I had a very disappointing experience with Dr. Kanal during my daughter's visit today. From the moment he walked in, his demeanor felt unnecessarily harsh. The first interaction involved him raising his voice at her to get on the exam table, which immediately made her uncomfortable. Throughout the appointment, his tone came across as condescending. Questions were asked in a way that felt more dismissive than supportive, and it didn't seem like there was much effort to connect with or reassure a pediatric patient--which is concerning given the setting. I understand that medical professionals have demanding jobs, and that not every interaction will be perfect. However, bedside manner, especially when working with children is incredibly important. Based on this experience, I do think it would be worthwhile for the practice to take a closer look at patient interactions and overall communication style. I'm sharing this as an honest account of our visit in hopes that it leads to more mindful care for future patients. read more

This was one of the most frustrating medical experiences I've ever had. There was virtually no communication about my daughter's wrist, her complications, or what we should have been monitoring. After her wrist suddenly swelled and we ended up in the ER, I called this office three times to make sure they knew what had happened. At the follow-up visit, I personally told the PA everything, watched him type it into her chart, and assumed the doctor would actually review it. Instead, Dr. Kanel came in, commented on the CT scans, and immediately started to leave the room. When I asked about the ER complication, he told me he "didn't know" about the swelling. Then, realizing it should have been known, he quickly brushed it off as "normal" and told us to come back in a few days if it didn't get better. The dismissiveness was unbelievable. We went elsewhere for a second opinion, and the new orthopedist immediately pointed out things we should have been told months ago. Because that information was never shared with us here, our daughter now has to spend the foreseeable future in a wrist brace to prevent further damage. The lack of communication, lack of awareness of her chart, and lack of basic follow-through at this office were unacceptable. I would absolutely not return and cannot recommend this provider to anyone. read more

Dr Kanel performed a flawless emergency surgery on my left femur on Tuesday 1/20/2026. I felt that he and his team answered my questions and most importantly executed marvelously. I feel very confident in recommending Dr Kanel. Coincidentally he treated my infant daughter for hip displacement and fitted her with a brace. His treatment of my daughter was equally effective and excellent. read more

Awful experience. He showed no interest and he shouldn't advertise himself as a sports doctor. Its no wonder he always has availability when we needed help in a pinch for my son's high school sports injury. Felt as though he's paid by number of individuals he sees as he was focused on leaving the room more than speaking about the injury and its treatment. read more

It's easy to get a same day appointment with this Dr. for a reason. He's rude, doesn't listen, and embarrassed my 11 year old daughter when checking her ankle. Don't waste your time or energy, find another Dr to see. read more

Rude, dismissive doctor that does not take the time to properly diagnose injuries. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!!

My sister had a knee and wrist surgery at the same time. The Doctor or a Nurse or Anyone ever called after the surgery to advise her on a Plan for After Care or to check if she was ok. Terrible I would not ever recommend this Doctor. I called to see if anyone could call her and was told they could only leave a message. I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE OFFICE. :( read more

Completely misdiagnosed. Referred to Dr Kanel for my 9 year old son's heel and knee pain. We were excited to get a same day appointment and brought images of his knee x rays taken the day before. Dr. Kanel spent less than 5 minutes with us. Diagnosed knee bursitis (even though he said this doesn't usually occur in 9 year olds) and Severs disease in the heel. Sent off with a knee brace and gel heel inserts. He did not view the knee x rays with us and said his knees look "perfect." Five days later, we saw a podiatrist who took X-rays of both feet. The X-rays showed a bone cyst clearly visible and according to this doctor, had no symptoms of Severs. We need an MRI to further assess course of treatment. I asked our pediatrician to review the "perfect" knee x ray report from the radiologist and there were lucent abnormalities that warrant a referral to UCSF orthopedics now. Update: Billed for 45-59 minute patient visit. Now, our son is under the care of Stanford pediatric orthopedics. read more

