John Strugar's Online Review Report Card

I’m beyond thankful for Dr. Strugar doing my second spinal fusion. It hit me when my daughter visited me in the hospital and I wanted to walk a little in the hallway with her. She said “Mom, you’re standing straight!” I’m 48, so to walk with a cane hunched over at a 90 degree angle was breaking me down. I had a poor quality of life. It’s now been less than 2 months and I’m walking my dogs again. I know I still have a long road and it will take time but I’m determined . Dr. Strugar did his part, now it’s up to me to do the rest!!! Thankful to Dr., Nurse practitioner Lucilla Willingham and all of the staff at Greenwich Hospital.

Very simple, Dr Strugar Is fantastic! I had excruciating sciatica pain and it’s now gone. From the first office visit and consultation he answered all our questions in great detail, never rushed us and had a very encouraging outlook on my surgery. Post surgery follow up was the same, he checked on me, answered all my questions and told me exactly what to expect during the healing process. I feel very lucky to have found him. Also, his PA Lucilla is a gem, she’s extremely caring and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend this fine physician.

Dr Strugar is an excellent surgeon with very good bedside manner. I had back surgery in August at Greenwich Hospital and now I am pain-free and recovering with mobility that I have not enjoyed for three years. Thank you Doc for such a wonderful outcome.

I have needed Dr Strugar twice over the past twenty years. He has provided exceptional care. Although he is a surgeon; he has guided me through interventions preventing the need for surgery. He is thoughtful, he listens and provides expertise and compassion while minimizing the need for invasive surgeries.

Dr. Strugar is an unbelievable neurosurgeon. He has a lifetime of experience, and I trust him with any of my back issues. He is very attentive to his patients: takes his time to really listen to the problem, looks at the whole body and medical history when considering an approach (doesn't just offer a "band-aid" type of solution), very professional in the way he talks to patients. Perhaps, what I like the most about him is that he won't rush to surgery and will explore other options ahead of an invasive procedure (unlike a few more doctors I spoke with). He has helped me with my L5/S1 herniated disc. I'm very grateful and will absolutely recommend him to anyone.

Poor Surgeon… although I am still able to walk & move my arms the results were horrible. Had a second & third opinion by 1 other Neurosurgeons $ 1 other Othopedic Surgeon. They both said that Dr Strugar did not do a compete Foraminotomy nor a complete Laminectomy. They both also said why did Dr Strugar put the Rods & screws on the outside of my cervical anatomy not to the inside cervical channel which usually makes for a much better outcome & less interference with the other bone structures & muscle interference. These 2 different Orthopedic & Neurosurgeons also stated that I was mistakenly put in a hard collar after the surgery that was pressing against my incision of which I developed a rather larger hematoma at the base of my Cervical incision. Two day later while home this large red hot hematoma burst with blood everywhere. I was rushed back to Dr Strugars hospital to have him drain it, which it had already burst & drained itself. I gotten an infection & fever. The fever subsided but I still had to go back to hospital again for him to treat infection & remove stitches that were protruding from under my skin. In closing I am in wore pain ever since he performed this poorly skilled surgery.

Very comfortable with Dr. Strugar. He's straight forward with his practice and will only do what "needs" to be done. As long as he stays local, I have my go-to!

I’ve had a horrible experience with this surgeon. After the fact I would seek out quite a few other surgeons before EVER going to this surgeon. This was my personal experience with, at best, a very poor outcome. I truly believe he is an incompetent surgeon.

A few years ago at Yale hospital in New Haven Dr. Strugar did a fusion and other than the horrible experience in the recovery room everything seemed OK. After a few years I felt a random slight pinch in the fusion area and thought nothing of it This continued for a few years, a recent X ray for an unrelated issue revealed 2 of the 4 screws loose and the other 2 are totally out and away from the fusion site. I'll be having an MRI to decide what needs to be done. What more can I say..........

Two lumbar surgerys,the 2nd one being a 5 level fusion