David Schechter, MD

A few years ago, I was experiencing extreme pain in my lower back, and could not find relief. My primary doctor at the time told me I was «sore from working out too much.» My hunch was that there was more to it than that. I found Dr. Schechter via Unilocal,and because of his many highly rated reviews, booked an appointment. Within two minutes he had properly diagnosed my condition (Sciatica), and we started on the appropriate treatment. I’m happy to report that the issue has never returned (knock on skull).
I’m also happy to say that Dr. Schechter has been my primary doctor ever since. He has an amazingly positive energy, and is always looking to explore all options. He also really listens, which is a nice change from what I was used to.
Lastly, I like that his front office is run so efficiently. As you can see, I’m a huge fan, and would recommend this practice to anyone needing smart, and efficient medical service.

I’ve been coming to Dr. Schechter for years and he always exceeds my expectations. He listens, asks pertinent questions and discusses with me any treatment or option. He is very communicative and has a great sense of humor.
Obviously, I highly recommend Dr. Schechter.

I moved to LA in 2010 and, based on the recommendations I found on Unilocal,I made an appointment to see Dr. Schechter. I am very happy to make my own recommendation praising him. Dr. Schechter saved my life. Although my test results were within the normal range, he paid attention to the details and realized the trend had been going up from 2012 to 2014. He immediately referred me to a specialist and, thanks to Dr. Schechter, we caught it early enough before it spread. He and his staff are always very courteous and they take the time to make sure the medical care and billing/​insurance are handled properly.

You don’t know how great your doctor is until you really need him. I was diagnosed late Friday with Shingles at an urgent care center (too late at night to see Dr. Schechter). By Sunday my eye was nearly swollen shut and I was freaking out. Shingles in your eye is no joke. I took a chance and paged Dr. Schechter. He called me right back. Asked a ton of questions, put me at ease and made sure I got it in with his ophthalmologist first thing Monday morning. All is well thank god but his call on Sunday and quick action made all the difference. Great Doctor. Great staff. Thank you so much Dr. Schechter!

Dr. Schechter has been my GP for a little over two years now. I see him for annuals, illnesses. Run of the mill stuff. He is excellent. I have never felt rushed in his office. I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes to see him when I have an appointment. He always manages to fit me in for a visit if I have urgent needs. His staff is pleasant and accommodating. He doesn’t over prescribe just to appease his patients and is genuinely concerned about the overall health of his patients. I was not a particularly active person when I began seeing him, and since he specializes in sports medicine, I was a little anxious about feeling judged, but I never felt any of that come from him. Now that I am more active and participate in some sporting activities, it is extremely useful to have a GP who is knowledgeable of sports related injuries, PT, and nutrition. I highly recommend him, and have nothing negative to say about him.

I love Dr. Schechter. He is an exceptional doctor. His office staff is friendly, considerate, timely and thorough. He immediately figured out what my problem was and set me on a path for recovery. I left the office feeling emotionally better than I had for a long time and his treatment plan now has me feeling physically better as well. I feel hopeful that I am actually on a path to recovery for the first time.
I have searched for a long time to find a Medical Professional who would treat me with compassion and with attention to my whole person instead of just a selection of problem areas. Dr. Schechter is the answer for me.

Dr. Schechter is exceptional. It was easy to make an appointment, he took his time to examine me and recommended what preventive treatments I should have. The best doctor ever!
However, due to my insurance, Blue Shield of California EPO, I am unable to see him any longer. If I am allowed, I’d absolutely choose him as my primary care doctor again.

