I went to Dr Lord for a second opinion about back surgery. The outcome was very pleasing; it met my highest hopes. I had severe pain in my glutes and quads and hams. The first surgeon proposed fusing my sacra and L1 thru L5 vertebrae. Dr Lord examined me, my x-ray and MRI imagery and said a laminectomy at L1-2 and the excising of a cyst there on the outside of my spinal cord should provide quite significant relief. Further, her proposal did not preclude future alternatives, whereas fusion would be a bell that could not be unrung. Fusion surgery would have required big cuts to the front and back of my torso along with the disturbing of most of the organs in my abdominal cavity. Dr Lord proposed a surgery that required going in with two small holes near my spine. Two other surgeons, colleagues of a friend of mine, concurred with her proposal. I went home the night of the surgery. Discomfort the first week was pretty bad, although it was manageable with the stronger pain meds she prescribed. Things improved rapidly from there as I healed and began physical therapy (PT). I now am pain-free and am regaining my stamina and balance. Before surgery I was living on ibuprofen, 1800 mg per day. Now, 2 months after the surgery, I do not use pain meds and can walk 1 to 1.25 miles with little or no fatigue. I am continuing physical therapy in the reasonable hope of being able to walk any distance I want to read more

Non efficient. Terrible listener. Seems to be ego driven. Surprisingly lacks knowledge for someone who has a degree and lacks social skills. Please look another doctor for the sake of your health. read more

My message to everyone with scoliosis or spinal deformity: Congratulations--you are on the right path. Before surgery, I was scared to death. Reading negative stories terrified me, so I stopped reading altogether. I am a 69-year-old woman, now recovering in rehab after a 14-hour scoliosis deformity surgery. Dr. Lord is a true gem and a hero. I found her through the Scoliosis Warriors Over 50 Facebook group. She performed my long surgery and even personally called my son in another country afterward. Two weeks after this life-changing ordeal, I am moving well. I look normal in the mirror again. I've already regained 2.5 inches of my height and can stand straight without support. I exercise 180 minutes a day in rehab and plan to continue staying active. Thank you deeply to Dr. Lord, her entire team and a wound team especially, Dr. McCaine (name spelling uncertain), and everyone who cared for me. I was sent to CRI Rehab, the best place in the world for recovery. I am forever grateful. read more

Dr. Lord was a rock-solid professional with exactly the skills needed to fix my massive disc bulge with a microdiscectomy procedure. From our first meeting, I could see that she's very focused on getting good outcomes while being honest about the risks. Even though it's clear that she's very busy, she was thorough in follow-up visits, and my recovery has been textbook perfect. Thanks, Doctor Lord! read more

The staff were great, nice and polite. The doctor who first spoke to me was also very nice, explained everything he was doing and spoke to me patiently about all my symptoms. I wish he would have been the surgeon. Dr. Lord never looked at me, she looked at the computer and at notes. She was very rushed and seemed to not care at all about how I felt. She rushed through the explanation of what surgery she wanted to do and when she asked me questions I felt like I was being judged on my answers, like it was a test of some kind. My sister was with me and she was equally shocked at how cold, rushed and disinterested Dr Lord was. It was as if she was doing me a favor talking to me. read more

Dr. Lord is an amazing surgeon. She is professional, personable, and thorough. She answered all my questions and concerns in a way that's easy to understand. I am so happy with the result of my back surgery. I am three months post-op and feel like a new person. I am pain free for the first time in many years. I never thought that was possible, given the extent of my injury. I am forever grateful for her quality care and expertise in putting me back on my feet!!! read more

I had a critical cervical injury on 2/4/25 and Dr Lord performed surgery at UCLA. I am now in Rehab. I have not yet met Dr Lord but l am hoping to thank her if l have a full recovery. read more

I'm not one to write reviews but I feel people like me should know about her. I went to see Dr. Lord for surgery of the Spine. I have a multi-level spinal stenosis of the lower back more prominent in the L1-L5 region. I flew all the way from Hawaii to see her. Again, this is no easy task to accomplish. At the UCLA Clinic she did several tests with her intern assistant, she goes over the previous X-rays we've just completed, and Dr. Lord explains to me that I don't have Scoliosis. She tells me that it's standard procedure with new patients to rule out Scoliosis first before proceeding. I later ask her if there is any minimally invasive surgery she can recommend for my condition, so I asked her more specifically Endoscopic spine surgery. She then said no surgery would help me and she said, I need to get a stimulator surgically implanted instead, and of course, among other unusual recommendations by her. The following days after seeing Dr. Lord, I flew back home to Hawaii, but during that the trip back home, I thought about everything she said at UCLA Spine Clinic, none of it made sense at all. When I got back home to Hawaii, I later emailed her staff, and I asked for a statement from her about our discussion we had in her office. After reading her statement, she wrote about our office visit, it did not match to what we talked about. She mentioned in the statement no "Spinal Fusion" is recommended, but we never talked about a spinal fusion. In other words, her statement did not match our discussion. Warning: if you ever go to see Dr. Elizabeth Lord be extremely careful about her advice, especially when it involves a serious medical condition, in addition, make sure you get a written statement from her before leaving her office. A verbal consult can be very different from a written statement. I believe honestly, I just avoided a major catastrophe with this doctor. Choose your doctor very wisely and do your research carefully before making any major commitment. read more

