Santa Monica Podiatry Clinic Patient Testimonials

I have horrible feet. Bad DNA. My aunt and my mother have both had multiple surgeries. I had hallux rigidis in both feet and neuromas in both feet.

I met with surgeons at Cedars, Kerlan Jobe, UCLA, DISC, and other places. Then I asked my primary care physician (with St. John's which has Santa Monica Orthopedic Group / SMOG) who he would pick and he said his daughter is having bunion surgery and he is going to Dr. Baravarian. My brother in law and a high school friend who are both orthopedic surgeons most-agreed with Dr. Baravarian's diagnosis and treatment advice. It is a luxury in LA to have many good surgeons to choose from but I have now had three surgeries with Dr. Baravarian and am 100% happy I chose to go with University Foot and Ankle.

Quick rundown:
Playing sports means more to me than almost anything.
I am in the gym playing basketball, out playing tennis, skiing, running with my dog, or at least lifting weights 6-7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. I'm 6'3" and 200lbs so I am tough on my feet. When I play basketball I play in a game with a number of people who used to play professionally in Europe and the NBA. It is a high level game and it was very important to me that after foot surgery I wasn't just going to be "walking pain free" again but playing at the highest level I could.

Neuromas in both feet were handled wonderfully. I was suffering from a lot of irritation. The bottoms of my feet had pockets of fluid where my body was trying to protect myself from the rubbing on the nerve and anything athletic was painful. The feet were swollen slightly afterwards but I basically was walking right away. Over time the feet were a bit sore and it took a little while to heal but after a few months I could not tell the surgeries were ever done. Perfect.

In my left foot I had a cheilectomy for the hallux rigidis. 6 years after the surgery it feels great. One day I may need to go to a full fusion here but not yet. The cheilectomy felt easy. It was a while ago but I think I was walking that day. It healed great.

In my right foot I had a cheilectomy done knowing that eventually I might have to have a full fusion because that foot was in much worse shape than my left foot. 6 years later I had the fusion done (March of 2018). By the end of June I was playing tennis again, playing basketball, running and squatting in the gym. I can explode off my right foot (my plant foot) and get above the rim in basketball with ZERO felt difference between my toe pre and post-fusion. Actually post-fusion it only feels better because it is pain free (and range of motion is indistinguishable).

If I had any regret at all it is that I didn't get both toes fused just because the fusion went SO WELL on the right foot that why not take the risk of ever having to get the left foot cheilectomy redone off the table for the rest of my life?

So that is it - I have had numerous surgeries with Dr. Baravarian. He consistently recommended a thoughtful and conservative treatment approach, every single surgery has led to a great outcome I am very happy with, his office is always accommodating if I need to get in for something small like a new pair of orthotics or something more important like seeing Dr. Baravarian about new foot pain. As a surgeon, Dr. Baravarian listened to my athletic goals and customized the plate that fixed my fusion in place. Also Dr. Baravarian listened to my reasonable concerns about wanting to travel for work and not wanting to be in a cast for 3 straight months, switching me to a boot after a reasonable period of time. This let me start walking earlier, didn't atrophy my muscles as much, was able to stay more connected at work and was psychologically relieving. Other surgeons were more conservative about keeping you in a cast forever. I appreciate a surgeon who is willing to listen to the patient and be reasonable and thoughtful based on the individual.

10 stars.

Dr Briskin is phenomenal. He is a genius when it comes to foot injuries and issues. The staff and medical team members are all very good.

I will highly recommend Dr Briskin for the quality of his service and dedication to his patients.

Sincerely,
Ederlinda (Lynn) Mason

The woman who showed me how do to my stretches didn't know why the sheet of paper suggested doing them first thing in the morning. I would have felt more confident had she known that.

The doctor I initially had my appointment with went to get a colleague of his to weigh in o what he thought was going on with me which I liked. I'd rather have someone not be certain of the answer, ask for a second opinion and feel like I have a team working with me rather than make up an answer he's not sure of and I don't get the care I need.

Thanks!

I always have to wait a long time from the time I arrive to the time I am taking into the exam room and then more time before the first person comes in which usually isn't the doctor. Then when I meet with the first person I feel like they are there to buy time till the doctor comes in. At the end of the day Dr. Bob does do a good job but I feel he sometimes has a quick diagnosis before I have even finished describing all my symptoms.