Just had surgery this morning at Silicon Valley Orthopedic Center. Been in the medical field many years and I have to say of all of my nine surgeries this was far by the Most Relaxing experiences. Quality Care from the moment you are greeted. State of the Art Healthcare Equipment. EKG, Sequential Compression Devices - prevent blood clotting (every person should own). The Anesthesiologist Dr Kainth Patel Very Professional Monitored my pain prior to discharge. Dr Kanel and Dr Kaithe Spoke to me at eye level prior to surgery. Julie The LPN, Made me feel Soo calm. I did not feel my IV. SHE WAS AMAZING. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SURGERY CENTER Versus any Hospital Thank you to the Staff that assisted in my surgery today read more

Jeffrey S Kanel, MD, MS - Calm Surgery Experience. Completely Pain Free thru my entire Surgery, Pre and Post op - Orthopedists Near Me - Los Gatos, California

There are not enough stars to express my appreciation for how much Dr. Kanal & his staff did and continues to do, to accommodate me in every aspect of my surgery last year & my continued recovery. I broke and sprained the same ankle at the same time. I was so lucky, and will be forever grateful to everyone I have come in contact with through my recovery. Thank You! Thank You! Dr. Kanal. read more

Very caring and personable Dr. He showed me my X-rays and explained what to do. Full service office. read more

I'm always pleased when I visit Dr. Kanel! He's very experienced and friendly. I appreciate how quickly they get me in for an appointment and take care with my needs. Thanks! read more

After breaking my femur Dr. Kanel performed an ORIF. That is, he put a rod inside the femur and screwed it in place at each end. His bedside manor was atrocious; he did not listen to our questions after the surgery and gave absurd answers. "A fever means nothing." In response to chronic pain he gave me a full leg brace. He gave no explanation why my leg was very crooked and my knee pointed inward and my foot outward. After an xray (at another institution) we discovered the two parts of the femur do not even touch - so after 8 weeks there has been no healing. My femur is completely misaligned. The screws he used penetrate the inside of the bone and extend into the flesh, causing damage and pain at every movement. read more

Poor bedside manners, just rushed off to his next appointment without taking any questions

I feel fortunate that I was able to be treated by Dr. Kanel. The results of his surgical expertise have been excellent as I regain use of my arm and have very little pain. I have complete confidence in Dr. Kanel as an orthooedic specialist. And he was very kind, too! read more

Not sure why the negative reviews on such a great doctor and staff. My son (then 9) broke his arm 18 months ago on the playground at school. We were referred to Dr. Kanel by Good Sam emergency. I called, promptly received an appointment and got in right away. Dr. Kanel was super nice, diagnosed it as a broken arm and sent in the nurses "the cast team" to put his cast on. Fast forward to last week. On Spring week we had a bicycle catastrophe and was pretty certain we had another broken arm. Off to Good Sam to confirm - yes - broken. Now splinted and safe for the weekend, I called Dr. Kanel's office from the Good Sam parking lot and they got him right in Monday morning. This time we arrived to a new office (gorgeous) and waited about 15 minutes (including the time it took me to fill out the paperwork) before being led to a room. Dr. Kanel came in promptly after reviewing the X-ray and said to my son "hey dude, you know you can just come in and say hello to me, you don't have to break your arm to see me" :-). He was jovial, informative and efficient (just like I like my doctors). I'd like to thank Gloria (nurse) who was WONDERFUL with my son. Taking off the splint and recasting was a little painful. She was so nice and warm and did everything she could to remove the tension by talking to him and making him smile. A+ to Dr. Kanel and his team - - and I mean this with all respect - - I hope we never have to see you again, but if we ever break anything else, I woudn't dream of going anywhere else to have it fixed :-) read more

Nothing but great service and overall experience! He has done multiple surgeries in my family. Highly recommend.

