Santa Monica Podiatry Clinic Patient Testimonials

I attended one of the UFAI seminars by Dr. Morris and realized that the
current treatment of my ankle injury from another foot & ankle doctor was
not adequate which prolonged the problem unnecessarily.  Dr. Morris took
the time to listen, diagnose, and answer many questions I had.  In
combination of his treatment, suitable ankle support, and physical therapy
sessions, which prescribed by Dr. Morris, I was able to heal quickly and
could do what I love to do; play badminton, garden and walk with my
husband.

Dr. Morris was great.  The whole staff was very responsive.  I came to this office, after having a bad experience with another podiatrist.  I live in Orange County, so every visit represents a long drive, but is 100% worth it.  I had the Tenex procedure done for Plantar Fascitis and I am recovering very well.  I work in the Health industry and did my due dilligence on this clinic.  This is the best clinic in Southern California.  Thank you Dr. Morris.

A few months ago, I visited Dr. Baravarian for a foot ailment that I had been suffering from for a few years. After a couple of misdiagnoses and painful cortisone and alcohol injections. He was able to tell me I had a torn plantar plate and ligament of my second toe. I had previously been diagnosed with a second toe neuroma. We decided together that the only course of treatment was surgery to repair everything. A day after surgery, I was no longer in pain and (5) five days later I was able to see a marked improvement in the look and function of my foot and toe.

Dr. Baravarian and his staff are warm, compassionate and professional. I am always able to get an appointment and I am seen in a timely manner. I have just recently referred Dr. Baravarian to friend, who has been suffering from painful ankles from years of playing sports. My friend had surgery to repair her ankle and told me she was very pleased with the outcome.

I believe that the quality of a professional office is determined on how many people are referred and receive great treatment.

Thank you, again! Dr. Bob....
Tory~

I had foot surgery here in November 2014 with Dr. Baravarian and as far as surgeries go, it was a pleasant experience. The staff is incredibly helpful and nice and Dr. Baravarian was great! I was given very thorough post-op recovery instructions and when I had questions, Dr. Baravarian would return my emails promptly. My physical therapy (with Gray) was also top notch and help my recovery tremendously. I would highly recommend this institute if you have any foot or ankle problems.

Was lucky to be referred to Dr. Babak Baravarian in Oct.2010 by my " Podiatrician " cousin. She told me good words about him and his experience in foot and ankle surgeries although she is a podiatrician herself. I recieved bunion surgery and the results were phenomenal. He is attentive, caring and gentleman. Dr. Baravarian cares about his patients and does everything he can to help them. He is the best in his field and very up to date in new procedures. "Dr. Bob is amazing surgeon and anyone would be lucky to be his patient." A+ rating!

For all you TL;DR types out there, here is the soundbyte: Dr. Baravarian got rid of my chronic tendinitis when nothing else worked!

But if you want more info:

So I'd been suffering with a case of tendinitis in my foot for MONTHS, seriously, almost eight months and I was getting ready to give up hope that I'd ever be healthy and back to normal again. Tried PT with two different therapists, tried orthotics, tried resting, nothing worked. I started poking around the internet and read a couple of scholarly articles praising the benefits of platelet rich plasma for conditions like mine. Those articles lead me to University Foot and Ankle: Dr. Baravarian is a well-respected authority on this emerging field of medicine.

I ended up getting two PRP injections with him. Not going to lie, the injections hurt like an SOB, and Dr. B. recommended that I wear an airboot for a number of weeks, and that kind of sucked. Another thing I can't lie about: the PRP injections aren't cheap, but I was charged what I felt was a very reasonable rate, especially compared to what other clinics and doctors charged.

But the story has a happy ending: the treatments worked, and I'm back to running, hiking, gymming, all the active stuff I love.

Dr. Baravarian is also a compassionate and personable doctor. I never had any trouble getting an appointment, I was always seen promptly and never had to loiter in the waiting room, and his staff were accommodating and helpful. Overall, a terrific experience.

I was in misery before I found Dr. Bavarian and now, I am SO PLEASED. He diagnosed my tendonitis problem and came up with a solution the first visit. I am now healing quickly wearing a foot brace, insoles and lifts. He also prescribed physical therapy at Vargo, which is working like a charm. I felt better just days after seeing Dr. Bavarian than I had in the months prior wearing a walking boot prescribed by 2 previous Doctors. I am only sorry I didn't go see Dr. Bavarian before wasting my time listening to other Doctors who didn't know what they were doing. I will recommend him to anyone that has chronic tendonitis or other foot and ankle issues.
*His staff is also very friendly and professional...always a plus.