I feel I need to share my experience with Dr Lord. I had some numbness and tingling in my hands. The MRI showed I had severe stenosis in one area of my spine. I went to see Dr Lord for a consultation. She told me I needed a laminectomy from C2-C7 with fusions throughout ASAP. This radical surgery would have had a major impact on my life. I'd be in a hard collar for 2 months. I'd be left with limited range of motion due to the fusions. My primary care doctor strongly suggested that I get an additional opinion. I saw a neurosurgeon and another orthopedic surgeon. Both told me that what Dr Lord was suggesting was "overkill". Instead of going through what Dr Lord suggested I had a laminectomy at C5 & C6 and he shaved a little off C7 with NO fusions. 30 days after the operation I was driving, back at the gym and basically felt fine. I shudder to think of how awful the recovery from the surgery Dr Lord recommended would have been. I believe I dodged a bullet. If you need to have your neck entirely rebuilt and fused then Dr Lord may be a good choice. But before you decide to get a life-changing surgery like that get other opinions. You owe it to yourself and your family. read more

Dr. Lord is an outstanding physician in every respect who has rescued my quality of life from the ravages of my own aging process. My feelings about this cannot be overstated. Dr. Lord performed two separate surgeries on me. The first was a disc fusion in C5-C6, and the second was the removal of a large lipoma from the back of my neck. I could not be more grateful for her skills, expertise, and compassionate care. Dr. Lord and her excellent staff took the time to listen to my concerns, evaluate my condition, and develop a surgical strategy. The first surgery, the disc fusion, was performed perfectly, and the results quite possibly saved my career as a freelance photographer. I had been experiencing severe numbness in the fingers on my right hand, which prevented me from feeling the controls on my camera. I also had two spells of searing pain from my neck to my right shoulder, each lasting several weeks. The numbness has completely disappeared, and the pain has not returned. I am back to work full time with zero challenges. The second surgery, the removal of a large lipoma, was equally successful. The lipoma was getting so big that it was starting to look disgusting. I was embarrassed to wear tee shirts. I had consulted with other surgeons prior to Dr. Lord who were too scared to operate on it because of the proximity to my problematic C spine. Dr. Lord had the courage and skills to take on both surgeries (spaced three weeks apart). Due to the importance of cosmetics on the lipoma surgery, she brought in a plastic surgeon to close. The results are fantastic. The contours of my neck were returned to normal, and I am finally free from this embarrassing growth. As a bonus, with all of these "moving parts," she got both operations scheduled and completed prior to year's end so that I had only one deductible/max out of pocket. In addition to her exceptional surgical skills, Dr. Lord is a warm and compassionate physician who truly cares about me. Of course her expertise in the field of spine surgery was evident, and her confidence in her approach put me at ease. But more specific to me, she immediately saw the urgency of my needs due to my career as a photographer. She also recognized that photography is not just my way of earning a living - it is my life's passion. I was in jeopardy of losing both, and she protected me from this peril with her excellent hands. When she told me in her office that she would do both surgeries, after getting turned down and given the runaround by other doctors, I cried. Literally cried. And she was ready with a tissue. I am in physical therapy now, and it is going far more quickly than expected. This is obviously because Dr. Lord performed the surgeries with such exceptional skill. I am following the advice of Dr. Lord and my physical therapist and continuing the process. But I feel so good that the physical therapy feels like a mere formality. read more

My 79 year old mother saw Dr. Lord for a c4/c5 fusion. She did a marvelous job. Incision site had no issues. All her assistants and staff went above and beyond to communicate with my mother and make her feel at ease during pre and post surgery. Dr. Lord is a brilliant surgeon and she is a star in the medical field. Run don't walk if you need her to operate on you. She is a life saver! read more

I am a Patient of Dr Lord's. She is an amazing Doctor who really cares about her patients. She takes the time to Explain everything and listens to all your Question. She doesn't rush you out and makes you feel very comfortable. I recommend her to you if you have any back issues. Her office staff are all so friendly and remember who you are. they greet you when you enter and say goodby when you leave. To be totally HONEST There are not enough GOOD WORDS to say about DR. LORD. SHE IS THE VERY BEST. read more

