Patient Reviews of University Foot and Ankle Institute

Very happy with the knowledge of Dr  Bob Baravarian.  After three surgeries by two different doctors he was able to relieve the pain and swelling.  The office and staff were always pleasant and very helpful.  I would highly recommend this office !

Dr. Morris is a cool dude. No bullshit. Helped me work through my issues in what made most sense to me financially and really worked to not make sure I got the best value for what I needed at the time.

I am in process with Dr. Baravarian now for a chronic ankle problem, and am completely delighted to be in his care.  Both he ~ and the rest of the staff ~ are professional, courteous, helpful, and clearly are very very good at what they do.

I had some PT done to my hip flexers.  I'm an avid runner and cyclist.  The staff is very knowledgable and knows athletes.  So if you're an athlete and need some repairs I highly suggest this staff.  Suzanne is an Iron (Wo)man and is very knowledgeable of our needs. I have visited Dr. Franson for a bunion and I was put into orthodics and it has helped.  I do not have pain in my food anymore.  It has stabilized the bunion.

Dr.  Franson ,  the nurses and front desk made everything so easy.  Wonderful doctor and support staff.  They returned phone calls quickly and we never felt rushed during appointments.  The surgery was explained thoroughly and every question was answered completely.  I would highly recommend this office to anyone with foot or ankle issues. We live an hour away so allowing for traffic we were usually early to our appointments.  They frequently got us in early so wait time was minimal.

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.

I had my first experience with this office earlier this week. Dr. Franson spent ample time with me and was very attentive to my concerns and questions. I especially appreciated his relaxed, but thorough way of dealing with patients.

The office is a model of efficiency.  Once called in, there was constantly someone looking after me...I was never left waiting for someone to return to my room.  5 stars and I'm really looking forward to continuing my treatment with Dr Franson and his talented, efficient team.

I had a bad break on my 5th metatarsol when I was out of state. I called Dr. Franson's office as soon as I came back home.  The office staff was great and got me right in.  Dr Franson was amazing and took great care of my break throughout the next few months.  He is always so pleasant and was very thorough and professional, explaining everything in a simple, understandable manner.  Any questions or concerns were patiently alleviated.  A few times I had to call the office back with questions and they always called me back with the answers from Dr. Franson, and a few times he himself called.  While on my scooter I often ran into other people with boots or scooters around town.  Every one I ran into had gone to Dr Franson and couldn't praise him enough.  We are so fortunate to have such a tremendous Dr in our community who really cares about his patients. Definately a 5 star rating for Dr. Franson and his staff!!

My wife and I went to play tennis  on a Wednesday morning and, within 10 minutes, I experienced the most excruciating pain in my right ankle!! Yes, I had TORN the achilles tendon!! OUCH!  I hobbled to the car and called Dr. Franson's office! They got me an appointment at 1:30 that same day. After examining my ankle, Dr. Franson arranged for an MRI later that afternoon (4:30) and got the results by 6pm. He called me to tell me he'd  need to do surgery on Friday. His office also arranged for me to get a pre-surgery exam on Thursday!  Talk about a ONE STOP SHOP!!!  Dr. Franson and his staff are absolutely amazing and leave nothing to chance! They also arranged for a knee scooter which has been my "best friend" the past few weeks!!
Thanks GOODNESS, Dr. Franson was available!!  If you're going to get injured- you NEED to go to the University Foot and Ankle Institute in Valencia!

I see Dr. Bob in Sherman Oaks. If it wasn't for him I really wouldn't be able to walk. I have bad arthritis in my ankles and feet. I have seen several doctors regarding my problems but NO ONE was able to help me or understand how to help me or have the knowledge of how to help me. Dr. Bob is intelligent, calm, and funny. He makes sure you understand what he's going to do before surgery and what's going to happen after surgery. If he see's you feel anxious or nervous he takes the time to calm you down. Bottom Line after he listens to you regarding your ailment and after thoroughly examining you he knows exactly what you need and what to do. If you gives you some cork lifts or a boot or something else it is for your health and he always knows exactly what he's doing. He's honest and very intelligent. He's an amazing surgeon my ankles are attached and I am able to walk. He's had to do numerous surgeries on my feet because of all my problems. I trust him and highly recommend him. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

I received great service from the staff, and the surgery was very convenient and professional . Dr Bob (Baravian) did an amazing job repairing my ankle. I am active, pain-free, and able to enjoy my shoe collection again ... Dr Bob has me in heels again, comfortably!

