a torn rotator cuff. I live almost 4 hours from his medical practice but would drive as far as I needed because of his abilities. He is kind and informative. His bedside manner is phenomenal. Dr. Guanche was on time for my appointments, never made me feel rushed while he answered all my questions. The nurses at Valley Presbyterian Hospital sung his praises as someone who, "always thinks of his patient's first to make sure they are well taken care of and comfortable." I agree with their statements and can't say enough about his skill as a surgeon and his genuine concern for his patients. Thank you again Dr. Guanche for all you do to help improve the lives of those needing you! Adrienne Nicholson, San Luis Obispo, CA read more

Went in to see Dr. Guanche after making an appointment with his front office. His physicians assistant came in and said the doctor was busy but that x-rays would be needed. I had x-rays taken. After that appointment they had me come back to go over my options with the x-ray results. At that second appointment the physicians assistant came in and said that a needle could be inserted into my leg to break up the calcification that was causing my discomfort. The assistant wanted to do the procedure. I wasn't comfortable with that. I never saw Dr. Guanche. I took my x-rays over to Ceders Sinai and had a doctor talk to me, look at the x-rays and advise me. read more

I have mixed emotions about Dr. Guanche which makes rating him very difficult. I was a young, active, 14-year-old girl when I had my first appointment with him. I wanted my life back and he made me feel like my pain was valid as opposed to other doctors blowing me off because of my age. We decided to go ahead with the scope on my right hip in 2014 and I was only a freshman in high school. I was confident in Dr. Guanche's abilities and I knew I was in very capable hands. He made me laugh and put my worries to ease before surgery. The surgery was successful and we decided to move ahead with my second scope for the opposite hip at the beginning of 2015. When everything seemed to be going right I was absolutely thrilled. But little did I know how quickly things would change and how much respect and trust I would lose towards Dr. Guanche. My left hip, scoped February of 2015, anteriorly dislocated. Yep, it dislocated when I was 16 years old. I was rushed via ambulance to a local trauma unit in our hospital. They called Dr. Guanche's office multiple times, trying to inform him of the situation and get an opinion as to what needed to be done. I found out later his PA ended up talking to the hospital. I understand his job is hectic and he isn't always available, but it was a medical emergency. The hospital needed him in that moment and he wasn't there. Heck, I needed him in that moment and he wasn't there. We were told to schedule an appointment with Dr. Guanche for THAT week but when we called and explained this I had to wait almost three weeks because he wasn't going to be there. It was frustrating and unacceptable. At my appointment, he basically said that everything would heal and that I didn't have to worry about another dislocation. He never mentioned that there was even a chance of another dislocation but it occurred again and back to the emergency room I went via ambulance. Trust is essential between doctors and their patients and I trusted him that my hip would be fine. Since it DID dislocate again I required an open surgery to fix the damage of the dislocations. Dr. Guanche insisted that he had no idea what was causing the dislocations. After surgery number three, an open surgery, I knew my hip still didn't feel right. We then sought multiple opinions and I ended up enduring a five-hour pelvic reconstruction surgery to fix everything that Dr. Guanche missed or ignored. This surgery, done by a doctor OTHER than Dr. Guanhe, was very major. They cut my hip socket in four places, rotated the socket forward so it would no longer dislocate, and then screwed it back together with very long, titanium screws. I don't doubt his skill, but as others have said, he is done with you after surgery. I personally feel we need doctors the most after surgery. I don't doubt Dr. Guanche but I will never go back and definitely won't be recommending him to anyone. read more

Dr. Guanche is the greatest Doctor in the world as far as I'm concerned. I came to him with a terrible shoulder condition and he knew EXACTLY what to for for me. In 10 days after he expertly injected my problem area I was fully recovered. It's now been 3 months and I'm still 100%. Thank you. read more

