I never thought I would need a neurosurgeon, let along at the age of 35. Ironically, I was scheduled to take a week of vacation because I was planning my to go to Disney Land and finally explore the new Star Wars Land and Tiana's Bayou adventure. Instead, I needed a neurosurgeon. See, I use my hands for my job and I am hypermobile. I think this makes me prone to literally being being out of shape, and apparently there is a name for this rare, but somewhat-common-in-Koreans, arthritis: OPLL. Well, I've had neck pain pretty much my whole adult life and constant cervicogenic headaches. I've learned how to maintain myself for the most part but on August 16, 2024, I woke up and couldn't really lift my right arm. It kinda hung there limply by my side, but I just thought my shoulder must be exceptionally stiff from being overworked. I reverted to my routine of resting, stretching and applying heat and taking NSAIDs. It marginally got better but five days later at work, I couldn't lift my arm at all and had to use my left hand to keep my right arm up at work. So I went to the Parnassus ER, where (although I was gaslit by a very grumpy nurse who is burned out and I just appreciate showed up to her thankless job in the ER so people like me could get care) the triaging NP diagnosed my sudden neuro weakness and consulted neurosurgery. As you can tell from the photos, my spinal cord was being squished by a herniated disc at C5/C6. For YEARS, I've been having chronic pain and increased neurological deficits, just thinking I was aging and becoming middle aged. After a course of medrol and a new C5/C6 artificial disc replacement, I have a new lease on life. New neck, new life! I am so appreciative to Dr. Tan and his team for explaining my condition (as thoroughly as neurosurgeon can lol) and treating it promptly. He took my job into account, as well as my personal health, and he chose the best route for me - which was to remove the destroyed disc and replace it at that one level minimally evasively but not fusing the posterior/back part of that neck that had OPLL arthritis. Although Dr Tan warned me I'd still have posterior pain since he went in anteriorly and didn't correct the posterior compression, I got much better sensation in that part of my neck so the posterior compression is actually a lot better now too with surgery, PT, personal training and strict personal ergonomic adherence. I just had my one year follow up with Dr Tan's clinical fellow, and I really appreciated the explanation and care. I am so grateful to UCSF ER, neurosurgery, and peri/surgical teams taking care of me. From the house staff who shared with me how she lost her sense of smell that devastated her when she was an aspiring cook, to the resident who was working over 24 hours and still treated me with dignity and respect - I will never forget the simple kindness afforded to me in the hardest of times. That was the worst night of my life, but I wouldn't have wanted to have it anywhere else but at UCSF. read more

UCSF Spine Center - Squished spinal cord :( - Orthopedists Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Dr Lee Tan Excellent surgeon, great bedside manner, and knowledgeable. I had visited another doctor (orthopedic) in Walnut Creek that told me my lumbar was fine, not to worry. I couldn't lay flat on my back for more than 10 seconds. Dr Tan looked at my MRI and said I needed surgery. I am 2 months out from a L3 to S1 spinal fusion. No complications, very good instructions from Dr Tan and his office staff, and wonderful follow up. I felt looked after. Highly recommend. But most importantly, my back pain I've had for 3+ years is gone. Thank you Dr Tan and your staff. read more

I'm relatively new to UCSF Spine Center. My spine surgeon from St. Mary's Spine Center referred me to Dr. Deviren and his team. I have surgery scheduled soon. The team has been very thorough and helpful in guiding me and helping me prepare for this big event. read more

Lead orthopedic spine, deformity surgeon Shane Burch and his amazing team. Saved my life during the pandemic 2020! See before, and after photos of my scoliosis thoracic spine and my severe rotary levoscoliosis in my lumbar spine. OK damn they already read more

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Elective spine lumbar anterior posterior decompression and fusion was followed by major post operative hemorrhage. Severe neurologic loss with only partial recovery. Cannot recommend the surgeon or facility read more

The after care at the center is dismal. Once you are out of the facility after surgery or related procedure you become a non entity. It is practically impossible to meet with the surgeon. You have to deal with his PA. I haven't had much help from PA's and am left to my own devices. What is the point of having supposedly great surgeons, although I differ with this accepted theory, having had a botched laminectomy (a simple procedure I was told) which resulted in all the problems I have with my spine now? No helo, no compassion in aftercare at UCSF. read more