Remarkable staff, courteous, efficient and kind.  Dr. Bob has been wonderful in taking care of me for what up until now has been an ongoing chronic problem.  But we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel!

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.

Smashed a toe pretty good and had a toenail going in the wrong way.

I called the doctors office. they took my California Care insurance no problem. Despite a very busy lobby, staff arranged to sneak me in between patient appointments. Doctor examined my issue within 20 minutes of doing paperwork, checked my toe and informed me how to take care of it.

I was very pleased with the service at this doctors office and the professional nature of the staff. The doctor was polite and clearly gave me the medical attention I needed.

Overall, it felt like a place where patients and their medical needs came first, not the hustle of the 21st-century medical industry.

Highest recommendation for the University medical team!

Thank you.

My feet have been killing me for the past two months and put off getting it checked out. I finally came to see Dr. Breskin and I regret nothing! My appointment time was mostly kept and he found the problem prettying right away. Dr Breskin is very easy to talk to and answers questions readily.
The only problem: the parking lot is tight. Get there early enough to park a block away and walk in or have someone drop you off.

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'm an R.A patient and I was 24 yrs old when I was diagnosed so I developed feet deformities due to my illness. the joint damage was so severe that I could no longer wear normal  shoes all I was able to wear was a lousy pair of stretchy sandals and the pain was unbearable,I hated to walk.I found Dr.Baravarian in the internet and made an appointment a few weeks later.

After Dr.Baravarian examined  my feet he explained to me that because I  waited so long to have this problem fixed,he had to perform bone fusion and remove some severally damage joints.

 I had enough with this problem so I decided to go for it .
He   performed surgery on both my feet, one at a time.I do have to say the healing process was a little lengthily but it's one of the best decisions I have ever made.I'm just thrilled with the great results .

Thanks to Dr.Baravarian (one of the best doctors I have encountered,not  to mention a good and compassionate human being ) and his great staff I can walk pain free and  finally wear cute shoes again.

Thanks a million!

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 am 4 weeks post surgery now and just got my cast off today. Dr. Franson is the BEST foot specialist I have ever been to. He is extremely kind, he's caring and compassionate. He truly cares about his patients and has a fantastic bedside manner, but above all of that, he is an extremely talented surgeon. I was so comprehensive about having this surgery due to all of the horror stories I had read about others who have had the same Achilles' tendon surgery with other doctors. I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Franson because so far it's been a breeze compared to others. His staff is great as well. They are all very friendly, caring and professional. The wait is never long and I always feel that he spends an appropriate amount of time with me answering all of my questions. I have never written a review about a doctor before but I truly believe Dr. Franson deserves one. I highly recommend Dr. Franson and University Foot & Ankle Institute!

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!

After years of chronic plantar fasciitis I'd given up running, stopped going to the park with my kids and couldn't dance with my wife. Grocery shopping meant icing my feet afterwards. I had been to 3 other podiatrists, had 4 sets of custom orthotics, a night splint boot, cortisone shots, bands, creams, you name it. I was told the only option was surgery on both my feet.

Dr. Franson wanted to try another cortisone shot, more pliable orthotics and physical therapy every 3 days for several weeks. It took several months for my pain to go away completely but it eventually did and I got my life back thanks to Dr. Franson and amazing PT Suzanne Hawson. Trips to Disneyland, family outings and dancing with my wife became a reality.

It doesn't end there. Crazy as it sounds, after being crippled for 3 years, 2 years later I began playing competitive tennis!

I've seen Dr. Franson and Suzanne for a tennis related ankle sprain and Achilles tendonitis. I recovered fully from both issues/injuries. I know several other tennis players who have seen Dr. Franson and Suzanne. Whether surgery or less invasive treatment was needed, all have made full recoveries and are back in action.

If you have foot or ankle issues don't even think about going anyplace else!