Hooman Melamed, Md's Online Review Report Card

My experience with Dr. Melamed was beyond incredible. Words will never be enough to describe what a compassionate, amazing, smart, caring, and honest world renowned surgeon Dr. Melamed is. I am so so grateful for him each and every day. I had a herniated disc which caused severe throbbing sciatica pain going from my hip down to my right leg. I did so much research and I came across Dr. Melamed and after reading so much about his expertise I knew he was the doctor who would be able to help me. Made an urgent appointment and he said I need surgery due to a significant amount of weakness on my leg. Dr. Melamed did my surgery and I do not have pain anymore. What a miracle!!!!! Now I can walk again thanks to him!!!! Thank you so much for your dedication to your patients I am truly blessed to be one of your patients. Thank you Dr. Melamed your patient Alvard M.

Dr. Hooman Melamed is the VERY BEST! For anyone looking for a spine surgeon he is your doctor - trust in me when i say this! I am truly grateful for everything he's done for me. Thanks to his incredible skill and care through both my spine surgeries he completely changed my life. What Dr. Melamed does is more than just medicine, its life giving. I went from struggling daily to living a life that finally feels full again, and I owe that transformation to Dr. Melamed. He is without a doubt, the VERY BEST! Thank you for your precision, your dedication and your compassion. I'll never forget what you have done for me. My heartfelt gratitude, Tonya LyBrand

Dr Melamed is excellent. Recovery took a little while, but I am almost completely pain free. It feels great to be normal again. Dr Melamed took the time to answer all questions and was there for me through the entire process. I highly recommend him to address your Spine issues. Awesome Doctor!!!!

I had an endoscopic lumbar microdiscectomy for a herniated disc at L5-S1 in Feb 2025. I was suffering from EXCRUCIATING and Debilitating back pain that had caused me to be completely bedridden for almost 3 months. As a very active and holistic person (I teach yoga and skateboard) this was a hard place to be in. What started as simple back pain, over the course of a month left me unable to sit AT ALL, barely walk or stand more than 5 min, and by the time I saw Dr. Melamed, even laying down was painful. My herniated disc was pinching nerves (and a ligament I found out post surgery!) causing painful sciatica down my left leg. As a holistically minded person I had done chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, decompression therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, supplements, etc. first to avoid more medical intervention. I had even gone to the ER with no relief. I had seen other surgeons who recommended a basic discectomy (which is more invasive). I really wanted to avoid more invasive treatments. Eventually I caved and got an epidural steroid injection, which made my pain worse! From the moment I called Dr. Melamed's office I felt heard. When I arrived for my appointment on a Tuesday and they saw how I was barely able to move they helped me get situated in the room on the bed so I didn't have to stand (vs. when I saw my in-network doc who made me wait for almost an hour in the waiting room where I almost fainted from standing with the pain!). The moment Dr. Melamed came in (after looking at my MRI) he was SHOCKED I hadn't gotten referred to surgery sooner. We talked about healthy ways to support the body even post surgery. He was able to get me into surgery THAT week. I don't know if that is always possible (I was definitely expecting to wait a week or 2 to get in to surgery) but bc he saw how intense my pain was he helped get me in sooner and I started crying right there in the room! I felt like I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. From then on communication was clear and I went in to surgery that Friday. As someone who has never had surgery before it was nice that I was able to call him with questions before surgery. The day of surgery went smoothly and successfully. It was only a few hours and I had immediate relief post surgery. I was able to leave the hospital after 2 days (I chose to stay a full 2 days even though he said I was cleared to leave sooner) and had a drain post surgery that I was shown how to take care of. He followed up to make sure I was good. And I had my first follow up within a week of surgery. I was able to walk with no pain right after surgery! And already took a mile walk that same week! Sitting was painless, as well, but took me a week or two to adjust to. I am now a month post op and feel pretty much back to my normal self! I have slight nerve tenderness from the sciatica I had down my leg prior to surgery, but it has already subsided almost to zero in less than a month! I can drive with no pain and always try to take breaks to stand, rest and walk around often. My back still gets fatigued if I stand/walk for too long as my back is still building strength, but the more consistent I am with my PT and movement the more improvement I feel. I'm shocked that I feel this good only a month post-op. I cannot recommend Dr. Melamed enough. He LITERALLY saved my life. And he did so in the least invasive way possible. He takes the time to tell you his recommendations and he heard me when I said I really didn't want surgery but knew that I needed it so he provided the least invasive option and I'm forever grateful. He is one of the few surgeons I found that does endoscopic discectomies, which, for someone active who wants to be able to still do the sports I was doing before, was incredibly important. I didn't want to lose range of motion and I feel that Dr. Melamed was the best doc for the job!

