Ruslan Kokyza’s journey to surgery was different from most.  Born in Ukraine in 1987, just before the former Soviet Union dissolved, Ruslan had cerebral palsy and equinocavovarus, or clubfoot.  Instead of receiving treatment,  READ MORE…

This token of my gratitude is grossly overdue. I wanted to tell you that I truly appreciate what you did for me. Since my accident you are the first doctor who I feel has listened, and showed me true empathy, and for a short while gave me the only break from the pain that I’ve had since 9/13/21. READ MORE…

Leslie Garrow shows her Australian Shepherd, Spree, in agility competitions, which means she runs alongside her dog, guiding her dog’s progress through an obstacle course of tunnels, weave poles, tire jumps, seesaws, and pause tables.  While Leslie never stopped showing her dog, she was forced to significantly modify her participation, struggling to move about the course due to her extreme hip pain. READ MORE…

“I wish I had done this sooner,” Helen Stakem says of her knee replacement surgeries.  “It was all a lot easier than I had imagined.”

Helen didn’t have to stretch her imagination very far, as she had been a patient of Dr Abidi’s in 2015 and again in 2016 when he gave her 2 new hips.

But gradually, knee pain was robbing Helen of her quality of life.  “I was no longer able to continue teaching Bellydance, or practicing Tai Chi Chuan, or going for walks or socializing last summer due to pain and immobility.” READ MORE…

My goal was to get better.  I’m 88, so I thought I’d better get this thing repaired so I can get on with it,” Janice Lucky says of the wound on her right leg.  “It was so sore it was hard to do a lot of walking, and I’m a pretty active person.  I try to stay as upbeat as possible.”  But it can be difficult to remain upbeat when pain is limiting your activity, so Janice sought medical treatment with Dr Ross Talarico at GSOS.  READ MORE…

When Neil Mendel began experiencing pain, he thought he had a broken foot. A trip to urgent care showed that wasn’t the case, and started several months’ worth of testing, speculation and process of elimination to find the problem.

Finally, electrodiagnostic medicine determined that Neil had a pinched sciatic nerve in his lower back.  “They put electrodes on my head and feet and watched the pathways between them!” READ MORE…

Todd Miller was no stranger to surgery.  Being an athlete, having served in the military and starting his own construction business meant he was also no stranger to injury, and the wear and tear damage that comes with an active life.  But then one day, walking along the creek with his wife, he experienced an excruciating pain in his right knee that eventually required surgery.  His knee was repaired, but he walked with a cane for years after because it wasn’t done quite right. READ MORE…

In July of 2021, I found out from an orthopedic surgeon that I needed two total hip replacements. I was 58 at the time and in shock when he told me. He also said I should get injections right away and then I could decide in the future when or if I wanted to have surgery. I did schedule the injections without really understanding why I was doing it. I went home and started researching hip replacements. Within days I realized there was no reason for me to have injections, so I cancelled the appt. and went looking for a surgeon with the criteria I wanted.  READ MORE…

I was experiencing severe knee pain and initially went to my primary doctor who referred me to Golden State Orthopedic. I met with a knee specialist who did a X-Ray and MRI. They found nothing wrong with my knee. I was given a cortisone shot with no relief. I was then referred to one of the pain doctors- after several procedures- no relief.  READ MORE…

Robert Vizas never had a lot of pain in his left foot, but as he notes, pain and discomfort are different things.  “It just got to the point where I was having trouble getting around,” he says. READ MORE…

Stan loved to travel and visit family and friends.  But for almost a year and a half instead of going places and seeing people, Stan was nearly bedridden.  Pain in his lower back radiated down his left leg, and eventually every step hurt.  It hurt to walk, stand, and sit.  “If I went to the store for a loaf of bread, I still got a shopping cart so I could lean on it for support,” Stan says.  READ MORE…