I found Dr. Schechter in a search for the best Dr. in L.A. who was knowledgable in and willing to diagnose TMS (Tension myositis syndrome), a benign, yet acute, pain syndrome with origins in repressed psychological anxiety. (Not all are knowledgable in this diagnosis.) The first Dr. to characterize «TMS» and name it, was Dr. Sarno in NY, and my research led me to the conclusion that Dr. Schechter was the closest I’d come in L.A. to seeing New York’s famous, Dr. «To the Stars» Sarno.
At the time, I was experiencing severe pain in my upper-​back and neck, as well as tricep weakness, and was hoping for a TMS diagnosis, as opposed to something more physically serious. Despite his expertise in TMS, Dr. Schechter immediately ruled TMS out as a diagnosis, due to the objective weakness in my tricep. While this was not what I was hoping to hear, it’s demonstrative of the fact that Dr. Schechter isn’t so prejudiced by his own expertise in the area of TMS, as to show bias against ruling it out. I’ve come to learn and appreciate, that even the best Dr’s aren’t immune to confirmation bias, so this was the first thing that clued me into Dr. Schechter’s exceptionalness.
However what made Dr. Schechter, quite literally, exceptional, is the fact that although I had previously seen a half-​dozen orthopedists and surgeons, and ALL of them were looking at the same MRI films and reports, Dr. Schechter was the first and only Dr. to notice that the scans had revealed a nodule on my thyroid. While I don’t consider most of the other Dr’s I saw to be slouches by any means, it seems that even the best have a tendency to be myopic towards their own area of expertise. Once again, Dr. Schechter showed himself to be an exception to this understandable, yet unfortunate, rule.
The nodule Dr. Schechter identified did turn out to show a small amount of malignancy, so he essentially found (and I ultimately had removed) a Cancer in it’s very early stages. Although, the nodule was sizable, it was located in such a place as to be invisible to the sight and touch, so I have no doubt that if it weren’t for the Good Dr. Schechter, I would still have this asymptomatic Cancer festering in my neck… for who knows how long.
Today, I went back to Dr. Schechter for a sciatica, which to my relief and suspicion, is TMS, and I have no doubt that I’m in the best hands on the West Coast in terms of a TMS diagnosis. (If you are dealing with pain syndromes like sciatica, back-​pain, etc. and contemplating surgery, I urge you to first get Dr. Sarno’s «Healing Back Pain» from Amazon, and then make an appointment to see Dr. Schechter.)
All of this said, it goes without saying, that I can’t recommend Dr. Schechter highly enough. I feel very fortunate to have such an exceptional Dr. in my proverbial Rolodex.

This review is based on my first, and only, visit to his Culver City office, and concerns mainly an issue with his front office. I originally gave the Doctor’s office only two stars, but he read that review and responded privately to tell me I was being «harsh» and that my complaints are the fault of «Obamacare.» Okie dokie! I’ll give the Doctor the benefit of the doubt and an additional star, so my comments don’t end up being a huge drag on his Unilocal rating.
My complaint: his office led me to believe that they accepted my health insurance policy (Blue Shield), but then reversed course after I saw the doctor, and told me that because my policy had been bought through the California health insurance exchange he would not be honoring it, that I was «out of network» and would have to pay out of pocket. Very frustrating! At minimum I should have received some prior notice, before my visit, that his office would not be accepting insurance plans purchased on the exchange.
Then, things got weird when the woman at the front desk told me my fee for the visit was $ 100. I gave her my credit card, she ran it, and then, something compelled her to talk to the doctor, after which she returned to tell me that my fee was actually going to be $ 150, so they would have to run the card again for an additional $ 50. She told me this was «the negotiated rate» with the insurance companies — nevermind that because I was paying out of pocket, the insurance company was not a party to our transaction.
In the doctor’s private reply to my original review, he said I was being harsh. I thought I was being fair, given that I had to pay $ 150 out of pocket — $ 105 more than the $ 45 co-​pay I get through my health insurance policy. He also said, as a point of comparison, that I could have gone to a CVS «minute clinic» and paid $ 90 to be seen by one of their medical professionals. If Dr. Schechter would like to compare his office to a CVS «minute clinic» then that is his prerogative. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, I am covered by a good quality health insurance policy, and as long as I do, I’m happy I will not have to go to the CVS «minute clinic» or Dr. Schechter for my basic medical care.

I was referred to Dr. Schechter by one of my other doctors. He has been my primary physician for about a year. I am satisfied because he is very thorough. When I tell him of the symptoms I have, he considers all that are applicable and then rule them out by testing procedures, such as lab work, ultrasound, MRI, etc. It can be expensive to have those tests done, but he doesn’t take a chance of guessing anything like some of the doctors I have seen in the past. I’d rather spend the money to know exactly what illness the symptoms indicate and it seems Dr. Schechter pursues until he knows about my symptoms satisfactorily to treat me.
Based on the findings, Dr. Schechter is very thorough with the treatment (s). He ensures the best applicable remedies are provided and then he follows up with my progress. In the past, I have had doctors prescribe medications and then forgot about me. Dr. Schechter has a schedule where he clearly informs me of when my next visit should be and for what purpose. He follows up with the schedule until he thinks my illness is no longer affecting me.
Dr. Schechter is very merciful doctor. I have had very stressful situation and he has provided incredible support to help me to reduce the culprits that cause my stress. Not many doctors show this kind of care and concerns regarding holistic wellbeing of the patient that are beyond the nature of treating illnesses.
During the visits to Dr. Schechter, the waiting time is usually less than 15 minutes. With a busy work schedule, I am glad I don’t waste my time waiting to see the doctor.
The office staff/​assistances are kind and professional. I leave a message with them and I get a response from the doctor within hours. I can’t expect better service than the service I receive from Dr. Schechter’s staff.
I live approximately 50 miles away from Dr. Schechter’s office, but I am happy to spend the driving time to have Dr. Schechter as my primary physician. If you are seeking a competent and merciful physician, I’d strongly recommend Dr. Schechter and judge for yourselves.