Dr. Guanche's entire operation is ridiculous. It took me 7 weeks to get an appointment with him, and when I got there, I had to wait nearly 3 hours before I was actually called in. I had some X-Rays, the doctor spent about 5 minutes with me and told me I needed to have arthroscopic surgery on my hip, then scheduled me to come back several weeks later for an MRI, then several weeks after that to meet with an assistant to discuss my MRI. The assistant told me I would need an entire hip replacement and gave me a a cortisone shot, which relieved my pain temporarily, but he was totally unprepared to answer any of my questions. In particular, I asked him if I could continue to hike while I waited for my surgery, and I was told -- incorrectly -- that the 7,000 ft hikes I was doing at the time were just fine, so long as I did not run. I was scheduled for a follow up appointment three weeks later, which was cancelled the day before. I asked if I could speak with Dr, Guanche before rescheduling my appointment, and was told that he would call me the next day. I never heard from him. Over the next several weeks, I called 5 different times to speak with Dr. Guanche in order to discuss my surgery and the possibility of a follow up cortisone shot, as I was in excruciating pain, and I was either told that he would get back to me (he never did) or I was sent to a voice mailbox that was full and couldn't take any additional messages. In the meantime, it has been 8 months since my first call to his office, I still don't have a scheduled surgery, I'm still in terrible pain, and nobody in his office had the basic courtesy to pick up the phone to answer my questions. I don't care how good of a surgeon this guy supposedly is. He's a crappy physician. I'll have my surgery done at UCLA or Kerlan Jobe. read more

I've had three procedures performed by Dr. Guanche, two repaired labrums on the right and left shoulder and a total right hip replacement. Both shoulders responded wonderfully. As my PT said, when Dr. Guanche performs work on shoulders, his technique is so good, one's rehab time is reduced significantly. In fact, for me, it was so good, I pitched a no hitter at a SF Giants baseball fantasy camp in AZ the following year. As far as my hip, the surgery was four weeks ago. Yesterday my PT said I'm seven weeks ahead of schedule, I'm already riding my road bike in addition to returning to my gym, training upper and lower body weights et al. I've referred numerous friends and family to Dr. Guanche, all with great success. From my experience, he's the best in the business. read more

Dr Guanche is truly a great doctor with knowledge and caring personality His staff are friendly and truly care about your time and condition. I should have seen him first before going to several other doctors don't make the same mistake i did.. Dr Guanche is the best ! read more

I saw Dr Guanche for torn labrum. He was very quick to convince me that surgery was my only option. Waiting time was always 1 - 11/2 hours. First impression, he seemed caring and knowledgeable. After surgery, he had absolutely no interest, curt arrogant and cold. He wouldn't talk to me on the phone and made me drive 2 hours to discuss my issues with his PA who is knowledgeable but not a doctor. My recovery was long and still have pain 2 years later, I could not sit for a year and his suggestion was a 2nd surgery. His assistant at the time was a nightmare. I believe he has left. They did not communicate with my PT which I believe is imperative. I have spent thousands of $$$ on PT and still going. Be wise and make the right choice. You only want to do this once. Someone previously described this practice as a drive through experience. quite accurate. read more

I am 3 months post op for total hip replacement surgery and I couldn't be happier with Dr. Guanche. Not only is he an excellent surgeon but he is very personable too. A hard combination to find sometimes. He was very clear about everything before and after surgery. I had surgery on a Thursday, went home on Friday and was back at work on Monday. I can't believe I waited so long to get it done--I feel 100% better. I highly recommend Dr. Guanche to anyone who needs hip surgery. read more

I appreciate the doctor's attempt at a response, but in my opinion the problem is not with the computers, as much as with the unhappy bunch of people working them. To me it looked like someone was populating records using cut-and-paste from another, or else writing over someone's existing records; as a db admin, I can think of a number of ways the wrong information can get into the incorrect record, including laziness. I am in possession of my chart according to Guanche, which I received from his office, and it's plainly wrong. The type of injury is wrong, and the tests and examinations they report in the chart never happened! I know what examinations they performed, and I know whether I was standing up or lying down at the time. Also, I was never seen by Guanche, only his PA. It's scary to think that had I not been on my toes, and ran away, they would have actually cut into me. Thankfully it was a procedure that needed to be done asap, they weren't going to see me for a month hence, and I found an awesome and excellent surgeon in Santa Monica. read more