I visited Dr. Baravarian based on my primary doctors recommendation.   My primary said he is the best in the business for my situation.  I ruptured my Achilles Tendon on October 6th and had surgery by Dr. "Bob" on October 11th.  So far so good, had the staples out on Oct 28.  So looking to having my cast off in mid November and moving to what I call the Robocop boot.   The staff has been great and appointments are easy and they pretty much run on time.  Dr. Bob and his team have a good bed side manner.  They tell me the full recovery is 4-6 months so I will have more to say over time.   Based on my experience so far, I would recommend Dr.  Bob.  My only suggestion would be that the office/doctors should give you some literature explaining the protocol for your recovery.  (e.g. how long in a cast, when you can start slow walking, exercising, physical therapy, etc.).  I'm a very detailed person so I like to understand every step in the process.

Went to another podiatrist for months before seeing Dr. Bob Baravarian.  The Foot & Ankle Institute is run like a well oiled machine.  I got an appointment quickly, he identified my issue in 2 minutes, treated me, and I just went back for my follow up.  I highly recommend these guys.  Clean operation in Santa Monica right across from Whole Foods.  My only regret is not going to him first.

Dr. Baravarian is a very caring and patient doctor. During my first visit with him he really took the time to listen to my concerns and talk to me about all my options regarding my chronic pain. I highly recommend Dr. Baravarian.

After seeing Dr. Baravarian for the last 6 months due to chronic plantar fasciitis I am finally able to run again. The staff and doctor are always so helpful, kind, and caring every time I have an appointment. I cannot saw enough good things about this doctor and staff.

I recently saw Dr. Baravarian for an issue I was having with my tibia.  I was referred to him by my primary physician.  I am SO happy that I met him.  After a few office visits with him, and a very successful surgery, I am happy to say that Dr. Baravarian has allowed me to walk again, pain free.  I am grateful for all that he has helped me with and I will continue to refer him to friends and family.

I met with Dr. Bob Baravarian with a broken ankle from a basketball injury. Moments after I injured the ankle and it started swelling I called Dr. Baravarian's office for an immediate appointment. My ankle had swollen to about the size of a tennis ball.

Upon arriving to the office I was seated in a fairly standard waiting room. The receptionist was very polite, took down my information and had me fill out some forms. The appointment was set for 3:00pm, but I was expecting this office to function like every other doctors office I have ever been to, late. But NO! I was taken into a room at 2:55 and the doctor was in the room by 3:00! This was one of the biggest advantages I found in this office, punctuality.

Dr. Baravarian was a delight to work with. He told me that I may need to have an MRI to see the extent of the damage. The office has an MRI machine on site which makes it very convenient as patients are usually forced to go to another hospital for an MRI.

They gave me some crutches and a boot and I scheduled another meeting for a week after. When I came back I was a few minutes early and was seated immediately. Again their punctuality was such a huge plus.

To fair on the safe side I tend to always get a second opinion. At Dr. Baravarian's office there are a team of doctors working together to come up with the best diagnosis for any patient. Upon my second visit I had TWO other doctors (Dr. Briskin and Dr. Little) advise me on how to proceed with surgery.

I would recommend this office to anyone and everyone. One of, if not the best doctors office experience I have ever had.

I've been a patient for a couple of years and last week I took my son in for problems with his left foot. The friendly staff and Dr. Baravarian were very helpful. They even called in another Dr. From their team who confirmed what Dr. Baravarian recommended. I had a second opinion right there and then. Thanks UFAI :}

I've been seeing Dr Baravarian for about a year for a chronic foot injury and I'm very happy with him and the Sherman Oaks office.

The staff at UFAI is knowledgeable and friendly. It's consistently easy to get an early morning appointment so I can make it to work on time. I'm a runner and triathlete, so getting any injuries resolved quickly and effectively is very important to me. I feel that Dr Baravarian understands my needs and does everything he can to help me attain my running goals.

My experience with getting custom running orthodics was very smooth. I would recommend Dr Baravarian and his office!

