Noel S O’Brien, DPM

Dr. O’Brien treats all 4 of my children — some flat footed, others too high of an arch. He is always kind and gives customized attention to each of them. As a person with the worst feet in the world and having had multiple foot surgeries, I totally trust Dr. O’Brien is doing the right thing for each of my children so they don’t end up with feet like mine. And the office staff is simply delightful!

Dr. Noël S. O’Brien has successfully treated me for at least 25 years. I was referred to him prior to scoliosis surgery for back pain. The custom orthotics alleviated the pain for a little while. Some time after the scoliosis surgery (1994) I got new orthotics. Over the years, in-​grown toenails, plantar fasciitis, arch issues and a badly bruised right foot, Dr. O’Brien has always come through for me. His professionalism is only surpassed by his caring and kindness. His staff is also top-​notch!
Linda C. in San Francisco

I’ve been a patient of Dr. O’Brien’s for the past 7+ years, albeit I’ve only seen him about 4 or 5 times during that span. That said, each time I visited him it was for a specific issue/​reason, usually pain-​related and he successfully resolved each issue quickly and efficiently. On top of that, as a flat-​footed 40 year old who had multiple ankle surgeries and stress fractures in his 20’s, I attribute much of my pain-​free years of trail running since first meeting Dr. Obrien to the inserts he created and the treatment and advice he has offered.

He wants to schedule extra appointments when everything can be done in one appointment. It not only costs extra money but takes extra TIME. Whose schedule can take that. He seems very cold. When you ask him something he does not like it and seems arrogant. This city is full of other doctors who are more congenial.

I had seen Dr. O’Brien before and thought he was very helpful. However, this time, I felt like he rushed me through the exam and was reluctant to answer my questions. He was not very helpful in providing specific guidance on inserts — so I ended up having to go to a running store and having them provide guidance on which inserts to wear with different shoes. For a $ 150 exam, I would expect more.

Five stars for thorough exam and correct diagnosis of early onset of osteoarthritis of my foot. Five stars for the doctor’s nice demeanor and cautious approach to my toe fungus (steered me toward ointment first and away from pills which have too high of risk given the mild condition).
Unfortunately, 2 ½ years later my right big toe joint is in much worse condition than before wearing the orthotics they custom-​made for me. When I mentioned it to the doctor he suggested physical therapy but I am wondering whether the custom orthotics created the problem. The right/​left orthotics felt completely different from the start and, sure enough, one toe stayed the same and one deteriorated significantly. I can hardly walk now and I feel sure xrays will show severe (versus mild as before) arthritis in my right toe.

Dr. O’Brien made me custom foot orthotics for $ 600 that ended up bruising the area above my arches. I went in and he told me there was too much arch in the first pair of orthotics that HE MADE. When he made my second pair of orthotics to correct the mistakes in his first one, I asked for a discount. When you pay $ 600 for orthotics from a doctor, aren’t you supposed to get a perfect product? He gave me only a 10% discount on the corrected pair. A bum deal if you ask me, especially considering my insurance didn’t cover orthotics.

I have been seeing Dr. O’Brien for over 5 years. He is wonderful. Very professional. Before him I saw another DPM who left me bloody after he cut my toenails (I am diabetic) and made orthotics that caused my foot pain and failed to treat my achilles tendonitis promptly. (Ironically, this guy has a 4-​star rating on here, go figure.) Anyway, Dr. O’Brien takes good care of my feet and designed orthotics which not only give me the support I need but helped cure my achilles tendonitis. I can’t praise him enough.