Dr. Rajeev Pandarinath is truly exceptional. He has treated both my daughter and me over the past few years, for my daughter's Osgood-Schlatter's and a fractured finger, and for my own chronic knee pain in my mid-40s. Every single time, he's gone above and beyond. His bedside manner is outstanding--he listens, explains things clearly, and genuinely cares about his patients. It's rare to find a doctor who not only has such deep expertise but also clearly loves what he does. I have never waited more than 10 minutes to see him (kudos to his staff for running a well organized office and schedule for this busy doctor). While we don't enjoy the injuries we get on our own, we feel incredibly grateful to have found Dr. Pandarinath to treat them. read more

I run marathons. I got injured. It happens. I went to see Dr. Pandarinath back when my knee pain first started in June 2012. He said it was nothing and prescribed an anti-inflammatory and rest. I took about a month off before I started training again, with no issues. I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon, got up to 15 miles, headed out for my 18 mile run and my knee gave out completely. I went back to see the doctor and he diagnosed me with tendinitis, prescribed PT and rest. I took 6 MONTHS off. I spent those 6 months in PT, following orders, doing exercises, etc. I saw him during a 3 month check up and he said I was making progress. When I was discharged from PT, I got the ok to start running again. For 3 months, I gradually built my running back up and got the ok to run a Half Marathon...the Nike Women's Half. At Mile 8, my knee gave out. I went to see a different doctor (Dr. Annunziata). He called for an MRI (something Dr. Pandarinath had never done) and diagnosed me with IT Band Syndrome...which has the complete opposite symptoms of tendinitis. A runner with a knee injury and you don't take an MRI? Even I questioned that. So, now it's May, I'm almost a year out from an injury that typically has a 6-8 week recovery time, and I'm just now starting to recover because of his misdiagnosis. Oh, and I would say his wait times were decent...except for that one time I waited for 90 minutes in his office and he never showed up. read more

Dr. Pandarinath was just named one of the Top Doctors 2019 in the Washingtonian Magazine for sports medicine. I am not an athlete though I have regularly gone to the gym for many years for general fitness. I have osteoarthritis and since last spring, Dr. P and I have tried a variety of solutions until it finally led to knee replacement four weeks ago. At this stage, my recovery is going well and I expect the same for the duration. Dr. P is a "quick study" in that he listens and gets to the meat of the issue quickly and with confidence of experience. He offers pros and cons of all options and strikes me as very bright. Also, he is available on secure email and whenever I have a quick question, he answers quickly and clearly - being able to reach him has been a real comfort. The professional medical staff- technicians, nurses, other docs - who work with him are just super! Clearly he trains them well and has high expectations. The only slight irritation I have is with some of the reception staff - some are fine while others seem to not like their job very much - but once past check-in, I don't have any real contact there. That shouldn't dissuade anyone from going to this practice. read more

I highly recommend Dr. Pandarinath based on my recent meniscal root repair. He communicated well as to my options, likely outcomes, risk, and potential results of inaction to address. The procedure was successful and follow up has been equally positive. read more

Thank goodness I saw Dr. Pandarinath for my shoulder/upper back pain! I suffered through 18 months of sometimes severe pain from an injury that previous doctors and a physical therapist said would heal. He made an accurate diagnosis of my shoulder issue even before taking any X-rays or an MRI, and scheduled me for surgery once the MRI confirmed his diagnosis. Two weeks out of fairly extensive shoulder surgery (rotator cuff tendon repair, etc.), I have very little pain and stiffness. Other aspects of Dr. Pandarinath's practice are well managed: quick replies to emails and phone calls; no long waits before my office appointments; organized surgery scheduling. read more

I do not recommend to see this doctor unless you're a sports super star. I initially went to see Dr. Pandarinath back in 2015 due to some knee issues. He always saw me for less than 15 minutes, never explain anything about the Xrays he took/reviewed or the condition I had, and didn't do anything different than advising to go to PA (again and again). He never took the time to truly review the xrays and see what was going on. Last week, I finally went to a different doctor and it was a completely different experience: he took the time to actually show me the images and explain what was going on. I don't have arthritis in my knee as Dr. Pandarinath told me but I do have an issue with my hip tho. I could've been diagnosed earlier if Dr. Pandarinath actually was listen to what I was saying instead of rushing to fit a patient every 15 minutes. read more