Dr. Schechter is a wonderful doctor! When I was having pain in my lower abdomen I had been through a lot of tests and nothing could be found. He never gave up on trying to help me get better. He suggested I see a general surgeon because he wanted to make sure that all possible measures were taken to diagnose me. I am happy to say that my pain was found to be a rare type of hernia. Any other doctor would have given up but Dr. Schechter cares about all his patients. I am happy to have him as my Family doctor. His staff is always so nice and friendly too. I have recommended him to other members of my family and collegues of mine and they feel the same way I do. Thank you Dr. Schechter for all you do to help make your patients comfortable and healthy.

After tearing my meniscus for the second time in a year, Dr. Schechter recommended we try prp therapy instead of my plan of going in for another surgery. The procedure was done in the office, really simple, and largely painless. I saw immediate improvement. I’d say my knee is about 85% of where it was pre-​tear without any surgery, physical therapy, etc. I totally recommend trying prp, and I’m very glad Dr. Schechter suggested it.
Separate from my knee, I’ve always found Dr. Schechter great. He is always armed with a referral if needed, front office is helpful, and I believe he really cares about his patients.

I am a patient as well as a local referring dentist to Dr Schechter. I have been very happy with the thoroughness of my personal time at the office. I have also gotten positive reviews from all of my patients who have visited this office. I would highly recommend this Dr to anyone as a general internist as well as a sports injury physician.

Background:
My husband (mid 20s) injured his back with a ruptured disc over 10 years ago that was initially treated with epidural steroid injections directly into the spine (L4/​L5 area) & ended up leading him to having a lumbar laminectomy in 2008. The surgery went well & he was healing, or so we thought. Since then he has had sporadic flare ups that have continuously gotten worse & more frequent. He wasn’t able to regain the normal active lifestyle he had before his injury. Over the past few years he even stopped doing normal activities & things we typically take for granted. When he has a flare-​up, he would end up on bed rest for at least a day. This is by no means a way for anyone to live. He saw a variety of doctors & got an array of explanations & all the pain meds you could dream of, but not a diagnosis. This went on for a while until he realized he wasn’t getting better so we started looking for more answers. One specialist told that he would be on pain meds the rest of his life. He tried PT but that didn’t seem to help. He tried acupuncture but it was only helping him live with his issue & not cure it. While on our vacation, my husband did everything to prevent a flare-​up from occurring & he still had pain!!! So again, we searched for more answers & found a list of the top Sports Medicine doctors in the nation. Dr. Schechter was on the list. I did more research on Dr. Schechter & noticed his relationship with Dr. Sarnos. Dr. Sarno’s book (Healing Back Pain) was recommended to us on our trip by a family member who said that it helped her with her neck pain. I also came to Unilocal & read stories similar which prompted us to make the 1^st appt.
_​_​_​_​
Main review:
My husband met with Dr. Schechter 2 months ago after trying everything & not getting rid of his life-​altering pain. He had read about Dr. Schechter, Dr. Sarnos, & TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) before seeing him & he promised to go with an open mind. Dr. Schechter asked basic questions & explained the type of people who have TMS & what it was. They had a nice chat & Dr. Schechter really listened, which is so refreshing when you’re in so much pain & on your last effort to figure out what’s wrong with you. Guess what?! My husband fit the diagnosis spot on. Wait… after 10 years we have a diagnosis?!? But really… it’s all about mind-​body connection?! It’s definitely hard to grasp after looking for so long & hard for an answer. One key piece of information that helped my husband was the fact that serious injuries do not have ups & downs. If it was a permanent injury he would always have the pain & it would continually get worse which was not the case with my husband. He would be on a roller coaster with his back pain. My husband came home with a follow-​up appointment scheduled 3 weeks later, 3 CDs of information & interviews, a DVD, & a workbook. We both listened to the CDs & they really helped us understand what TMS was all about. He has since completed the workbook & has had a different mindset. The hardest part is accepting that TMS is the diagnosis, but after that you just have to work on being more connected with yourself, finding the correlation between the pain & what’s going on in your life, & acknowledging that it’s okay & your back is fine. My husband went to his follow-​up appt with Dr. Schechter & they had a great conversation. Again, Dr. Schechter was friendly, listening, & open. He had one more follow up appt 6 weeks later & by that point my husband had gotten his life back. Mind you, he still has a disc herniation, which was the basis for a lot of explanations we received from previous doctors. I can honestly say this all would not have been possible if not for Dr. Schechter. He has given my husband his life back. He hasn’t had any horrible flare-​ups, hasn’t been on any meds, & has been living a normal life again. THANK YOU DR. SCHECHTER!!!
_​_​_​
Side notes:
–Making an appointment was pretty easy & he didn’t have to wait too long
–The website has a lot of helpful information
–The staff was friendly & helpful
–The wait in the lobby wasn’t took long, but it has been backed up for 15min
–Dr. Schechter has a great bedside manner
–The TMS materials are VERY helpful & informative
–Parking on side streets (neighborhood or meter)
–The office is on the 2^nd floor at the end of the hallway
If you or someone you know is in so much pain that they aren’t living their life & have tried everything, I recommend seeing Dr. Schechter. If you’re too nervous then read Dr. Sarno’s book, Healing Back Pain, first. Either way, people need to be aware of TMS. Once you know about it, you realize how common it is in our society & also how easily we can help deal with it. Just make sure you are open to the idea to heal.