I am so grateful for the incredible care and caring I have always received at UCSF. Specifically, regarding my recent spinal surgery, Dr. Mummaneni and his team, Dr. Buckley and Jordan who handles patient scheduling and questions/problems, have been wonderful. In fact, every person I have encountered at UCSF has been outstanding. Dr. Mummaneni has been assiduous about ensuring I had all necessary tests and imaging before making any recommendations. My surgery was successful and I am recovering well. It is impressive that Dr. Mummaneni, a highly skilled and respected neurosurgeon who I know is incredibly busy, has taken the time to show me personal warmth and explain the source of and solutions to my back problems. Dr. Buckley has also been extremely patient and helpful about answering my questions and concerns. At a time of deteriorating quality of service in so many fields, including health care, I feel fortunate to have access to such a remarkable facility and exceptional professionals. read more

All the expense of the American medical system with all the hellscape, delays, bureaucracy, and dismissiveness of the Soviet medical system. No care happening here. Instead mistakes, missteps and a total lack of professional accountability. Need a procedure? They'll forget to send in the authorization request to the insurance company. But then to make matters worse, when you call to confirm the authorization is processing, they will refuse to return your calls or messages. For weeks. Until you're on the threshold of the procedure, and you've cleared your work schedule, and you check in with your insurance company. Yep, no authorization ever submitted. So you keep trying to call and message, and they still won't return calls, but now YOU'VE relayed to them their mistake, and so mere days before the scheduled procedure, they hurriedly try to submit the authorization. But it's too late now. It has to be canceled. And they are STILL too unprofessional to call you or message you back. That's what UCSF Spine is. read more

I was experiencing severe sciatic nerve pain and weakness in my left leg. This had gradually deteriorated over time so as to become intolerable. I'm an active runner, particularly the hills in The headlands, so this became a quality of life issue. A MRI revealed a bulging L4-L5 herniated disc which was impinging on my sciatic nerve. After several consultations through channels, I was referred to the UCSF Spine Clinic. There, I was evaluated by Dr. Alekos Theologis, who provided me the option for surgery, which I chose. Now, 6 months later, I can honestly say I experience no discomfort in my lower back or leg whatsoever. Very pleased with the results. read more

Few people realize how disabling advanced degenerate spinal deformity can be, affecting as it does every aspect of a person's life. Far too many people give up in despair, not realizing that skilled reconstruction, such as is available at the UCSF Spine Center, can give them back their lives. Such was the case with me, a retired orthopedic surgeon who had performed hundreds of spinal operations over the course of more than three decades. By the time I first consulted with Shane Burch, M.D., I was stooped forward almost 45 degrees and my walking ability had deteriorated to the point where I could no longer ambulate even very short distances without difficulty. It could be that the less than successful outcomes one hears about are partly the result of insufficiently aggressive surgery. Fortunately Dr. Burch, with his vast experience and skill, with two, back to back very lengthy procedures, restored my height, posture, and ability to walk, for which I am exceedingly grateful. It is also important that I recognize the skill and dedication of Dr. Burch's residents, and the UCSF nurses who got me through the inpatient experience. read more

I came to the spine center with acute back pain after a failed lower back surgery. I was promptly seen after getting an MRI. During my consultation; a neurosurgeon explained that the previous surgery failed, that I would need a lumbar fusion with pelvic fixation. Furthermore, the recommended procedure was extensive requiring a long term recover. Since my pain was constant and unbearable; I hid nowhere to go except up. Shortly thereafter I met with Dr. Shane Burch, an orthopedic surgeon spec in spine surgeon. My wife and I asked him numerous questions that he courteously answered. Dr. Burch made us feel comfortable and I went ahead with the surgeries of which there were two; one to place rods in my pelvis and a second one day later during which 2 vertebral discs were replaced, six vertebrae were fused and united with the pelvic rods. Today, three months out, my spine is straight, I'm a little taller and am 100% pain free. UCSF spine center handles challenging surgeries with a team effort. Dr. Burch, along with a neuro and a vascular surgeon, achieved an excellent result. I consider myself fortunate for the opportunity to receive treatment at. the UCSF Spine Center. Stephen Kane read more

