Todd Gravori, MD FACS QME

Wow! What a great doctor! He is very intelligent and compassionate. You connect with him immediately. He told me that I do not need surgery at this time. I need to lose weight and that will greatly improve my back pain. I do have spinal stenosis but at this time surgery is not the right answer. That makes me happy because another doctor told me two years ago that I should get surgery immediately. I actually feel much better than I did two years ago because I have lost some weight since then.

I don’t know where to start with this Dr.
The first words that come to mind are rude and arrogant.
I saw him last October for debilitating back pain. I had had scans done with another surgeon so I had NO SCAN OF ANY KIND DONE WITH THIS Dr. He barley glanced at my MRI and X-​rays and told me I need surgery. The Dr proceeded to tell me my insurance was horrible and that I pay my premiums so others could get the same for free. First off how dare you discuss and insult my choice of insurance. I pay good money to have a PPO and my insurance has been amazing and covered everything I need it to with amazing Dr’s.
So a few days pass and I get a call from his office stating that I will need to pay $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 out of pocket as my insurance doesn’t pay enough. I was so amazed and taken back by this and I said I will be finding another Dr.
I am a recent graduate with college debt trying to move forward in my life but having to take a step back due to back issues. How am I supposed to come up with such a crazy amount. I have insurance and they do pay for the surgery I needed, I know because I have had it done and with an amazing Dr.
NEEDLESS TO SAY I DID NOT USE HIM
It’s now 6 months since I have seen him and he is sending me a «courtesy notice invoice» for over $ 2,000 for seeing him twice for 15 minutes and being insulted.
I have never received any invoice until today and I am shocked at what it’s for.
I thought being a Dr was about helping those who need help not making tons of money to put in the bank.

Take a few minutes to read my review. It is my story and it’s real.
After 20 years of chronic back pain, countless doctor visits over the past 2 decades, with the usual «you have DDD (degenerative disk disease), do therapy (made it worse actually)» I was tired of that answer. FF to a few months ago, where my nerve pain has progressively gotten worse, wasn’t even sure that was possible, since my pain was so bad for years. I decided to spend a lot of time researching doctors online, looking for the Dr. that I felt was truthful and honest in his online videos and such. There are so many Neurosurgeon/​back surgeons that it’s quite overwhelming and confusing. I felt the click with Dr, Gravori, so I went ahead and made an appointment. Office staff (Angie) was great and very responsive. The day came, Dr. Gravori saw me (at his Valencia office), did his visual and touch test on my spine, and came to a conclusion that, my massive pain (for 20 yrs, I am only 45) was actually not caused by my spine. I do have slight DDD but not enough to cause this massive pain. He confidently said, «I know the problem.» I said great, what is it?
I have a not so common case where my 12^th rib is rubbing the nerve. So the Dr. prescribed a cortisone shot to the area. If this were to work, the diagnosis would be correct. So I went ahead and did it. The pain has been so bad for so long, if I was told to cut off my toe I would.
I had the shot done, and here we are over a month later and I have no pain.
I haven’t slept this good in 15 years. I didn’t even know what pain free meant until a month ago.
The diagnosis was correct, and even if the pain were to come back, I know what the next step would be, as the Dr. explained that to me thoroughly as well. I can have the nerve burned that usually lasts quite a while. It is comforting to say the least, that I now have a Dr. that is more dedicated to diagnosing a problem than recommending surgery (that was never even discussed btw). Nice to know there really is a Doctor like Dr. Gravori that really cares about his patients. He is an extremely nice down to earth man on top of everything else.
I can keep rambling on, but you should get what I am saying.
Feel free to send me an email through Unilocal if you need more info on what my pain was and how bad it was.
It was RIDICULOUS!
I highly recommend Dr. Gravori! Even my wife asked me to thank the Dr.
As you know, pain makes us GRUMPY, aggravated and who knows what else!
I have had no grumpy stuff going on for a month now! My and kids are almost as happy as me!
Rant over. Dinner is on me Dr. G! You name it! Mastros, whatever!

My name is Cesar and I was involved in a car accident March, 21 2014, an accident I survived thanks to my seat belt. I lost spinal fluid in my lower back as well as fractured my spine, doctors at the hospital where I was transported to wanted to perform surgery at the time but I was very hesitant. I wanted to steer away from surgery reasons were I was 27 years old at the time I have no kids of my own and I was afraid of the complications I would have if I went through with the surgery so I decided to let my spine heal on its own. As time passed by I noticed I was limited to daily activities I was not able to play my favorite sport «basketball» not able to run or exercise. I had constant pain and numerous treatments to try to avoid having a spinal procedure but at no avail, until finally I met Dr. Gravori in January 2015 after the pain I was dealing with at the time did not go away. I could honesty tell you guys I was depressed because I was unable to perform with my peers constantly complaining about my pain. July, 7 2015 I underwent a spinal fusion in my L5-​S1 lumbar spine and after that day my whole life changed !!! Im in the best shape of my life working out twice a day with a trainer running every 3 days I can’t describe in words what Dr. Gravori did for me !! He changed my life back to where it was before my horrifying accident. I am so grateful I made the choice to take care of my pain and my back at «ProMed Spine» greatest decision I’ve ever made. Thank you Dr. Gravori