I don’t know how you could ever have a bad experience with Dr Schechter, unless you went to the wrong office. I feel so lucky that i have him while I’m going thru some back issues. He is completely easy, helped me get an appointment with a referred Neurologist that would not take me in for 2 Months… i got in in a week. He goes above and beyond for his patience. I had a complete experience of team with dr Schechter.

I found Dr. Schechter thru Unilocal in Jan ’11 & saw him 1^st time a week later in the Culver City office. He was the answer to my prayers! I knew what I needed and didn’t want to waste time and money to see someone that would make me jump through hoops before taking care of my problem.
Yes, I have long term health issues, but I just wanted THIS problem taken care of now. I desperately needed help and with no insurance, and new in town, I didn’t know where to go. Thanks to reviews, I found the doctor for me! Thanks Pete N and a few others, it was your reviews about the shots that helped me tremendously.
I was at the point of dragging a leg due to hip/​muscle issues. The first visit with multiple shots in my hip/​butt area and I was able to actually walk almost normal after months of progressively getting worse! I could lift my leg for the first time in 4 months. No joke.
He knows what he’s doing. Over the course of a few months, he perfected the areas that need injections and though the problem requires every few weeks more injections, each time is successful.
Dr. Schechter is nothing but compassionate, efficient (I just want the job done and move on), and knowledgeable. This is no frills place and he does work a bit quick maybe for some, but for me, that’s perfect. I am fast paced too. I’d rather know he can squeeze me in if absolutely necessary because he works quick, than have to wait 2 weeks because he spend so much time with patients that he can’t get me in for a quick visit. Think about it!
I would give him 10 Stars if possible. Just remember, he may be bit quick, the office is not frills, and parking may be a tad hard, but it is well worth it. He does believe in Natural/​traditional Medicine working with today’s Medicine which is a huge +++ for me as I do both.

I just moved to LA, and had a hard time finding a new doctor. He replies fast to email and is very helpful. I got an RX for a med that my insurance does not cover, and he wrote another one right away the next day.
Okay it has been a couple of months now, so I thought I’d write an update. Dr. Schechter is an AWESOME doctor. He’s nonjudgmental, compassionate, and openminded. Yeah I agree with some of the review that he is a little bit of a speedball, but that’s fine with me. When I do have questions or problems with my medications, I just write him an email and he replies pretty fast!
In response to all the negative reviews, I guess you haven’t run into the doctors that I’ve run into. Not every doctor is perfect for everyone, but he has been god-​sent for me. I hope he never retires or move to another city. I highly recommend him.