I have scoliosis diagnosed when I was in 8th grade (in the 60's). I wore a Milwaukee brace for 6 years as a teenager which modified the curve. As pain increased while working in the 80's; I was referred to UCSF spine center when I lived in SF. My major curvature had progressed to 52 degrees. Dr Bradford performed my first spinal fusion with instrumentation in 1993. I lived a pain free, active life for 25 years enjoying my passion for riding and jumping my show horses; and downhill skiing. I did have to return again to UCSF in 2016 for 2 more spinal fusions with additional instrumentation with Dr. Deverin Orthopedic Surgeon, assisted by 2 other specialists. I required intense PT for 6 months afterwards. But today, at age 68, I can still ski (if I wanted to!) but most importantly to me, I ride my 2 horses several times a week! I am pain free, not even an Advil, whereas I used to take close to 2000mg daily. I did retire an after 40 years as a retail executive after the 2016 surgeries. I owe my happy, pain free life to the great Spine Team at UCSF! It's been a 50+ year journey; but I will always recommend the great physicians there. Medical advances are happening every day! I am my own healthcare advocate. We all have choices. Why not opt for the Best??!! UCSF! read more

I can't say enough about Dr. Aaron Clark. I have had two spinal surgeries (cervical and lumbar) by him and have been extremely pleased with both. He is a great surgeon and is very open and approachable. His assistant Diego is very helpful and is always willing to do any kind of paperwork that may be needed for your employer. I would recommend Dr. Clark 10/10. read more

Follow up went great. Dr. Tan was extremely impressed with how my liposuction surgery on my neck went and how little pain overall I had since. I was happy to update my X-rays and took him up on his offer be a case study subject for him on patients with similar issues such as mine. He was so happy and enthusiastic about my progress it made me really feel that he truly cares deeply for his patients. I felt this from the start but it was very reassuring to have such a great follow up visit with him. He made the comment "well I guess I would say see you again, but unless you really need to come back, I won't" lol. It made me laugh but given that I was looking at a multi level fusion surgery just 9mo prior... I am beyond happy to hear these words come out of his mouth. Now I obviously still have spine issues, they won't go away. We all age and that process takes its toll on the body. I have I deal with that but the pain is nearly gone, my ROM is 100% and I am out of physical therapy by choice (even though I'd like to go back for one last overall assessment and gait assessment so I have things on record, and also to keep me on track with pre marathon training and hopefully no post marathon injuries lol), and most of all, I know I have a GREAT doctor behind me who supports my process and progress and if I do need injections of any sort, he will push those through for me but knows at this point, I am good. And I'm happy with all of that news. Staff was improved for the most part on my last visit. I did hear a couple people who were in the waiting room complain about the coffee (lol) and also the wait and questionnaire. It just reminds me how when you're in pain, nothing else really matters. I totally get it, and I'm praying for all those who may be in that level of pain. Hang in there! read more

I had lower back surgery over 20 yrs ago with good resolution of some mild to moderate sciatic pain. My pain came back recently and was constant and occasionally unbearable. I visited the UCSF Spine Center and was referred to Dr. Burch. Dr. Burch understood the dire situation that I was dealing with and immediately scheduled me for treatment, which resulted in immediate and complete pain relief. I am a healthcare professional myself and I would give him 6 stars if I could. He is caring and competent, and it shows when you meet him. read more

I fractured two of my vertebrae skiing backcountry near Yosemite and my primary care provider referred me to UCSF Nuerospine for a follow up appointment. After they received my imaging and hospitalization records they were supposed to call me to schedule an appointment, but they never did. I called and left many voicemails, but after 2 weeks I still couldn't get a human on the phone. When Quanisha, the patient coordinator, finally called me back she told me that the doctor will not see me and that I have to go back to the hospital where I was first hospitalized, which is 3 hours away. Quanisha was rude on the phone and refused to provide any explanation for why the doctor supposedly would not see me. Overall, I had a horrible experience dealing with UCSF Nuerospine. Their staff is unprofessional and negligent. They should have their medical licenses revoked, this place is an absolute joke. If I could leave 0 stars I would. Don't walk away from this place, RUN! (Unless you still have a broken back, like me) read more

I had my first appointment at UCSF Spine Center two weeks ago. I flew halfway across the country to get there. The doctor and staff were super nice and I came out of the appointment inspired by their prognosis. A local doctor had told me there was nothing that could be done for my situation and I found out that is not true. It took months to get an appointment but it was definitely worth the wait. read more