If you are lucky enough to have Dr Lord as your surgeon, you made your first step to recovery. On my first visit to Dr Lord, I could barely walk and after months of PT didn't have much hope I would ever again. A massive calcification on my thoracic spine was the root of the problem. Surgery was inevitable. Dr Lord was highly recommended by a spine specialist in Santa Barbara, and for good reason. The surgery was big and complicated, but very successful. Dr Lord visited me twice in the UCLA hospital to see how I was doing. Now after 6 weeks I am progressing and on the road to recovery. Words are not enough to express my gratitude to Dr Lord. read more

Dr Lord is excellent! She did my back fusion and laminectomy. I'm pain free and able to enjoy my previous activities. I can now walk a few miles/day without any issues. I have had excellent care pre, during and after surgery. Her office staff are friendly, professional, and efficient. I was initially reluctant to have surgery but so glad I did. It has made a difference in my quality of life. read more

Stay away, trust me! Do yourself a favor! I'm not one to complain but I'm going to be filing a grievance, go to the board and whoever else I need to complain to I will. The absolute worst. Medical neglect at its finest. She needs her lic taken away as of yesterday. It's been a true headache since day one and she will truly be sure that you are stressed more than supportive. She gives 2 shots about her client. I will be reporting your license you do not deserve to have people under your care. read more

I was referred to Dr Lord by my normal orthopedist, for help with shooting nerve pain that ran down my leg, due to a cancerous lesion haven grown near a nerve cluster on my tail bone. She recommended a decompression of my tailbone, and while looking at the MRI afterwards helped find another tumor that I had in my right femur. I'm about 2 1/2 weeks into recovery from a double surgery involving Dr Lord and my normal orthopedic dr and I can say without hesitation that the surgery that Dr Lord performed to relieve me of the acute nerve pain, I was suffering through was a wonderful success! My interaction with Dr Lord has been nothing but positive, and I would absolutely recommend anybody with similar issues to contact her for help. read more

Dr Lord is an amazing surgeon and physician. Dr Lord and her team with Alyssa and Ilse are very thorough. They are responsive via MyChart and just attentive. I appreciate the care so much that I recommend Dr Lord and her team to anyone who is looking for someone to care about their spine. Took me 8months to find a physician! And don't think I would look anywhere else. read more

This is the most unhelpful drs office I have ever dealt with. They were rude and heartless! Avoid at all cost! Long story short: a STAT appointment was requested by a referring doctor, this was supposed to be handled within a week. We had no choice but to get scheduled for a consultation (for urgent surgery) 2 weeks later. Within that 2 weeks we called a few times to see if there were any cancelations, hoping they would suggest what to do since the situation got much worse. The heartless woman on the phone, listening to my mother (the patient) cry to them in pain, hangs up on my moms face after saying "idk what to tell you ma'am". Then the Friday, before the 9am Monday appioment, around 2:20pm my mom is told they need her xrays before being seen. My mom was frustrated that this was not told to her over the last 2 weeks that passed, then called the referring doctor to confirm what she was previously told, that the documents (including xrays) had been sent the day they referred her over. After sending in multiple ways, they still say they didn't receive it. To top it all off on Sunday at 2pm a voicemail saying the appioment has been canceled because they require xrays and additional headscans before the appioment. They had 2 weeks to get this information to us, they opened her chart multiple times while we called them, they should have been able to see what was nessisary. Every moment with them was completely bs. The whole thing was a waste of time and pain for my mother. I hope you think carefully before scheduling anything with this office. 0 stars read more

Dr Lord is the best doctor I have ever had. After being refused by two of her Associates at the Santa Monica spine Institute because of the risk involved on operating on my spine, she confidently took on the task and it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. She's a genius and explained every single thing that was going to happen to me beforehand and every single thing that has happened to me afterwards and in subsequent follow-up visits. I cannot recommend her enough as she's the very best there is. Thank you for changing my life. read more

For decades I had to deal with severe neck pain. Although a 2009 cervical fusion repaired the levels on which the surgery was performed, the pain continued. Throughout the years I met with other doctors, but I never felt comfortable with their recommendations. Fortunately, in 2022 I met Dr. Lord, and the surgery she performed resolved my problem. My experience was so positive that I transferred all of my care to UCLA physicians. read more

I'm a Patient of Dr Elizabeth Lord's and I found her to be one of the most compassionate, patient, clear and brilliant doctors. I've encountered in my 75 years of my young life, thus far. :-) I recommend her unconditionally and would have her care for any of my family members. Which, in my opinion says one of the best things you can say about another person/doctor. Before she gave her final recommendation, she sent me to have an MRI and a CT scan and a few other tests just to be sure of what her recommendations and diagnosis and treatment plan were going to be. It turns out that she did not recommend spinal surgery ,she recommended some other treatment options that would be much more effective for my particular arthritis neck condition. I found her staff teo also be very kind and thoughtful and engaging. As I mentioned earlier, I quite robustly :-), recommend Dr. Lord, completely and unconditionally. Quite simply, I found her to beba rockstar of a doctor. Whoever is reading this review, I wish you all the best on your medical journey and if you're wondering whether you should see her or not, don't think about it, trust your own inner guidance and I trust that will lead you to Dr. Lord. Thank you, sending Rich blessings, Garrett Lambert, Santa Monica, California. read more