Dr. Kanel saw my husband, Bill, who was experiencing pain in his right knee and leg. Since his knees were replaced a few years ago, we wondered if we should be concerned. Dr. Kanel was gracious, professional, and immediately ordered x-rays. After assuring us that both knees were in excellent condition, he prescribed some pain medication for the muscle pain. All in all, a great experience. read more

My son was referred to Dr. Kanel as a last resort because the actual doc we were referred to was on vacation and the earliest visit would be in 2 weeks. Yes I was desperate but I couldn't wait because my son was injured over the weekend and needed to get his leg seen right away. We had an MRI done and Kanel recommended surgery because he said his MCL and ACL tore. When we went in, we were told he may have a minor MCL tear so when we got the news he needed surgery, of course we wanted a 2nd opinion. We spoke to my sister inlaw who is also a a nurse and she did her research and recommended we get a 2nd opinion. I figured, we're paying for this, it is my son's knee and as a patient/parents we have the right to change our minds. My husband went to get a copy of the MRI report and they said they don't give out MRI reports or CD and he ended up going back to Good Sam to get the MRI CD for $20. I think that's BS...I paid for the service through my insurance and I should be able to get it at the Dr. office free of charge. I think they are just sour about losing my business...smh poor customer service. I hope everyone reads all his reviews...he doesn't have a good bed side manner and doesn't deserve my business or anyone's business. read more

Dr. Kanels office staff was friendly and efficient. Meeting Dr. Kanel was not an experience I'd recommend to others. On the way, out My daughter said 'it seemed like he didn't have time to talk to us.' We were unable to answer his questions because he cut us off completely. Later he told my daughter to 'not do anything stupid,' but we felt he was unable to explain what limits she should put on herself adequately. She felt let down and confused about why we went to the Dr. who seemed not to have enough time to listen to us or answer our questions. I am not sure his diagnosis is correct because he neither listened or responded adequately. read more

I think this is my first negative review-- I usually operate in life from the 'if you don't have something nice to say' mindset. I am writing this waiting & waiting in the waiting room for Dr. Kanel. This is our 4th visit here. Unfortunately he was recommended by Good Samaritan when my 10 year old his arm and I didn't even think to check any reviews on an orthopedist. Dr. Kanel is abrupt, arrogant and down-right rude. The waiting room is packed. The staff disorganized. Even the staff know Dr. Kanel is a jerk. My son was wearing a Washington Husky shirt and he joked that he wouldn't set his arm properly because of it--- wtf? The next time he badgered my son because he had a Seahawk sweatshirt on. Seriously?! Grow up, mean little doctor. read more

Very dissapointed with this doctor. We were referred to him by our pediatrician for a scoliosis evaluation. I brought my daughter in and he walked in, didnt event say hello or introduce himself and basically just said she has very minor scoliosis, theres nothing to do, have a good day. At this point I was very scared and had lots of questions and he just blew us off completely. He also failed to notice her uneven hips and leg length discrepancy which another doctor later caught. Only after I insisted I wanted her to be seen for followup did he agree to see her in a year. So I fill out the card at the office so they can remind me in a year to bring her in and I get the card in the mail 3 weeks later, so their office isnt great with records either. We ended up going to Stanford to check my daugher again, the doctor there was amazing, spent over 40 mins with us, and it turns out there is stuff we can do for her which we are actively doing now to prevent this from getting worse. Had we listened to Dr. Kanel and not done anything who knows what would be in the future for her. So avoid Dr. Kanel at all costs, he has no people skills and doesnt really care about his patients. BTW, 1 star given only because I had to pick something, if possible I would give him zero stars. read more

Saw Dr. Kanel a few days ago for an injured ankle. I was not impressed. After being called into room, we waited about 15 minutes to see him. I was ok with that as Friday afternoons can get backlogged. He came in, saw my daughter for about 5 minutes and that was it. No x-ray of her very swollen ankle. No crutches given. Just his prognosis of tendonitis and to keep using the Futuro ankle brace we already had. Note: He was 5th ortho we tried to schedule that day (everyone seems to do surgeries on Fridays!). We've seen Dr. Leo Semkiw in the past and would recommend him and his office (San Jose Sports Medicine & Orthopedics). read more

It was a great experience and it s quick turn around time. My daughter had a broken wrist observed @ ER but finally, when we arrived here, its observed as just simple twist which just needs cast. My daughter had a comfortable wrap to her arm and she liked the color which she is opted. Finally, I recommend this place. read more