I came here when I had pain shooting down the back of my legs to the heels. I seen my general and an orthopedic beforehand that finally referred me to here. So I came here a few times just waiting and waiting each. During the last time time the doctor finally pulls another doctor in and they both tell me that they cannot find the problem. I ended up going to a acupuncturist a few years later and they find where the pain is coming from on the 1st day. They just couldn't tell me how the pain started. read more

The entire experience that we had with UCSF Spine Center from beginning to end has been excellent. Dr. Bobby Tay and his amazing team really took care of my 76 year old father who had extensive back surgery. The team, Keisha, Uyen, the surgery team and nurses walked me through the entire process. They were patient, understanding, thoughtful and professional. They are truly a wonderful group to work with. They really go above and beyond to make this process as easy as possible for both patient and family. So grateful their hard work and efforts to have made this entire process a success! read more

Excellent facility and staff- love them. Dr Tan and the Neurospine team is top notch. I'm very impressed by the care.

I made an appointment in May for June 8, and confirmed the appointment twice, most recently this morning. I Just had a call asking me to reschedule because the doctor has something else to do that day. they clearly don't know what is going on in their own office if one person confirms and appointment then 20 minutes later someone else calls to reschedule. That is the peak of unprofessional. I suggest you find a doctor that actually cares about their patients, and has people working for them that know what they are doing. read more

Update: It's two years since surgery and overall I am very, very satisfied. That 1% unfortunately had a whole 1-10 pain scale of its own, which was prolonged and made worse by physical therapy exercises. Dr Clark ordered more scans and examined me again and determined that it was coming from the SI joint and recommended injections and massage. I ended up trying the CT guided SI joint injections 6 months after surgery (I only delayed due to bad advice from Physical Therapy) which did nothing as she suggested and since I had a reaction to the medication they injected, Celestone (I became confused) I was terrified and waited another year to try something else. During that year I had 2 severe pain episodes in the disc area leaving me unable to walk where I thought the surgery didn't work. I saw a natural healing person (by accident trying to book a massage) who examined my walk and body posture at a deeper level then the PT did. She recommended certain changes like: not clasping my hands together while I walk and keeping my toes pointed forward etc that nobody had ever suggested. Which at first aggregated the pain even more. I ended up getting desperate again and choose the US guided injections into that same SI joint and requested m the same steroid used in me in surgery, Depo-Medrol and had instant relief. I am un-peeling the layers and fixing each separate problem that contributed to my lifelong back pain. I can't thank the spine center enough for finally getting me the relief I needed. It was a whole village concept and they are open to natural resources. I continued to follow the posture and alignment recommendations and now feel like that are making a huge difference in the overall pain reduction and overall increased mobility results. After the pain in the SI joint was reduced I could feel all the muscles around it screaming louder and realized that's what the PT was trying to say that strengthening those unbalanced muscles from tensing and overcompensating with the pain for years. But until the joint was mobile it hurt too much to exercise and strengthen them. If you're in pain, don't give up! You to can find relief. The experts at the spine center can help guide you. read more

I'm baffled how UCSF Neurosurgery department was voted #1 when the front line new patient coordinators are clueless. My referral was faxed to them and because it wasn't a clear fax, they tossed it in reject pile without following up with referring physician. I've had to follow up with every small step and potential to see a surgeon (Dr Clark) feels hopeless. Getting a diagnosis that requires referral to neurosurgeon is scary enough, but having to go through this process is a nightmare. They treat me as if I'm asking to have a hang nail looked at. There is no excuse for this poor interface with potential patients at a place like UCSF. A real pity. I will look elsewhere. read more

two years ago, I got a staph infection from ucsf and had to endure a multilevel fusion twice in 30 days. fast forward to a couple of years later, and I am in severe pain, my fusion hardware is making noise right and left. nothing more disturbing than internal clicking and popping inside the fusion when it's not supposed to do that. come to discover that I have broken hardware, one piece completely displaced. my nerve pain is significant, with pins and needles and numbness. been told that my fusion and hardware are his domain and no one will work on me where I currently live. what on earth do I do now... read more