Dr Guanche has ruined my life! I have read all of these reviews to see just what others think. Over all they seem to be correct for that person. When the outcome is successful, all is good and the Doctor is the best. HOWEVER when things go south as in my case, BEWARE!! The reviews concerning after care or the lack there of is spot on!! I came to Dr Guanche in 2013 after consulting with my orthopedic doctor from the Beverly Hills Orthopedic Instate. After reviewing the MRI's it was his opinion to have both shoulders replaced. I met Dr Guanche and he reviewed the MRI's and agreed that indeed they both need to be replaced. Since I am right handed, we started with the left shoulder. He thought I would be the prefect candidate for a partial replacement. That is just replacing the ball on the femur bone. All seemed to going well until 4 months after surgery and the pain came back worse than ever. Dr Guanche had another MRI performed to see what was going on. As it turns out my arthritis continued to rapidly progress and that now I WOULD NEED A SECOND SURGERY to have a FULL SHOULDER REPLACEMENT. Asking the Dr Guanche why not the full replacement in the first place? He replied that it was a judgement call and I did not see any problem during the surgery. Now its time for my right shoulder to have a total replacement. This was on December 4 2014. It took 8 weeks for the incision to close. The after care was pitiful and after being told I should be fully recovered in 6 months it has been over a year and I have a long way to go. Most likely I will never be able to work as a camera operator again, a carrier I've enjoyed for 35 years. I spent all of my savings paying the medical bills and living expenses for the last two years. So my advice to anyone vetting SCOI and Dr Guanche don't let his charm fool you, run away as fast as you can. read more

dont teust this dr. he will yell you that you need surgery just to make money. he told my husband the mri should a tear on his muscle but he was not true. he just wanted to make money by the surgery that he recommended to my husband. we went for second and third opinion and both dr,s said they dis not see a tear in the second mri we did for my husband. dr. carlos guanche is money hungry. after canceling the surgery he charged us $250.00 dollars for canceling. shame on you carlos guanche. shame on you shame on you shame on you i hope your license to practice gets revoked. you ahould be flipping burgers not care for patients. scoi should be ashamed to have such dishonest dr working for them. read more

Just had surgery about 3 weeks ago..........so far so good. A little soon to judge properly.

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since my shoulder surgery with Dr. Guanche. I'm doing great. I started physical therapy yesterday and the therapist was amazed by what I was able to do. Last night I was even able to sleep on my left side. Dr. Guanche was amazing. Very kind, patient and present. I would definitely recommend him to anyone with shoulder problems. read more

Dr Guanche recently repaired my sons torn meniscus. He diagnosed him on a Thursday and repaired him by Tuesday. Quick. And my son was back at college the following week. Dr G prepared us/him for exactly what to expect and the recovery process has been just as he scripted. His staff is professional and courteous as is he. I feel we're very lucky to have had him as our surgeon and god forbid our family should need additional repairs, he's our guy. Oh and btw we were a cash patient and didn't have to sell he farm to pay him ;) thank you again Doc. We really appreciate you. read more

I know this will sound bad at first.....but I've had 6 surgeries with Dr. Guanche! One on my right elbow because I had three pieces of chipped bone floating in my joint causing me pain and limited range of motion. I've had 5 right shoulder surgeries. No, he did not screw up, I have inherited my dad's jacked up shoulders. Plus, I'm a therapist who manually works on patients all day long. I've pretty much torn everything in there that's able to be torn. He has fixed it beautifully everytime and this last surgery seems to really be holding strong. He's truly a gifted surgeon. I was back to work 2 days later each time, although not working on patients, because I had zero pain and discomfort. Granted, I really dislike the sling they use post surgery but that's not Guanche' fault. I do agree that there is usually a long wait to see him but its easy to understand why, he has so many patients that have high anxiety over having surgery that they ask so many questions and hold up his time. I clearly do recommend him to anyone reading this and to all of my patients. He has operated on many of my referrals and they ALL had flawless results. read more