I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Melamed and his incredible team. After experiencing a ruptured disc on a Sunday night, his office took my call first thing Monday morning and had me scheduled for an MRI and an in-person review with Dr. Melamed by Tuesday afternoon. The level of care, urgency, and compassion I received was truly exceptional. Dr. Melamed performed an endoscopic spine surgery on 2/26/2025, and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Having previously undergone open surgery for a similar issue—which required two nights in the hospital and over six weeks of discomfort—I was stunned by the difference. This time, after Dr. Melamed’s minimally invasive approach, I was able to walk upstairs to my bedroom at home the very same evening after the outpatient procedure! His attention to detail, skill, and genuine compassion make him one of the best surgeons I have ever encountered. The ability to operate endoscopically is a true game-changer for recovery, minimizing pain, and avoiding the prolonged healing process associated with traditional spine surgery. If you’re in need of spine care, look no further. Dr. Melamed and his team set the gold standard for patient-focused, cutting-edge medical care. I am beyond grateful!

After 23 years of having an initial spinal fusion at 13 yo and seeing multiple doctors all over the country, Dr. Melamed was the ONLY doctor who immediately caught screws misplaced into my spinal canal. I can’t believe how long it went unnoticed and how swiftly he saw something no one else did. His team is incredibly helpful and patient and a dream to work with. We had insurance issues the night before surgery, and not only does he execute his work with precision and extreme care, he and his team also fought tirelessly to get my insurance denial approved and proceeded to undertake my surgery on Christmas Eve. This is truly the work of an angel, in all my years no other doctor has fought so hard for my improvement. We know that I will require further surgeries in the future and he is the only person I will put my full trust into when this happens. I also appreciate that he takes a holistic approach and put me on a no lectin diet and my overall inflammation has drastically come down, and if I’ve mistakenly eaten something I notice my back flares up. I had no idea! I’ve recommended it to all my family and friends. The hospital he works with is also one of the leading hospitals in the world. I really felt like I was getting the full luxury experience for one of the most important periods of my life, and I walked out with the Ferrari service detail on my spine with a team that will fight tooth and nail for my health.

My experience with Dr Melamed was great. He is very thorough and took so much time explaining to my husband and me about the different surgeries I could get. He believes in healing the body as a whole so he recommends a low inflammatory which I appreciate. My surgery went great and I’m looking forward to feeling so much better thanks to Dr Melamed. I highly recommend him.

Dr. Melamed and his team are true professionals! My surgery was a tremendous success and I would recommend Dr. Melamed to anyone, unequivocally!

I went for a second opinion and boy did I learn alot about spinal fusion, and artificial discs. I loved the way Dr. Melamed answered all my questions and sincerely cared about all I've been through and took time with my exam and never made me feel rushed. He gives the highest level of care and genuinely cares about his patients welfare.

This guy is the real deal. He must be the best surgeon in the WORLD. The reviews speak for themselves. I am yet another huge success. Dr Melamed was the 7th spine surgeon that evaluated me. After years of ignoring my progressive back pain and trying to treat it naturally, I finally became unable to walk due to pain and lost feeling in my foot. I immediately began researching surgeons and learned a lot about disc replacement. After speaking to six surgeons I scheduled surgery for a double disc replacement with possible fusion. With only 3 weeks to go, I randomly found a Facebook message Dr Melamed had written on a group I was in. I looked him up and decided to schedule what would be my 7th evaluation. Well I’m glad that I did. Dr Melamed believed that he could save my discs and get me out of pain without such massive interventions. I decided to move forward and Dr Melamed spent 4 hours in surgery to carefully do what he said he would do. It’s been 10 months since then and I’m deadlifting, shoveling snow, and chopping cords of wood. Thank you so much Dr Melamed!