I used to suffer from bunions for as long as i can remember. I used to dance ballet for 17 years, love wearing heels and both my parents have bunions so my bunions were REALLY painful. i researched about the best podiatrist and Bob's name came up. His name was mentioned by a well respected dr at UCLA. so i went and i met with him. anyone who suffers from a bunion knows how painful it is and knows what kind of surgery will fix it. it seemed huge at first and i cant deny that i was scared. Bob was very reassuring and he explained everything in great detail. after an x-ray it turned out that i have something called a tailors bunion as well as the bunion and he said that if it doesn't hurt then there is no need to operate on it. i have to say i really respected his honesty and integrity. he operated on my left foot almost 3 months ago and my right foot almost 2 months ago. during my recovery i used to see him every 2 weeks and he was always very attentive and would always tell me what to expect next. i didn't feel any pain for both my feet. i could walk from day one and next week i will be back in heels. i read a dozen of blogs about bunion surgeries and the horror stories i have read made feel grateful how lucky i was to have picked him as my dr.
the team there were very professional and helpful. the coordinator that scheduled my surgery went through every detail with me. she explained all the limitations and risks of the surgery. for my second surgery i needed to reschedule and she was as helpful as always.

I highly recommend Dr. Baravarian at UFAI.  After months dealing with another doctor and getting no results (and a really painful cortisone shot), I was finally diagnosed correctly and had a successful surgery.  I found Dr. Bob professional and friendly AND he was always quick to reply to my emails when I had questions.  I have been in the waiting room MANY times the past three months and have not waited more than 15 minutes past my appointment time (though usually going in sooner).  I found the staff to be friendly and helpful with everything from cast removal to processing disability paperwork.

Also, the folks in their physical therapy department are STELLAR!!  Friendly, thorough and on it -- they caught a slight complication that I had (no fault of the surgery) which really saved me.  I cannot recommend them highly enough (and I've had my share of PT)

There were some issues with the billing department but I keep really good records so once I talked to them and compared notes, they were quickly able to clear everything up to my satisfaction.

I have been suffering for a long time with pain in my toes. Thought it was just something I would have to deal with, my mom cannot even walk anymore due to her arthritis- I cried with relief to find out that Dr. Baravarian could not only treat the pain, but the cause as well. Thank you for giving me my life back!

I am a huge fan of Dr. Bob. I play soccer for fun and have had my fair share of visits to his office. Each time he has been very quick in diagnosing the problem and finding a solution. It is frustrating other doctors aren't as good as him. I have had elbow problems and have gone 2 different doctors and they have not figured it out. I'm thinking about having Dr. Bob look at it.

I honestly wish I never had cause to go here, but I'm very thankful that I saw Dr. Bob Baravarian for a severe ankle fracture. A pal referred me and they also had a great experience with him.

From the start, Dr. Bob was great. He spent a good amount of time with me and made me feel as comfortable as I could possibly be having to undergo surgery for breaking both bones in my ankle, as well as tearing 3 ligaments - ouch, to say the very least.

He has an excellent bedside manner, is warm and funny, and it has to be said, totally gorgeous. He's also an extremely talented surgeon. The incisions on my ankle look pretty good, considering he had to slice into me on both sides of my foot.

The physical therapy center across the hall is also something to rave about. All the therapists here are excellent. Especially Grey, who I saw three times a week and pushed me in the best way possible.

The staff are also great, the techs are very adept at what they do. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is there was a frequent wait in the waiting room. Sometimes as long as 30-45 minutes after my appt time.

All in all, I wouldn't hesitate to refer the office for any foot issues one may have. My ankle is healed for the most part 5 months later and I still have a ways to go before I'm 100%, but I feel confident I'll get there thanks to Dr. Bob's skills.

After 15 years of surgery fear and bad big toe joints I could hardly walk for more than 10 minutes. I have visited many Dr.s but was not comfortable until met Dr. Bob Baravarian 2 years ago in Sherman Oaks.  At 62, I needed a RT toe fusion due to damaged joint, so we scheduled surgery and now healed. Surgery went smooth, quick w/ no pain and minimal scarring. I was extremely pleased as months later I started running again until my LT big toe started being painful with spurs. I scheduled my second visit with Dr. Bob in Santa Monica , a surgery later with positive results of cleaning out the toe joint and therapy, I have full toe action again with no pain and look forward to running real soon. With the exception of the X-ray tech in SO, all the staffing at both locations are very friendly, professional and help full. I do recommend this Dr. and his staff to any one in need.
As far as billing, I asked up front of all fees and costs and there were no issues before or after surgery. All was very good.
Kudos  to Dr. Baravarian and his staff.