I only went to Dr. Kanel because my cousin referred me to him when my daughter fractured her arm. I should have Yelped him before going to him. When I told my daughter's pediatrician that I wanted to see Dr. Kanel, his staff should have notified my pediatrician's office that they had moved! I had arrived to the old address 15 min early wondering why their doors were locked? So I called and come to find out they had moved?!! I agree with Vanetta, he did not even introduce himself, didn't explain my daughter's xrays, just advised to immediately put in her a cast, then left! Although Gloria the nurse was very friendly and answered all my questions. And the staff was absolutely HORRIBLE!!! I had called 3 times requesting to have my calls returned...NOTHING!!! Very UNprofessional, especially when they had over a dozen people working/sitting in the front office. I would not recommend coming to this office. IF there is a next time, I will Yelp the next orthopedic specialist to make sure to read the reviews first. read more

Dr. Kanal has treated my kids for athletic injuries and now me for another issue. He, his staff, the entire office is professional yet happy and just a great experience! EVEN during Covid! I trust his expertise when he is evaluating our treatments and recommending current or future ones. We trust Dr. Kanal and have recommended him to several friends over the years. read more

Dr. Kanel came rec'd to us by our Pediatrician when our 4 year old broke his elbow and the Urgent Care Dr. told us it wasn't broken. Our Ped insisted we go to Dr. Kanel. He diagnosed a small fracture barely visible on the xray but quite painful and quite common for kids. I also recently broke my arm and he was nice enough to treat me which saved me time in finding a Dr. for myself. So...we've been to his office several times. We've never had any issues with the Dr. or his staff. He has always been able to get us in within 3 days of calling for an appt. And while his office is always full, we've never had to wait more than a few minutes for our appt. But b/c the appts are stacked up, if its a pretty straight forward injury, Dr. Kanel is in and out of the room quickly - hello, diagnose, treatment, out. However, my last appt. I addressed an issue unrelated to my son's broken arm and he took the time to examine him, answer Qs and while I didn't see him take notes, my Pediatrician later received a letter outlining our convo, the issue and suggested follow up. He definitely won me over with that. read more

Dr. Kanel and his team have helped my family through 2 events. The first was when my 6 year old son broke his arm. Second is when my oldest was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes. Dr. Kanel and his team have been great, he was patient and helped us understand our options, the staff and team helped us navigate appointments and operations, we trusted his input, and both of my son's are doing great. read more

I have a very similar story of someone who gave a very negative review on this page, but a completely different outcome. (Perhaps read the other review about a 5 yr old boy with a broken arm from the monkey bars first?) Our 5 yr old son broke his arm, a severe compound fracture, on the monkey bars at school. We did the ER at Good Sam and went with their recommendation to visit Dr. Kanel for our follow-ups. I'll be honest, after reading this other negative review on this page, that was so oddly similar to our situation, we definitely hesitated. We researched other options and inquired with people in the area, including other nearby doctors (my wife is in the medical field locally). We decided to go with Dr. Kanel and 5 months later we are completely satisfied with his care. I've waited 5 months to write this review just to make sure that I could give an honest, accurate account of the care we received. My son's break was bad. It was not perfectly re-aligned by the ER doctors (which I imagine is very hard to do perfectly). The first time the cast came off (two weeks after the ER), his arm was still terribly mis-shaped and crooked. The first thing I thought about was this other person's Yelp review and whether or not we were gonna have to go through the same thing, whether or not we made the right decision. Upon seeing our son's very crooked arm for the first time since the day of the break, Dr. Kanel assured us that the bones of young children heal extremely fast and they are very resilient. This was in late Sept, he looks at us and says, "the chances of Noah's arm NOT being perfectly straight by Christmas is (*holds his two hands up to make a big ZERO*) zero." He assured us it will heal very fast and straighten out very fast, and he was absolutely right, but, to be clear, his arm wasn't straight when the cast came off for good (a total of 6 weeks after the break). He was still walking around for a couple months with his arm slightly mis-shaped. But it did heal and it did heal properly in place. When he holds his two arms up straight in front of him, you can't tell which one was broken and he feels totally normal. I'm not trying to take away from an obviously awful experience that another family went through. But I just wanted to share my son's very similar experience as well, in hopes to be helpful for another family going through the same thing. Dr. Kanel was great and deserves a great rating. I know it's easy to freak out when it's YOUR kid (and we did) but we trusted this doctor and he proved to be trustworthy. All is good now and we talk lightly about that one time Noah broke his arm. read more