Perhaps 1 star is unfair, however, it's the right rating for me. I received 2 cancellation responses while trying to schedule Dr. Pandarinath thru ZocDoc. His office eventually called to let me know that Dr. Pandarinath doesn't see patients over 50 yrs. old for hip problems. OUCH. And the woman who called, with her oh-so-proper southern accent, seemed a bit put out that I didn't know that. Honestly, this has never happened to me. I'm new to the DC area from CA - hope this isn't a trend. read more

Oh, and now I found out I've been sent to collections because he prescribed me a full price wrist brace. FOR AN ANKLE INJURY. I've spent hours on the phone trying to rectify this with insurance and credit reporting agencies. INEPT! read more

Dr P. and his staff are great. Easy to get appointments. Never a wait. Sees you on time. The office staff is very friendly and efficient. Dr. P is very friendly. I have seen him for knee issues. Ranging from simple to a TKR. He and his staff were fantastic the entire time. I have had numerous appointments with him. He offers good options, explains the pros and cons and helps you reach a decision. He answered all of my questions - which were quite a lot. Dr. P. has been great before. During. And after the surgery. My recovery is going well. Highly recommend. read more

I originally went to see Dr. Pandarinath for a shoulder problem which was eventually resolved. However, I also had this persistent groin pain for 3 years and no doctor I had seen about it could figure out what was causing it. After I mentioned it to him, Dr. P was the first to suggest that it could be a sports hernia, which is very easy to misdiagnose and made sense given the symptoms I have had. He was very humble and said that although he is not a specialist in this area, he would be happy to recommend me to see someone else. Although I saw some people in DC who said they treated sports hernia's, none were specialists and there are only a handful in the entire nation with extensive experience. When I told Dr. Panadarinath that I no one could solve my problem and I was ready to give up, he recommended going out of state to one of the few sports hernia specialists in the nation. I went to see Dr. Mark Zoland in NYC, who examined me, diagnosed the sports hernia and did the surgery. It completely cured me and to this day I can't believe how easy it was to fix and how lucky I was to run into an excellent doctor like Dr. Panadarinath who figured it out. I don't want to say anything bad about any of the other doctors I had seen for my groin pain, but many of them misdiagnosed my problems and some even recommended risky, unnecessary treatments, even after Dr. Pandarinath suggested it could be a sports hernia. I'm glad Dr. Pandarinath was able to point me in the right direction. I recommend him highly. read more

Generally, pretty patient but tried to call up for a first time appointment but the receptionist was very short and rude. She was having problems with her computer which can inspire some sympathy but after several times of being 'chastised,' I decided to drop attempts at seeing the doc. I know it's not a review of the doc himself. However, going through the receptionist is something I'd have to do each time. This was on 4/13 around 10am in the morning. So whoever was on staff then, thank you. :) read more

Dr P has been my doctor since 2010 he has taken cared of me and my son I am bless to have such an awesome doctor taking cared of me and this year 2019 I had a total knee replacement and Dr P has work wonders on my knee it is healing great and I am so grateful to have such a caring wonderful doctor Dr P is the best I wouldn't have it any other way thanks always Dr P read more

Dr. Pandairnaht is an excellent and caring doc. A friend who had seen Dr. Pandarinath for her shoulder pain recommended him to me as my shoulder was injured and was getting worse. Dr. Pandarinath has an excellent bedside manner and is conservative in his approach. He takes time to explain things and answer questions, which I very much appreciate. He let me know what he thought was going on, and recommended a cortisone shot. While I obtained some immediate relief, it didn't last. I saw him again several months later, and as I didn't improve, he ordered an MRI which ruled out a rotator cuff tear. While I was expecting him to recommend surgery, he instead recommended another shot of an anti-inflammatory (not cortisone) and some PT. Again, some immediate relief but it didn't last. After a couple more months, I went back and it was only then that he recommended an operation, suspecting that there might be some sort of calcium deposit in my shoulder that was causing my pain. He also recommended a biceps tenodesis to give greater stability to my biceps tendon and reduce the chance of pain from that. The operation was successful (and quick) and he found and removed the calcium deposit culprit that he suspected. Recovery at home was rather speedy, too (I religiously took pain meds every 6 hours and kept ice on it for three straight days). It did take about two months of PT (2 times a week at an office plus 3-4 times a week on my own) afterwards, but the physical therapist (who I chose on my own) repeatedly told me that the pain and symptoms I was having were normal for my type of surgery. And week by week, I got better. I'm happy to report that my shoulder is about 98% pain free now and the pain that I had before the surgery is gone. Just gone. Would I do the surgery again? Yes. But only with Dr. Pandairnath. He's excellent. read more