I had excellent care throughout my spinal spinal saga. In the beginning I had sciatica that was seriously inhibiting my ability to get around. After imaging studies I received a recommendation for steroid epidurals which completely took care of the pain. I got one every 4 - 6 months for about 4 years. Then they stopped working. Another imaging study revealed that my lumbar discs were barely there; L5 was pretty much gone and I also developed stenosis. Time for surgery! Dr. Deviren was the guy with the knife and it would be 3 months before he could fit me in. The pain was so bad I couldn't walk so he referred me to Dr. Pasvankas in pain management who fixed me up with a cocktail that put me back on my feet. Finally the surgery happened, a 5 segment fusion of the lumbar spine in a 14 hour operation. I spent a month in a recovery program and walked out pain free. As always, I received excellent care from UCSF. Without them I'd be a pile of old bones somewhere read more

I wish there was a NO STAR rating and I would give them. I'm suffering from scoliosis ( I dont know the degree) but the pain on my spine and my back says that there is something seriously wrong in that part. I went there and asked them if it's possible I do x-ray or MRI to figure out whats going on in my spine. The receptionist woman was rude enough to laugh at me and say: We do not take orders here in this center! I was shocked by such a bitchy answer and only said: Excuse me??? What do you mean by orders? I only need to do an x-ray to see if my scoliosis gets worse. She improved her mean accent a lil bit and said, well, you need to be visited by one of our doctors first, and then he will decide you need an x-ray or not! I was like, that's true but I have been trying to call here to make an appointment but the lines are busy and I couldn't do it. I just stopped by to ask you guys...The phone number on their website is wrong. That's not working... After having a terrible conversation, she asked her manager Cynthia, the new patient coordinator to admit me. She asked me some basic info and said she needs to talk to one of their doctors and let me know what they think! Then she will call me to give me an appointment. ... Guess what?! She never called me back! But I'm glad that they didn't call me back. When I read the reviews by people I saw that no one likes them! I'm so lucky that none of their doctors saw me, otherwise they would def do a surgery on my spine! Thank you everyone for informing me of such a sham. And for those of you guys who are planning to go there I would say DO NOT GO THERE. read more

Easy check in but I've been waiting for the doctor a long time in the room. Appt at 9:45 - now 10:22 and no doctor. Tbc. 10:24 physicians asst arrived. 10:42 waiting for doctor again. Well he finally showed up at 11:15, didn't give a reason why he was late or even apologize for his tardiness, I got about 5 minutes of his time, he took a phone call, said he will be out of the room in 2 minutes. Very arrogant and rude. Complete waste of my time. Will not return. read more

Avoid this place like the plague. During my 3 hour wait for my appointment to see Dr. Ames, I witnessed the receptionist being indifferent to downright rude to a number of patients. I saw another employee (I believe Dr Ames's office manager) be curt with a senior citizen. I personally was in physical pain from sitting so long, to the point that I paced the waiting room to relieve some of the discomfort. Other patients were squirming in their seats as well. It is inhumane to make people with spinal injuries sit for that long. The entire experience got much worse once I was seen by Dr. Ames's nurse. She was incredibly condescending. I was treated like a lying, drug-seeking addict. A simple glance through my medical records would have confirmed that I was telling the truth regarding my medication, but I got the feeling that nobody had bothered to look at anything other than my most recent MRI. By the time my consultation with the nurse was over, I was sobbing hysterically from the uncaring and unhelpful way in which I was treated. The doctor himself might be a fantastic surgeon, but I got the feeling his examination of me was cursory at best. He said I should have an EMG and that was about the extent of it. After his brief exam, the office manager (I believe this is her title) reentered the room. Previous to my consult she had brought me a pillow and seemed harried, but nice enough. I can only assume that the nurse said something derogatory about me to her, because after the exam she was also condescending and short. I was told that she would be doing the referral for the EMG the next day and would contact me about it. I also requested that they contact my PCP regarding confusion over who should be prescribing my medication. After my horrendous experience, I spoke to a nurse unaffiliated with the Spine Center. I was told I should have been given a referral to a physiatrist. I left a message to that effect the day after my appointment. I was not contacted until the following day. The message left by the office manager mentioned only a referral to a pain management clinic, not the EMG. I had several questions so I called back. One would have thought that I was committing a crime by daring to ask for more information. I was practically yelled at that she did not schedule the EMG appointments. I had to ask for the number to call to schedule it myself because that information had never been given to me. From what I can tell, they never contacted my PCP as I requested. Dealing with the UCSF Spine Center has been a complete nightmare. I changed to a different neurosurgeon, because I would rather gnaw off my nerve damaged leg than have to deal with the condescending, rude staff again. They seem to have forgotten that they are there to heal people, not make them feel worse. read more