Would not recommend this Dr. to anyone. He is simply rude and incompetent. Very rude Dr. asks you when you get there for your appointment what are you here for in a unfriendly tone? As if you are bothering him.
If you are 5 minutes late due to the fact that you are looking for parking since they don’t validate, and he has other patients with an appointment and other people that have no appointment and just decide to walk in, he will simply let everyone else see him first and then see you lastly! When you ask what is going on to the receptionist she has the nerve to tell you ((well you were five minutes late so he has to see everyone else)) including those that don’t have an appointment! Wow how unprofessional I was in shock! Also if you look as if you are of Hispanic ethnicity the receptionist will ask everyone else sitting there of non-​hispanic origin would you like some coffee, tea or water and then just stare at you make direct eye contact & then get back to work. It’s not like if I wanted anything anyways but the thought is the one that counts!
Also take someone with you as this Doctor does not have an assistant in the room when he examines you luckily I accompanied my friend. Also if you speak Spanish and English but get caught up speaking both make sure to take a translator as they don’t have one and when you ask them they tell you next time ask your attorney to provide you one Okay.
My friend is trying to have this Dr. changed as she doesn’t want to have to deal with him and his rude staff any longer he is very incompetent and unprofessional.

I was referred to Dr. Gravori in 2012 with debilitating back pain at L4-​L5. After reviewing my history and imaging results, his initial concern was that I exhaust all other means of treatment (physical therapy, chiropractic, interventional pain therapy) before considering a surgical approach. I found this quite refreshing as I am leery of surgeons with a «cut first» mentality.
Once it was decided that surgery was the only remaining course of action, I was scheduled for a microdiscectomy at Northridge Hospital.
I should point out that I was very concerned with the prospect of venturing into the world of spinal surgery. Many have heard the old adage that spine surgery carried a 30÷30÷30 result rate. Meaning 30% change of improvement, 30% no change, 30% your symptoms get worse. When I asked Dr Gravori about this, he assured me that due to advancements in the field of neurosurgery, the success rate of these procedures is now much higher.
Long story short, I decided to proceed with surgical intervention and today I can say with 100% confidence, I am glad I did.
I have heard of patients being hospitalized following a microdiscectomy for as long as a week, post-​op. Dr Gravori’s minimally invasive approach had me home and on the couch just 5 hours after my surgery. I was up and around within a week or two and pain free inside of two months.
I am happy to report that almost four years later, I am still basically 100% pain free and haven’t had a recurrent herniation. I accidentally put his handiwork to the ultimate test about a year ago when lifting a very heavy mirror and felt a strain right in the area of surgery. I had muscle spasms for a day or two, but the pain subsided and in short order, and I was back to 100%. This is how you would expect an otherwise healthy disc to respond, not a disc that had been operated on.
For anybody considering spinal surgery, I cannot recommend Dr Gravori highly enough. My visits with Dr Gravori have always been pleasant and his bedside manner is impeccable. All in all, I would put him among the best surgeons in the LA area and a doctor whom I have come to trust implicitly.
–MO

I owe everything to Dr. Gravori. I was diagnosed with a herniated disc and my entire right leg was weak and numb all the way to my big toe– I also had sever pain for a while but that went away while the numbness and weakness stayed due to my hernia hitting a nerve. I was scared thinking this was going stay with me the rest of my life. I was referred to him by my employer who is a top notch Dr. After getting my surgery I felt imidiate relieve physically and emotionally– I can finally be normal with my family and friends. It is hard to explain how much better I feel. Thank you doc, I wish you a long healthy life so you can help others out. Thank you, thank you and thank you! Words can’t explain how thankfull I am. God bless you!

I was referred to this Dr. For constant debilitating back pain. Dr. G had received my back and neck scans, and all his paperwork, weeks before my appointment.
After waiting 50 minutes in an exam room Dr. G entered, with no introduction, and flat out asked me, «Why are you here?»
The tone of his voice was not friendly.
I replied I had been referred to him because of the poor condition of back and neck pain, and I hoping he could help me.
What he said next, stunned me
” you will feel better when you get a Gastric Bypass”. «The Fibromyalgia is a FAT disease, so once you lose the weight the Fibro will be gone and your Lupus will greatly improve too.»
HUH?
Then he picked up my list of medications. He asked me, «what Dr. Would put you on a steroid, Methotrexate, when you are already so obese!»
Methotrexate — is a medication used to treat some cancers, and Lupus, it is not a steroid.
The appointment went further south from there. It became obvious that he does not want to work with over-​weight patients. I’ve never been referred to as OBESE in just a short Dr appointment. At the end of the appointment the Dr said he could replace the discs in my neck!
If you are carrying any extra weight, do yourself a favor, Go to another Dr.

