Dr. Timothy K. Durnin - 10/13/2007

Question
I live in Orange County, CA.  I have a PPO medical plan and I may possibly need surgery on my knee.  Othopedic surgeon suspects meniscus tear based on symptoms I told him.  This is : knee hurts when doing deep knee bends, when I walk and push off on toes, inside patella hurts, sometimes it seems like my knee can hold my weight and I am about to fall.

Anyways, how can I find out the best othopedic surgeon in my area which is Orange county and even Los Angeles county in California?

Answer
Hi Sil,

For this procedure it is routine and requires little skill so the best surgeon isn't that imperative. The only way to find out about a doctors ratings is online through many outlets such as Yahoo and other ratings sites. The best way is to ask people who did their knee and ask about results and follow up. Testimonials are important and the more you get on a doctor the better but there are no guarantees, even with the best. Example, I had knee surgery done by the most noted Orthopaedic specialist in Chicago and it was a total failure and had to be redone by a friend with little experience. He did a great job and it is perfect now. It was a torn ACL so not the same as your injury. None the less, ask around, it won't take long to find out who has a consistently good rep and who doesn't.

Good Luck!

Dr. Timothy Durnin