After a devastating knee injury on the soccer field, I was referred to Dr. Pandarinath through a friend. His calm, direct, and knowledgable demeanor put me at ease as soon as he walked into the exam room. After speaking with him, I left knowing and understanding the plan and my options. I am still recovering from surgery.. but throughout the entire process I have felt comfortable and confident in my care. read more

I had an MPFL reconstruction with allograft and a surgical repair of meniscus tear with Dr. Rajeev. I am extremely satisfied with his professional care. I live by myself and had no family here to take care of me, but thanks to a great doctor and his secretary who were very responsive and helpful for all my questions, I managed the recovery very quickly. I got injured playing basketball 14 years ago when my patella dislocated for the first time. Few months after the injury, the dislocation became recurrent and was hardly able to walk without having it at the proper place. I had a surgery in my home country, where the health system was not much reliable, with the best doctor there. At that time, they didn't have adequate equipment for soft tissue surgeries. My patella kept on dislocating all these years and I learned how to live with it. Few months ago, I woke up with a pain that didn't go away for days, when I decided to see Dr. Rajeev. He performed an MPFL reconstruction surgery with allograft on my knee and also a surgery for meniscus tear. I followed his advise for physical therapy and with his great professional care and prompt response, I beat the average recovery time for this surgery. I was able to lift my leg up on the 7th day and started jogging on a treadmill when I entered the 11th week after the surgery. My knee looks great and most importantly, I don't feel like it will pop out!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I would strongly recommend Dr. Pandarinath to anybody. Dr. Pandarinath performed a surgery to repair quadriceps tendon rupture that I suffered two weeks earlier. Two weeks is very late for such a procedure but I was in Nepal and did not want to have it done there. I do not know if it is Dr. Pandarinath skill or my luck but 3 months later I was trekking again. My physical therapist was amazed at the progress: I am 60 not 18. Going from crutches to trekking and swimming in 3 months after an operation that was two weeks too late is unbelievable. Some suggestions for Dr. Pandarinath's patients. 1. Dr. Pandarinath has very low key bedside manners. Do not expect royal appearances or godlike demeanor. If he can diagnose a problem by probing a muscle with his fingers he will not order MRI. For a physician he is nearly shy. Dr. Pandarinath will not give lots and lots of background information unless you ask him. If you do ask, he will spend all the time required to answer your questions. Because of that, you MUST be prepared when you visit him. Do background reading. Do ask questions. I felt very comfortable asking him for explanations. 2. I had surgery in the GW Outpatient facility. It was smooth. The anesthesiologist and nurses followed up regularly. I had a problem with pain management which was resolved both very professionally and in a caring manner. 3. The nursing staff in Dr. Pandarinath's GW Medical Associates office is very well trained and caring. Do be aware that some of the technicians in the Orthopedics office do not work for either GW or Dr. Pandarinath. For example, the people who fit your braces/appliances are working for other organizations. They will send you a separate bill. Be prepared for it. 4. Dr. Pandarinath's secretary/assistant is a horror. She will not turn a hand for you if she can avoid it. Scheduling your surgery is an imposition which she cannot avoid but she will take it out of you by withholding important details. Do not ask her for help. She could not be bothered. Ask anybody else on the nursing staff; they will help. Dr. Pandarinath knows about his secretary's work habits, he would even sympathize with you, but, apparently, he cannot do anything about a GW employee. PS. If you have problem pronouncing Dr. Pandarinath's name he is referred to by the staff in his office as Dr. Rajeev. read more

Dr. Pandarinath needs more experience. The first time I visited him, he accurately diagnosed a bone bruise in my knee but severely underestimated the healing time, causing undue panic when it wasn't healed by the time he said it would be. I got a 2nd opinion from my old trusted doc back in my hometown who told me to relax and give the knee a few more months. That worked and it's been fine since. When I injured my other knee in a fall a few months back, I was undecided whether to go back to Dr. P, but gave him a second chance after reading the Yelp reviews. This time he obsessed on an old injury repair and how it hadn't been done in the currently fashionable method. So even though the pain was from smashing my knee in a fall, even though the pain was non-symptomatic of any problems with the old repair and located nowhere near the old repair, the Doc offered to completely redo the ligament repair. He was suggesting a massive surgery to repair something that wasn't torn! Otherwise, he had no idea why I was in pain and offered a cortisone shot as an alternative. Unacceptable. read more

I had tennis elbow and Dr. Pandarinath used the new Tenex procedure to alleviate it. Amazing minimally-invasive procedure performed to perfection by Dr. Pandarinath. I would recommend him with the highest confidence. Outstanding results! read more