I have worked with Dr. Gravori for over a year and I can say I would trust this man with my life or my friends. One of my good friends was having problems with her back and head so I referred her to my good friend Dr. Gravori. The office manager called me when she was in to let me know she was scheduled and then followed up with me after to let me know how everything went. The staff is always friendly and Dr. Gravori brings a new type of compassion to the Medical Field that is profoundly enlightening to see.
About one week after my friends visit she gave me a call and I have never heard someone so excited about a Doctors appointment. She claimed that he changed her life and I still haven’t heard the end of thank you’s just for referring her. After all this happened I would never hesitate to refer anybody I know and I can truly say he is thee best in Los Angeles.

I’ve been having sciatic nerve pains for 6 months now and didn’t know what to do. After doing some research and looking for spine specialists with high reviews, I found dr. Gravori. Based on a history and physical, he knew what the problem was right away. I am now pain free and I truly couldn’t thank him enough. Highly recommended!

Dr. Gravori had been recommended to me by a good friend, who was a doctor as well, but in a different field.
I had been in incredible pain for over a week, thinking my sciatica was the worst it had ever been. I finally had a CAT scan, where it was revealed one of my discs had broken and was pressing the nerve in my spinal column. Never having back surgery, I was extremely nervous.
After meeting with Dr. Gravori to study my results and look at my options, I felt I was in perfect hands. His superb bedside manner, calm demeanor and expertise left me feeling very fortunate that I had such a great surgeon.
The surgery was a huge success. My disc was not only broken, it had basically shattered into many pieces, making my surgery even more intricate. It’s been a few years and I’m doing great, with no back problems.
I can’t thank Dr. Gravori enough for taking me from excruciating pain to a full recovery!
Thanks for everything, Dr. Gravori.

I visited Dr. Gravori’s Encino office recently for a chronic back and shoulder problem. You will find a very relaxed and professional atmosphere, great staff but most of all, a doctor that truly cares about the well-​being of his patients. Unlike other offices, they don’t try to pack as many patients as they can, spend as little time as possible and recommend whatever is most profitable for them. It is so pleasant to know that there are still doctors out there who put people before profit.

Dr. Gravori is one of the most caring and knowledgeable physicians I’ve encountered in a long time. Took my friend’s advice and came to see him for a second opinion and never looked back. Thank you!

Great recommendation by my primary doctor. I have been having lower back issues on my left lower side for the past few months, and I went through the usual procedures, PT, MRI, and they found a ruptured, herniated disk. As a result of these findings my primary physician recommended Dr. Todd Gravori. He looked at the MRI results, walked me through, and showed me exactly what was going on. He gave his recommendations. One would be waiting and see if it eventually gets better, but he explained the risks involved with doing that, since the nerve was already affected. The other recommendation would be surgery, which would one alleviate any pain that is going on in my leg. I knew the risk of waiting so I elected to do the surgery, and it was not a mistake.
Post surgery I feel great. Pain in the leg is gone and strength and recovery is going well. The day of surgery all I remember is one of the nurses saying breath in and breathe out, and then I was out cold. When I woke up, they made sure I was able to take down food, walk, and was coherent. Each step was explained before the surgery from the administration of the anesthesia to what they will be doing to make sure I am good to go. Since its outpatient surgery, you’re out the same day. I am walking around, recovering well, and recovering fast. I am able to walk around and do some activities.
In the beginning I did not want to have this surgery, but in the end, it was well worth it. Dr. Gravori was not only great at performing the surgery, but will always look at other options if they are available.

Todd Gravori is the best surgeon! He kindly explained everything in detail about the surgery and its stages. He did an amazing work, the cut is clean and healing really fast. Its been only two weeks, but mother is feeling so much better. For years she was in pain and had spinal surgery that has not improved any of her condition, but we believe that Todd Gravori has spotted and fixed main source of her pain. He really does care about his patients. You are truly our Savior :-) Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

DR Gravori is amazing, caring, smart, he knows what he is doing and talking about.
I took my mom there bcs she needed spine surgery and he did a great job. She’s recovering slowly but she’s feeling much better.
His staff is wonderful specially his brother Aron! He takes care of all the paperwork, booking surgery, insurance authorization etc… Thank you.
You’re all great people.
I wish you all the best!