Had arthroscopic surgery a few years ago with Dr. Guanche. I had a great experience. I was referred to him from 2 other people. He has a reputation for being the best hip impingement arthroscopic surgeon, and I would agree. I was in constant pain for years until I had this surgery. Now I am running again.. Thanks Dr Guanche! read more

Where do I begin..... 2 years ago my 15 year old daughter underwent hip arthroscopic surgery for labral tear (she played soccer). She still is in lots of pain. She had to quit soccer because she can't walk longer than 5-7 mins without pain; can't dance; can't bend down to put on her shoes, pants; can't do anything! There's no words to describe our sorrow and regret for seeing Dr. Guanche. He said my daughter can return to soccer and a normal life.... he didn't do what he promised and we feel he lied to us. I have been in battle with insurance company to see qualified doctor and have been denied, so we have been stuck! I'm not going to stop searching for help. I haven't wrote anything in websites because I had bigger problems in getting my daughter's life back. Now she's 17 years old and has had lots of depression with her pain. I have tried everything, even paid CASH up to $1,000 for other opinions. Other Dr's said that the surgery wasn't done right. He did a debridement and took off more than he should on her labrum. Other Dr.'s say she has to have revision surgery to correct what Dr. Guanche did. On the personal side, he wasn't very warm or personal for us. He didn't offer a lot of information, we had to ask him. It was just a struggle with his Office from Day 1. This should have been a clue, but we didn't know better. He does have a huge ego. But, what really matters is that my daughter has her whole life to live and she needs to get well!!! The best advice I can give, is get 2-3 OPINIONS from different Doctors. This is vital! I'll never be so gullible again. read more

My wife has seen Dr. Guanche for bilateral labrum tear repair. While the surgery may have been a success according to them, she expeirences non-stop pain, weakness, and loss of sensation radiating down her legs. S/P 12 and 5 months for her right and left hips, respectively. Each follow-up visit is just a repetitive cycle of a 5 minute trivial consultation, where no real information can be gathered from his so-called assessment of her hip. It's unbelievable that this doctor and organization can truely help patients with the schedules that they keep. He ignored my wifes concerns in regard to her hips and simply suggested she no longer perform any of her usually activites. She is in her early 20s and as a medical school student I'm shocked at such a lack luster prognosis. Scoi seems to be a turn and burn facility that no longer cares about patient care. We will no longer be returning to this facility and choose to seek real medical advice from someone who knows anatomy. read more

I'd give him 0 stars if possible, this place ought to be shut down. I had already seen 2 other doctors, one who recommended physical therapy and to delay hip arthroscopy if possible. My pain isn't great and I'm still functional with walking and mild sports. Guanche entered the room really curt along with his assistant, and every single question I asked was met with interruptions, resistance and condescending put-downs. Questions I asked, such as if he "performs arthroscopy with a capsulotomy, does he close/perform plication on the capsule", he said "no" that he doesn't close the capsule, and when I asked why he said there was no need to. I asked him if what I read about iatrogenic instability after hip surgery is due to capsules being cut partially during surgery, he dismissed me with an egoic condescending attitude, as if doing my own research and merely asking the question was an insult to him. He insisted physical therapy wouldn't help and wasn't even willing to try delaying surgery, and you could tell he wanted nothing to do with me if I wasn't leaning towards choosing him for the surgery itself. His assistant chimed in verbally and nodded her head and was his shadow with every hand gesture and response he had, as if she were the doctor herself. Wait time was 1 hr and 20 minutes. I highly recommend going somewhere else. Guanche = horrible person, no empathy, medically deficient, ego really big. read more