Dr bob is the only doctor that I would ever let work on my foot or ankle. I have had both ankle and foot surgery by dr bob. Both times I could not have been happier with the results. Dr bob has the best personality and is so down to earth. He takes his time and explains everything to you. The surgery center he uses is top notch and everyone is so nice and helpful. Dr bob is the only doctor for me. His staff is great and friendly......

As I waited in the sitting room for my 1:30 appointment, I was thinking about  how many stars to dock since it was now 3:00!!!  As it turns out, though, the problem was with my stupid health insurance, Anthem Blue Cross, and not with UFAI, as I saw about 3 rounds of other patients get called in quickly and then come out looking fairly pleased with their appointments.  

Once I was finally able to get in to an examination room, I was seen fairly quickly.  First a guy came by and asked me some general questions.  He took me to another guy who quickly took some xrays of my foot and took me back to the exam room.  Then someone that works with my doctor came in and asked me some questions and messed with my foot a bit, and finally, I got to see Dr. Briskin.

While all of the other folks that I saw were great, Dr. Briskin was wonderful.  He seemed genuine I didn't feel like he was rushing in to make an appearance before having someone else take over for the rest of the appointment.  I also had some concerns about what treatment he was going to suggest since I knew he is also a surgeon, but he defintiely vered towards non-invasive methods first, which I can truly appreciate.  I also didn't feel like he was just trying to get me some orthotics which is the experience i've had at other podiatrists offices.

All in all, I would say that the experience is positive, and I'm looking forward to my follow up appointment once all my health insurance drama has been worked out!

I broke my foot while working on a film production. One of my friends told me about the Foot and Ankle institute. They provided a great treatment for my foot and I was pain free within a week. I would definately recommend their services to anyone with any feet pains or problems. They will help you "get back on your feet".

Visiting UFAI was definitely a low point of my trip to LA, but only because my buddy managed to get a stress fracture in her foot while we were longboarding, and it kinda ruined our plans.

We ended up looking some stuff up on Google, and came across the UFAI website, which had a lot of really good info on all things related to the lower extremities, plus one of their many locations is on the UCLA campus, so it was convenient to get to and had a good reputation from the students and fellow Yelpers.

All the staff were really friendly and knowledgeable, and helped to make a lame (no pun intended) situation not so awful. We were seen fairly  quickly, especially with how busy they were, and were well taken care of. The facilities are reeeally nice too, though I'm only comparing them to some of the scuzzy walk in clinics I've been to in Canada..

I have had foot pain for more than a year now and was recieving little to no information from my PREVIOUS doctor, and even worse, I did not feel like I was being heard... In doing online reseach about my vaguely diagnosed pain I read an article written by Dr. Baravarian that addressed and explained my somewhat uncommon condition and the treatment options that may benefit me. After spending so much time feeling like there was nothing I could do to resolve my problem I finally have not only answers, but hope!

Although I haven't seen Dr. Baravarian yet, I am greatful for the insight he has provided, and I am confident that he will be able to help me!

Now I just need to navigate my insurance company's complicated and restrictive provisions to see him; I won't trust the care of my feet with anyone else!

I injured my foot last night while kickboxing.  I was afraid I broke it.  I called Dr.Babak Baravarian's of the Foot and Ankle Institute, hoping to schedule an appointment.  Luckily, they were able to see me today.

I know what you're thinking.  Good doctors are overbooked, so if a doctor can see you same-day, something is wrong.  That is true for many doctors, but that did not apply here.

They saw me at my appointed time.  That's right: No waiting in the waiting room.  There were lots of other patients in the waiting room; they were all seen on time, too.

The staff was pleasant, and compassionate.  I am somewhat bull-headed, and tried walking on my injured foot.  The assistant ensured that I remain on my crutches, and he even taught me how to use them properly.  He watched me walk several steps, coaching me as I took each step.  How great is that?

The visit with Dr. Baravarian was pleasant, and the treatment was just what I needed.  He had a good personality, and answered all of my questions.  Great visit.

My virtual appt for a 2nd opinion was as designed at 20 minutes long, so it was very helpful, but I still have questions and reservations about the recommended lapidus treatment I agreed to do. Would be more optimal to get all of my concerns and questions addressed, especially as it relates to returning to a life of regular trail running for fitness.