Dr. David Schechter is The Best of the Best. Dr. Schechter is exceptional in all aspects of his medical practice, including but not limited to his medical-​technical expertise and knowledge, his experience, his empathy for his patients, his calm, super-​capable, and friendly demeanor, and his excellent patient treatment and care.
[By the way — — Dr Schechter’s medical assistant, «Casey», and the rest of his team and front-​office staff are very knowledgeable and excellent in what they do. They’re very courteous, helpful, technically proficient, and a great team of professionals. They have consistently impressed.]
I first met Dr Schechter after I had fractured a few ribs and badly injured my back in a fall down a long flight of stairs. I had been treated at my local Emergency Room when I suffered the accident, but in the ensuing week, the pain in my ribs and lower back were not resolving and were in fact getting worse.
I researched the best possible doctor who could effectively diagnose and treat whatever it was that was not healing correctly. As is common for most people, when it comes to doctors, I am particularly careful about researching several dcotors and determining their background, educational qualifications, experience, years in practice, specialty, etc.
I researched online, and called various medical accreditation agencies in California and the AMA. Then I performed even further research using various medical databases that are available online.
Based on my research, Dr Schechter was the best choice. I am not easily impressed by educational credentials, but Dr. Schechter received his bachelors of science degree at Princeton University and then his medical education at New York University and performed his residencies at highly selective and demanding medical programs.
You do not get into those Ivy League universities and highly selective medical programs unless you are extremely bright, highly capable and motivated, and have that intangible and hard to describe «specialness.» Dr. Schechter definitely fits these criteria.
Dr. Schechter’s resume and background also impressed me with his substantial years of hands-​on medical experience across several medical disciplines. His Certification in sports medicine was icing on the cake. I made an appointment.
When I saw Dr. Schechter and told him I had recently fractured my ribs and injured my back and for some reason things were getting worse and not better, one of the first things he said to me was that he had also recently broken his ribs and, based on his own experience with treatment and pain management, he determined that the «standardized and common medical treatment» for rib injuries was not necessarily the best medical treatment given the unique circumstances for each human body and each individual.
Right there — Dr. Schechter sold me on his ability to not only serve as a highly qualified and experienced Medical Professional, but also provide diagnosis and treatment as a Doctor who genuinely cares for his patients and sees each of his patients as individuals, with individual health issues that are not necessarily resolved through a «cookie-​cutter» approach to medicine and treatment.
Dr Schechter provided, and had me wear a wide compression bandage which wrapped around my entire torso from the upper rib-​cage area to the lower rib area. Significantly, the Emergency Room doctor told me NOT to wear such a bandage. Based on my subsequent research, the ER doctor’s advice to NOT wear such a compression bandage appears to be the commonly accepted medical wisdom for rib injuries — — but apparently that wisdom reflects a «cookie-​cutter» approach to rib injuries and it was not the best treatment advice for ME.
Dr. Schechter emphasized to me that he always tries to treat the whole person and in so doing, nothing he does is a cookie-​cutter approach. He also informed me that much of the accepted wisdom for medical treatment for various injuries is based on «finding the average injury» and treating that average, without recognizing the uniqueness of each injury, each human body, and each person.
Within 24 hours of Dr. Schechter’s diagnosis and his recommendation to do something that the ER doctor specifically warned me NOT to do (the compression bandage) my pain began to subside noticeably. It was as if I was a «new man» !! I could walk with little discomfort whereas just a few days before I was doubled-​over in pain !
The compression bandage was something that the prior doctor told me NOT to wear, and yet it was Dr. Schechter’s refusal to be a cookie-​cutter doctor that allowed him to effectively diagnose and determine the best treatment for ME and my unique circumstances — — and that was wearing a compression bandage.
I have now made Dr. Schechter my regular physician as I am convinced he is the Best of the Best.

I was looking for sports medicine doc close to my office for an evil case of «golfer’s elbow.» I found Dr. Schechter. I had an appt the next day in Culver city.
Ordinarily, I get very painful cortisone shots directly into the tendon, and those take care of it for a while.
Dr. Schechter is a genius with a hypodermic. I felt no pain at all, and the treatment was as effective as it usually is.
I’m going back tomorrow.

Great doctor. I found him by accident, too. I wasn’t told about my last doctor dying and I waited too long to get a refill on a daily medication. He took me as a walk-​in, and little did I know, he actually knows quite a bit about my chronic illness. Talk about a Hippocratic Oath follower!
Unlike most doctors I have seen in LA, he takes the time to listen to you and tries to consider other avenues for solutions to your ails (I’m not necessarily talking about naturopathy). I have recommended my girlfriend and mother to him and trust him with their care.
I cannot speak for the Beverly Hills office, since I’ve never been to it. I can only speak for the Culver office.
The problems with the current reviews seems to be more of an office-​staff problem rather than a Dr. Schechter problem. As a physician, ⁵⁄₅. I have not had an office-​staff problem and I’ve been seeing him for nearly 3 years now. What I can say is that the person handling his appointments from Tracy D’s review period is not currently working for him anymore, so maybe he’s not as rushed anymore since the person scheduling the appointments now knows what they are doing.