Dr Clark has the worst staff at UCSF. Very disturbing when the Surgeon was notified in 2018, and no changes made for improvement. Lack of their responses to his attention places all patients at risk. Office doesn't respond to UCFS own vendor whom the sole purpose is to monitor patients. Spinal fluid leak unresolved until additional hospitals became involved. I spent an additional 20 days in the hospital with an entirely new surgery and infected iv causing ulnar nerve damage yet to be resolved. Along with severe pain and despite numerous referrals for testing being requested misplaced overnight tracked CD images. The result sent back to Neuroradiology 2 times after laying in bed 3 and a half months, only to be determined a completely New surgery would be needed. Staff needs to bridge the gap and the Surgeon is the only one responsible for seeing that his team do their jobs. Request a second opinion and go with a team who places patients health issues a priority and takes what their bosses place upon them incredibly more seriously and get themselves organized. read more

Please save your time and money and do not visit Dr. Aaron clark. I wish i could give 0 starts to UCSF and Dr. Aaron Clark. He is one of the worst doctors i have ever visited. It's a complete waste of time and energy dealing with this clinic and a basically absentee doctor who couldn't be bothered to be upfront and honest, face to face with his patient. To start with the appointment process - I went to emergency room at UCSF on January 3rd and It took them 3 months to book an appointment with Neurospine (UCSF) (a follow up appointment ) ARE YOU SERIOUS? When i visited the clinic the receptionist told me they are going to do an another X-ray ($600 of no use) as i did not have any ortho problems. just a case of increasing my medical bill. Dr Aaron Clark - UCSF should kick out Dr. Aaron Clark as i am sure he has no knowledge of what he is trying to do??? He came to me in hurry and blank face. I got no answers from him regarding my MRI reports or CT scan reports. (basically he told me to go to a neurologist or have a physiotherapy sessions ) he did not even checked my last MRI reports ( I asked him again and again to check if my CYST has any enlargement). Such doctors are shame to our medical industry (UCSF) is the worst experience ever!!! Mr Deigo - A assistant to Dr Aaron Clark is a lazy dumbass ( who knows nothing not even the computer he is operating) . He was suppose to send me some information regarding my next appointment and address. (Which he forgot) OF COURSE (YOU GUYS ARE NOT DEALING WITH THE PAIN) RIGHT? read more

One star for the appointment process (OMG!) and the terrible check-in and waiting room atmosphere... Dr. Tay you are too good to be in this horrible, I mean horrible, environment. I had to wait nearly 1 hour which based on other yelpers appears to be the norm, if not a "short" wait time. The irony of the situation is that there are numerous posting in the waiting room and in the treatment rooms about how UCSF wants your feedback especially if you are not getting 5 star service. Do they read the survey people take?! Also, if you want your customers to take your "please fill out a survey card", I suggest you stop using Microsoft word-art to make the darn posters and signs. Just tacky. Minus the long wait and the terrible attitude from the receptionist, Dr. Tay was great. His bedside manners made the appointment worth while. But please Dr. Tay leave that ghetto office. read more

I have read some of the other crap on here. pure negativity. This is a teaching hospital and one of the top three in the U.S. I just had a cervical fusion with corpectomy of the C4 vertebrae (removal) from the C3-C6 with two titanium plates/numerous screws installed. (still periodically wearing a neckbrace) Dr. Praveeen Mummaneni is nothing short of wonderful. I did not mind the three hour wait for my initial appointment. I look forward to living a long and healthy life...thankfully because of Dr. Praveen. The staff is warm, caring, professional and I look forward to all my followup visits. These people are in the top 5 on the West Coast for a reason. UPDATE: June 2010 - at my 6 month post-op, two areas were already 80% fused which Dr. Mummaneni was amazed at such a quick healing process. I still wear my neck brace at night (occasionally) and although I was hoping for the pain and numbness to be gone, it has been a gradual process. I still suffer from alot of muscular pain and spasms throughout my neck and back, however, if I had not had the surgery, I was told I would be in a wheelchair within two years. I am willing to wait for slow healing to still be able to walk. read more