Orthonorcal's staff was professional, helpful and prompt. Dr. Kanel did not keep me waiting long and diagnosed my injury quickly. Orthonorcal still took me without insurance and my visit wasn't too costly. Definitely recommend for any orthopedic injuries. read more

I am totally in tune with Pauline K regarding Dr. Kanel. One of my girls just had surgery for her club foot. Something we have had done before. Dr. K was EXTREMELY professional & so great with my daughter (age 4) that she hugged him at out last appt. (she is NOT a hugger) He did talk to her more than he did me at times-but when I had a question, he took his time explaining it to me! The staff-WOW! we needed help with our meds, help getting a wheelchair at the last minute, I had questions. Dr. Kanels' staff really took care of us!! It was so nice to be told 'we will take care of it' & they actually did!!! We have had 4 ped ortho's in my daughters' short life (we keep moving), Dr. Kanel is right up there at the top of our list. Hope this helps! read more

Quick - efficient - detailed and to the point. Happy with his services along with nurse who assisted him.

When she read through the reviews of Dr. Kanel my daughter was a little stressed about a procedure that she has to have done but when we went to see the Doc a few years ago no probs. Went there again yesterday 2/21/13 and found our concern was unfounded. Front office staff was great, the Doc himself couldn't be nicer. Not sure why folks had other experiences but we didn't do anything out of the ordinary, were dressed down but we were as usual on time and polite. Maybe that made our visit problem free? Nothing but good things to say. John read more

Sorry for the long description. I just want to explain the details. Not a good experience on first and only visit. First off, not a huge deal, but he didn't introduce himself to my son and I when he came in. We were there for a sports injury to my son's ankle/leg (cracked fibula and small crack on ankle bone). He came in unwrapped and cut right through the padding of the soft cast that was put on in the emergency room a couple days before. Barely looked at the ankle, excused himself and came back and told us there was an opening for surgery to put a metal plate in, the next morning. Wait...what? Shouldn't we discuss why or if he needs surgery? His assistant came in used the cut padding and re-wrapped the cast. My son and I got in the car and looked at each other and asked "did that appt feel strange and off?" Then I got a text from the pharmacy letting me know my prescription was ready. It was for pain meds for surgery. I haven't even been able to talk the surgery option over with my husband. Then to top it off when we got home the plastic part of the cast was put on up against the injury and we realized we didn't get a new protective sleeve out on under the cast. We got a 2nd opinion immediately and it was highly recommended "NO surgery ". Especially at a young age. Now, 6 months later; rest, physical therapy and no surgery, he's completely back to full use! Bottom line, we felt rushed for surgery for the profit read more

Having an unfortunate cycling accident I was not prepared for receiving treatment during this COVID period of uncertainty, but I was very pleased with the overall treatment provided to me by Dr. Kanel and his staff at Ortho NorCal. read more