I was originally referred to Dr. Guanche for hip arthroscopy. My outcome was great! In fact, I felt better before leaving the surgery center than I had before surgery. Several years later, I needed bilateral shoulder replacements. I returned to Dr. Guanche and his team at SCOI because I knew that there was no other surgeon or team who could provide the same level of care that I recieved with him. I elected to travel several hours away to have Dr. Guanche do my shoulder replacements even though there were surgeons locally. He and his team bent over backwards to assure that my experience and outcomes were the best. They accommodated for the distance I had to travel, made sure that I was in no pain when I left the surgery center to drive home, and communicated with me throughout both the pre-op and post-op period. I have referred others to Dr. Guanche for shoulder replacements and their experiences have been equally great. Thank you Dr. Guanche and team for your kindness and these great outcomes! read more

After an MRI with contrast confirmed that I suffered a labral tear of my right hip, my ortho doc said I would need arthroscopic surgery. Since he doesn't do arthroscopic surgery, I was referred to Dr.Guanche. I had read online about how some people may heal with physical therapy, but being in the medical field and knowing surgeons the way I do, I fully expected Dr. Guanche to schedule me for surgery straight away. After a physical examination and review of my X-Rays (x-rays done in his office)and MRI's, Dr. Guanche recommended I try physical therapy and follow up with him after a month. He even went so far as to candidly tell me that I could find great physical therapists closer to home instead of traveling to his clinic; which he would profit from. I was so pleasantly surprised by his honesty and warm bed side manner which is seldom seen with ortho surgeons. The office staff was polite and professional and I was in and out within an hour. read more

At 29, I went to see Dr. Guanche after I had torn my labrum and could barely walk. I researched several doctors from San Diego to LA. I met with the other orthopedic surgeons and I had all of them review my films/images and they said they couldn't help me. The reasons I chose Dr. Guanche are because of his impressive background, awards and his extensive knowledge. He explained to me my options and what the expected outcome could be for me. Dr. Guanche is the only physician that took the time to answer all of my questions in his office, as well as after I got home and had more, he and his staff were quick to respond. He genuinely cares about his patients, their health and well-being. Dr. Guanche is one of 12 orthopedic surgeons in the nation that is held with such high regard amongst his peers and performs at such an exceptional level- from your everyday case/patient to the difficult to diagnose and treat. I would recommend Dr. Guanche to anyone in need of an orthopedic surgeon. He is the reason I am able to walk again. read more

I feel compelled to write my review in defense of Dr. Guanche and his staff. I have had 3 surgeries done by Dr. Guanche...2 proximal hamstring repairs and one hip impingement and labral tear. I am also scheduled to have my other hip impingement done in 6 weeks. I am a competitive marathon runner. Dr. Guanche and his staff have always been completely professional, and respond immediately. I will add that they are more responsive to emails than phone calls...probably because they are very busy people! I find Dr.Guanche to be a good mix between being conservative, yet honest about your condition. He will do whatever is necessary in surgery to fix your problem. I always research my surgeries before consult, yet I am smart enough to know that I am not a doctor, and respect their input. Yes, I'm sure I had my psoas tendon cut and stretched during traction in my hip impingement surgery. I had a tear and a bony impingement that needed to be repaired! I remember it was very difficult to drive (my right side) and to lift my leg from the gas to the break. I would help my leg by lifting it for a few months. About 4 months later, I felt a tear while running, which scared me to death. It was scar tissue breaking free, and it was swollen for about a week or two. I was told by my massage therapist that it was scar tissue from the surgery, and not to be alarmed.. After that, my psoas was as free as it was before surgery. Yes, it might be necessary to undergo some stuff as part of the surgery, but you need to look at the surgery as a whole. Today my hip is working properly given the surgery, and it isn't even one year yet. I would recommend getting whatever release is necessary if it helps the surgeon fix your repair. The body has an amazing ability to repair and adapt. The lower back is involved in the working of the hip. I am struggling with some lower back SI joint issues going into my next surgery. The hip surgery may help the SI joint, and it may still be there after. Take it one step at a time, and address each issue separately. The surgeon is not always to blame! read more