If you are lucky enough to have Dr Lord as your surgeon, you made your first step to recovery. On my first visit to Dr Lord, I could barely walk and after months of PT didn't have much hope I would ever again. A massive calcification on my thoracic spine was the root of the problem. Surgery was inevitable. Dr Lord was highly recommended by a spine specialist in Santa Barbara, and for good reason. The surgery was big and complicated, but very successful. Dr Lord visited me twice in the UCLA hospital to see how I was doing. Now after 6 weeks I am progressing and on the road to recovery. Words are not enough to express my gratitude to Dr Lord. read more

Never go to Elizabeth Lord! She is the worst doctor at UCLA I have ever met. Her negligence, lack of communication, and inability to call back, show up for appointments, or even create a treatment plan is beyond unprofessional. She will retaliate if you question her. It got so bad, other UCLA doctors from a different department gave me names of doctors at Cedar's. Save yourself over 4 month of pain with severe injuries and broken necks! She will only make you worse! Trust me, go to someone else. read more

If you are looking for care, stay away. This is a factory and not a care facility. They care more about what the insurance company needs and will not fight for your care and will just ignore you if they don't get an approval from your insurance company. Any one dealing with medical insurance company and back pains knows insurance companies only like to give you pain meds and because so little is know about the back they just deny everything. These people will NOT work with you if its not a simple fix and you are just number to them. Not a human being who needs help and compassion. Don't waste your time and go see a doctor who cares. read more

I just saw Lord today for a second visit. First appt waiting time 1 hour and 2nd visit 1 1/2 hrs. Shared my feelings about this and not well received. Appt at 10;30 so how many appts could you have by 10:30 that would make for 1 1/2 hr wait. There's more to the story but who cares, She left the room to get the office mgr. (who was great) never to be seen again. I'm really disappointed as I was impressed with her knowledge and clearity and would have felt confident having her do the surgery. But there are plenty of doctors in LA that get there are 2 aspects in helping. the patient....physically and emotionally (if they are worried, scared, don't understand and need support etc).. She countered all this with "I'm free to get another doctor and she won't be offended". Huh? She actually thinks I care about offending and need her permission to seek another physician This doctor would be great for those that don't care about compassionate behavior. read more

Dr Lord is literally the best. She's a life-saver and a hero. My family owes her everything. We are so grateful to her and to her assistant Alyssa. Five stars is not nearly enough. I would and have trusted them with my life. Thank you Doctor! Thank you Alyssa! read more

I had a spinal fusion/laminectomy performed on me in another state in November , 2019. It didn't go well. I spent 1 month in the hospital. During my stay, I had another operation for an infected area near the lower end of the incision. Then imaging revealed a fractured sacrum. I spent another 3 months in nursing homes for "rehab". All the while I suffered almost constant pain. Following my discharge, I was in the ER several times with extreme pain. Opiods were prescribed. They gave only temporary relief. In the meantime, we relocated to LA. More pain led to more medical consultations and, eventually, to a referral to Dr. Lord. We were impressed with Dr. Lord's confidence and decisiveness. She did a revision, fusing t-10 to pelvis on 4/29/2021. The sharp pain disappeared. After a short hospital stay, I spent 10 days in rehab, followed by in-home physical therapy. I am now free of pain and self-reliant, moving about with no assistance. I thank Dr. Lord for giving my life back to me. I recommend her with no reservation. · read more

Dr. Lord is a knowledge and compassionate surgeon. I can not recommend a better spine surgeon. She is hard working and dedicated to her her patients. read more

My father recently went through a grueling surgery to remove a tumor on his spine. This was an incredibly traumatic experience for our family.  We are eternally grateful to Dr. Elizabeth Lord for her surgical skill, communications, both before and after surgery, and her post-surgery care.  What can I say?  From the start of this scary process, Dr. Lord explained what was to come.  It would be a tricky surgery, but was absolutely necessary if my dad wanted any chance at a quality life. She took extra time to answer ALL our questions (we had many), and to lay out what was to come, the possible complications, risks and benefits. Immediately following surgery, she came out to explain the surgery was, in fact, successful, and what was to follow. We, as a family, can tell Dr. Lord is a decent, caring human being.  Obviously, she is talented.  Obviously, experienced and highly competent.  We highly, highly (!!) recommend Dr. Lord, her surgical team, and UCLA nurses and staff for the care and compassion they demonstrated to my father. God bless Dr. Lord! read more