Wow, what a drag the rest of you yelpers had bad experiences here. Mine, so far, has been stellar. In a nutshell: I had a pinched nerve in my neck for close to 3 years. Once my arm started t go numb, I thought it might be a good idea to go to a doctor (duh). Enter Dr. Vedat Deverin. After an initial x-ray, he sent me for an MRI and I had surgery 3 weeks later. Seriously. The entire process took less than a month. I had to have a vertebrae and a disc removed, and a whole bunch of titanium put in it's place. No more pain. I'm currently still recovering, in a neckbrace and limited in what I can do - and going slowly insane. The few times I've had to contact the office (I dealt with Megan pre surgery and Susan post surgery) either by phone or email, the reply has always been prompt. The only weird thing is that Dr. Deverin didn't schedule an appointment for me until 6 full weeks after my surgery. If I had my way, I would have liked to have had him check on me a couple weeks later - I did have my SPINE operated on, after all - but he definitely knows what he's doing, so I'm rolling with it. Couldn't recommend Dr. Deverin and his staff enough. Once I'm off the pain meds and am a little clearer, and after my follow-up, I'll update. read more

It takes a while for the spine center to get back to you, after you've faxed them all the needed information. You do need to have had MRI's or Xrays taken already. It takes about one month for the Spine Center to go through your papers and assign you a doctor. This apparently is standard procedure. Waits for appointments are about 3-6 weeks out, from my experience so far. During one of my appointments, they were so backed up, it ended up being exactly a 2 hour wait. Which AGAIN I find odd because they had called me 2 weeks before to change my appointment to this earlier date. This is exactly what the UCSF Thoracic cardiovscular department did, which also garnered a 2+ hr wait time. Dealing with the general UCSF spine center appointment line can be very frustrating. Incorrect phone/fax numbers have been given out, etc. I don't think some of the people who answer the phone line had an updated phone/fax list. I was suppose to be referred to three other areas and only neurology called me for an appt. Referral to physical therapy was never given and ended up not even written in the doctor's notes (Ames) and referral to an Ortho Spine doc got lost in the shuffle. I ended up having to call around to get the information. read more

I saw Uyen Huffstutter (PA) for neck/jaw/arm pain and was BLOWN AWAY but how much time she took with me along with how informative she was. She printed out my MRI and walked me through everything very carefully to make sure I 100% understood. I'm not sure she understands how much of an impact her kindness had on me - I was essentially in tears on my way home simply because of how "heard" she made me feel. I was nervous that UCSF would just be a big "machine" where they treated appointments like a business transaction but that definitely wasn't my experience at all - thank you to Uyen and the wonderful staff for your empathy and patience - the hard work you do is truly appreciated! - georgia read more

I wish the other reviewers could look more to the bright side. It's *good* to have a customer-service-free zone right here in San Francisco. It's even *better* that it's so reliable. It routinely took me over a month to get an appointment. Dr. Chou's practice coordinator didn't return phone calls and usually had a full voice mail box so I couldn't leave a message. I discovered if I called the front desk, they would send her an email on my behalf, which did no good either. So basically it's this woman's job to be the communication and coordination conduit, and I can't contact her by any means whatsoever. Thanks to her I feel this wonderful kinship with my fellow yelpers with whom I have this common experience. Once in the office, I had to wait at least an hour, and on one occasion ended up being seen by an assistant rather than the doctor I had the appointment with. And all this for only $200. Nor did the clinical treatment I got impress me. Dr. Chou gave me a vague diagnosis that left me no healthier or wiser than I came in, saying essentially that the treatment options they could offer were a roll of the dice. Dr. Deviren's spinal injection went fine, though with more fuss than St. Francis Medical Center. SFMC seems to pull off the same procedure without having you sedated (which requires fasting, more holes in your body, and more recovery time) and without six people in the operating room. The one thing I did appreciate was that when you arrive at the office, the desk staff prints labels with your name and other vitals and sticks them on all the forms you need to fill out. You'll face the standard mountain of redundant paperwork that's accepted as standard in doctors' offices yet would be considered outrageous for a lawyer, an accountant, an airline, a landlord, a bank, or indeed in any other corner of our economy. But at least you don't have to write your name and date of birth 100 times. In short, this place exemplifies what's broken and what works in American health care. They have no incentive to make efficient use of your time or your money, so they flagrantly abuse both. Likewise by the doctor's own admission, the care they provide is hit-or-miss. But if you're in desperate shape like some of the other reviewers were, the cutting-edge treatments they can provide can change your life. My advice: whatever shape your back is in, you'll do much better to take it to the SOAR Center in Redwood City. read more