I see that the reviews here are quite polarized -- either 5 stars or 1 star. I'm here to add my review for this doctor so that readers may be able to make a more informed decision, and I also want you to ask yourself whether you want to take a 50-50 gamble on your health or those of your loved ones when there are way better alternatives available than Dr. Kanel. I was initially referred by my primary doctor to see another orthopedic surgeon for my elbow problem. That doctor in turn referred me to see Dr. Cohen at OrthoNorcal who was suppose to specialize on elbows. I went there and was shortly seen by a doctor. He just walked in, no introductions, and started asking questions. After about 5 minutes, he quickly concluded that I needed surgery. I asked whether he should take an X-ray first. He said that was not necessary and that it was just a simple procedure. I was then asked to make an appointment with his scheduling coordinator. The earliest available was for a Tuesday 2 weeks away. I told the scheduler that I needed to check my schedule and that I may have a trip coming up but I will confirm with her later the following week once I know if my trip is a go or no go. It was also at this point that I learned the doctor who saw me, and who did not introduce himself, was in fact Dr. Kanel, and not Dr. Cohen! Since he said that it was just a simple procedure, I took his word for it and did not make a big fuss about being seen by someone else at that time. The following week, as soon as I found out that my trip will proceed, I called OrthoNorcal to cancel my appointment. That was on a Friday, 4 days before the scheduled surgery. Also remember that the schedule knew about my potential travel when she first made the appointment for me. It was then to my utter surprise that I was charged a $250 cancellation fee a while later. The rest of my ordeal and review has to do with Kanel's attitude and unfair application of their office practice. After numerous, and I mean numerous phone calls to their office (I've probably spoken to everyone in their administration staff by now), I've learned that they would waive the $250 cancellation fee if I rescheduled. At that time (about 3 months ago) I was still willing to do this. However, when I attempted to do this I was told that Kanel was only waiving half of the cancellation fee for me, without giving a reason why, and also against their usual office practice. At that point, I had lost any trust that this man would do a professional job. I mean if the usual practice is to waive the entire fee, why would he be waiving only half of that for my case? The staff I spoke with mentioned that Dr. Kanel explicitly instructed them on this and they could not do anything. Also having made absolutely no headway with the OrthoNorcal office, I started looking for help elsewhere. This included involving my insurance company as well as seeking legal advice. It is through their help that I finally got closure. Long story short, after 4 long months, the problem is finally settled and I got a full refund on my cancellation fee. So, here's the take away that I'd like to share with readers: (1) If you do decide to go to OrthoNorcal, make sure you're being seen by the right doctor -- some of them may actually be good. Or you could be seen by someone who was not even pre-authorized to see you in the first place. (2) If a doctor says you need surgery without as much as getting an xray to find out the problem or what to do during the surgery, run away as fast as you can. He's just there to make money and not after your well being. I did go see a different orthopedic surgeon outside of OrthoNorcal later on, and my experience there was night vs day. They took an xray, and that doctor explained what was causing my problem, and what a surgical procedure might entail, recovery time, prognosis, etc. Also, it turned out to be an elective procedure and not something urgent after all. read more

Very experienced and knowledgeable medical professional. Gave me more insight and informed me of what needed to be done more so than the other specialist I saw. Would highly recommend. Thank you Dr. Kanel! read more

Dr Kanel is an excellent orthopedic surgeon. He listens and is empathetic and understanding. He spends the appropriate amount of time with me. I highly recommend him. read more

Don't waist your time and money on this "Dr". I took my 18 month old baby to see him after he twisted his ankle very badly. He supposedly looked at the X-rays before getting into the room, told me he didn't need to see him walk or touch him or hear anything. He just gave me the standard speech about "it might be a fracture, but maybe not, he couldn't see it, but is your decision to put him on a cast or not, he will heal the same anyway"... And left telling me: you decide. I called my husband and decided that if it was the same outcome it was going to be easier for him not to use a cast. Seconds after, the nurse came in with the display of color to pic for the cast (we never agree on it) I ask him to come back and told him we were not going to get him into a cast since there was no real need if it was going to end up healing the same way. He exploded in anger and left the room. Is not just the horrendous bedside manners, but we are paying him to tell us what to do, check the patient and analyze the case, not to tell me to choose what I want and then explode like a teenager. For the first time I didn't check Yelp before going since the pediatrician recommended him (he is the only one in this area who works everyday) Please check the reviews and save yourself and your child a bad experience and a lost of valuable time. read more

He has no bedside manners, NONE! He was very annoyed when I was asking questions. My son broke his arm 3 times in 3 different places. The way they cast the arm, left it very crooked. Dr. Kanel said, it will straighten out during growth and it is to protect the wrist. My son is an adult now with a very crooked left arm. The billing department is useless too. In 2012, I spent hours on the phone after I got billed for something our insurance already paid. 5 years later, I get another bill for that treatment. Our insurance is now getting the information out of the archives to make sure everything is settled. Our son is in college. read more