Orthopedists - Salinas, CA

"In short, best decision I ever made with the best doctor I ever met. I had a bad knee from an ACL replacement back in the early '90s - for the last 10 or so years, I was trying to function on no meniscus and worsening arthritis. I tried PT, cortisone shots and lots of Ibuprofen but eventually, after some straight talk from Dr. Foglar, backed up by X-Rays and MRI clearly explained to me we discussed options and decided on a knee replacement. It was clearly explained to me, including the ups and downs - recovery time, expected result (high and low expectations) - and the costs and schedules clearly covered by the staff, I went ahead and did it. Dr. Foglar uses modern techniques at excellent facilities that make the experience as pleasant as possible (kudos to Samaritan Hospital, btw). I stayed 2 nights in the hospital and walked out with a cane - brand new knee. While there was some pain (it is surgery after all) it was never more than a 6 out of 10 with medication from surgery to end of PT. Aside from the first night - no narcotics, only IBU was needed. Pain was probably worst in the first two weeks at home, but follow-ups with Dr. Foglar helped put this in perspective and I was confident that there were no complications. I followed the PT schedule and was back on the tennis court in May, playing league in June. I'm told this is fast and being 51 helped, but I know it was an excellent surgery, and excellent post-op care. Dr. Foglar and his staff made sure they were on top of any questions I had, scheduled appointments were kept and there is generally very little wait. I couldn't be happier with my new knee, but I wanted to stress that it is the overall medical experience I had with Dr. Foglar and his staff that I'm reviewing and I can say without hyperbole that this has probably been consistently the best I've had. I've gone back for back and shoulder issues - yes tennis old-age problems - and the experience has been consistently great."