Long but worth the read if you need spine help: I have had spine problems my whole life, 6 surgeries and after my experience at UCSF hopefully no more! And I am still in my 20's. My last surgery was 5 years ago back on the East Coast. I moved here to SF 8 months ago and my back acts up again, nerve pain, numbness, loss of balance, depression, pain.... However, I was just discharged from UCSF 3 weeks ago and have only the highest regard for my surgeon Dr Vedat Deviren and his excellent staff. You would be a fool not wait those long, irritating hours in the waiting room- if you have a serious problem think long term, big-picture. You will be in excellent hands. I admit that I waited 3 hours on two occasions myself, but if you had inquired about the clinic you would learn that the floor is shared by 2 clinics, the one before the Spine Center typically runs late- and sometimes you should know that patience is a virtue worth having. My case was serious enough and they knew it. They made time for me and my loved ones, made sure we had all the material and answers I needed before making certain decisions and so forth. They cared, granted they were not the most organized but long term outcome means a lot. I can walk again, sit again, go to work again. If you have doubts do your research and you will learn that the staff here is regarded in the top ten or 15 in the nation and so on. Bring a book, your ipod, a friend, a deck of cards and wait- it will be well worth it. Be honest, patient and understanding for the delays and the staff will do anything they can for you. That's their job and the oath they swore to uphold. Also- know that you need an MRI to get an appointment- that way they have something to review on first seeing you and can get down to business. Good luck! read more

The reason for Four Stars instead of Five is that the treatment phase of my back problem has not begun yet. I've had increasingly severe (night-time only) mid & lower back pain for 8 months. It's now to the point that I can't sleep because the muscle spasms that come on at about 1am are so excruciating and long lasting, the only thing to do is get up and let the spasms run it's course. After only getting pain meds that don't entirely work, an ulcer from the anti inflammatory's and no step forward with a solution from my home town Dr.s, I called UCSF Spine Center. 2 weeks later my husband and I were sitting in a room with Dr. V. Deverin. He went over the 2 MRI's with us that I had in Napa and ordered an X-Ray. To make a long story short - Dr. Diverin, along with the protrussion of my L4, (which normally would not cause my type of pain) also found 2 things that Napa missed, a lesion on my spine and a soft tissue mass. He ordered a bone scan and the the lesion is benign. The soft tissue mass MRI is scheduled for next week along with another appointment with Dr. Deverin in the same week. So far my experience with UCSF Spine Center has been great, from admin's follow up calls to schedule appointments to the Dr.'s carring enough to actually search for a clue of why I have the pain that I do. Although they have not made a diagnosis, Dr. Deverin seems to care enough to find the cause versus covering up the problem with pain meds. I do have to say that I read the blogs before I went and was truly scared about the negative things were written about UCSF Spine Center would be true. I am happy to say that my experience thus far has been overwhelmingly hopeful. I myself didn't have to wait very long for an appointment or even long in the waiting room, So what if you have to wait for an hour or two to see the Dr. It's worth the wait , the Dr's. are thorough and carring. If there is a problem they will find it and treat it. Now the parking garage maze is another story... read more

I can't say enough good things about Dr Clark, Tiffany (the PA), and Diego( the coordinator in the clinic). They have listened to my concerns, offered me options for my condition, and helped me navigate the insurance maize that is common place these days. I feel like they are always there should I need them. They are very compassionate and understanding professionals. read more

I have seen the other reviews about waiting so long and the bad customer service. I have been going to the spine center for a year and a half, I have had to wait but in my opinion the service is worth the wait. Whenever I have a question or need to talk to the nurse or practice coordinator I get a response right away. I have always been treated very nicely by everyone in the center. I had scoliosis surgery in November, I have every vertebra in my back fused except T-1 and the cervical. Dr. Deverin is awesome! I had two surgeries in two days, I had severe scoliosis and now my back is about 99% straight! The second surgery he was assisted by Dr Ames, also awesome! I wouldn't recommend any other place these Doctors are the best! read more