Patrick Johnson MD

Incredible scope of knowledge and experience. Has very good communication skills and confidence.

Dr. Johnson has treated my spine condition that built up over time. As a medical specialist myself in spine disorders I believe I have extensive insight with respect to judging and acknowledging excellence in a doctor and especially a surgeon. Dr Johnson cured my spine condition which was complicated. I achieved a full return to normal and no further symptoms for decades now. I was able to exceed my prior physical sports activities. Doctor Johnson is not only a doctor’s doctor, he is also in my opinion one of but a few superlative spine surgeons in the US and probably the world based on his world wide referral base.

I was unable to sit for more than 20 minutes without severe pain due to two deteriorated discs at different levels on my spine. After consulting with three other surgeons, I met with Dr. Johnson. Unlike other surgeons who wanted to cut into my spine immediately, Dr. Johnson spent almost a year to determine the best course of action for me. He took great care in not rushing in, but instead he studied my case, took extra tests, and asked for input from trusted colleagues. Ultimately, he had to perform three surgeries to fix my problem, but I’m so thankful that he only did one surgery at a time in an effort to do no more surgery than was absolutely necessary. Dr. Johnson is a superior doctor and his entire team are all outstanding! They all treated me with the utmost respect, care and diligence throughout the entire ordeal. Now my husband is planning a surgery with Dr. Johnson to correct severe stenosis of his neck. He first consulted with a surgeon in our area who came highly recommended as someone who is conservative about cutting too fast. That doctor advised an extensive (and very risky) two-day procedure that included numerous fusions of my husband’s neck and a titanium cage, among other things. The doctor told him that he could be paralyzed from the neck down without the surgery, but that the surgery itself came with the risk of paralyzation. We went to Dr. Johnson for a second opinion, and once again he suggested a much less invasive course of action, a single disc replacement. While my husband’s cervical area is not perfect, Dr. Johnson’s mantra is, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. If more work is needed later for my husband, Dr. Johnson will address those issues as they become a necessity. Needless to say, we are thrilled with Dr. Johnson and his entire staff. They believe in a level of excellence that is hard to find. When dealing with your body, trust only the best!

Dr. Johnson saved my bacon way back in 1996, after several other world class Neurosurgeons said " They saw nothing wrong, so go home, relax." I have stuck like glue to him ever since and time and time again he has proved himself to be head & shoulders above the rest. I thank God I had the luck to meet him 25 years and 12 spinal surgeries ago!

Wonderful and thorough and knowledgeable staff is efficient

After suffering for two years from extreme back pain I got operated by Dr Johnson in December 2018. Fifteen days after the surgery my pain was gone totally. One year after the surgery I am 100% pain free. He is my miracle doctor.

Dr. Patrick Johnson is a brilliantneurosurgeon and co-director ofthe Spine Clinic at Cedars-Sinai. Hehas performed numerous neuro surgeries on me for the past 15 years, and each time, it was successful and I became pain free. He has won numerous awards,is well published, and there is no oneelse I will let perform neurosurgery on me, since I have a complicated neurological history, which he knowsvery well. You can contact me at:<a href="mailto:Joan.sekler@gmail.com">Joan.sekler@gmail.com</a> if you needmore information.

I wish I could give Dr.Johnson 10 starts instead of 5. Today I am officially 6 weeks post op from my reconstructive L5-S1 lumbar fusion with Dr.Jonson. I am 29 year old and have been suffering from crippling low back pain and sciatica since I was 24. I was competitive athlete my whole life. I did sprinting, hurdling, ballet for 13 years and 4 years a martial arts. Needless to say I put my body through a lot. At 24 all of it finally caught up with me and the long journey with my horrific back pain began. Since then I've been in and out of doctors office's. I've tried chiropractor adjustments, pilates, acupuncture, water therapy, massage, light therapy, multiple epidurals, rhizotomy, fibromyalgia drugs (that gave me horrific side effects by the way..) You name it, I've tried it.Nothing helped and my backs pain kept gradually getting worse. It started to effect my walking and one regular morning I found myself collapsed on the floor. The next day I was getting an MRI and CT. My imaging showed that I had degenerative disc disease in my L5-S1.After seeing a few surgeons around LA area they all gave me the same diagnosis and suggested to an artificial disc replacement.After some research and contemplating, I decided to move forward with the ADR procedure. A decision I would later regret.I had my first spine surgery done October 10th 2018 by a different surgeon at cedar sinai. According to my first doctor, the surgery was successful. He said the pain would go away around 6 weeks mark. It didn't. 6 weeks turned into 12 weeks and the pain wasn't going away. I got another MRI and CT. Everything looked fine. He told me to wait for 6 months, if I was still in pain, I could go and get CT spec study done. It was the worst 6 months out of my life, to say the least.I had the CT spec done exactly the day of my 6 month mark and found out that I had a pars fracture in my L5-S1. Something that I had no idea that even existed yet is apparently common in young athletes.The surgeons I had interviewed prior, knew about my athletic background yet no one took that into consideration or did any further investigation. This is why it is extremely important to find a doctor who is a critical thinker like Dr.Johnson, who will engages in dialogue. No stone was left unturned and that is crucial. My doctor at the time said that removing the ADR could be fatal due to the vascular risks, yet fusing with the ADR currently in place was not a good idea either. I realized this is way out of his knowledge and surgical skills. I felt like my life was over...Until I met Dr.Patrick Johnson. I KICK MYSELF everyday for not finding him to begin with. This sounds incredibly cheesy but he has truly changed my life! There is unexplainable aura around him. He is silent yet confident. Strong yet compassionate. He is extremely knowledgeable and has a high integrity. Dr.Johnson truly understands that every single case is different and takes his time to understand what is going on rather than just jumping into conclusion.This man is the God Father of spine surgery. They just don't make them like him anymore.Even before the consult was over, I knew he was the guy! I scheduled my operation for July 9th 2019. My vascular surgeon in the case was Dr.Willis Wagner. Incredibly talented surgeon as well. Dr.Johnson's team is as excellent as he is. You are in good hands every step of the way.Before my surgery, I was nervous until Dr.Johnson came in, looked me in eye and said "you are allowed to be nervous because I am not". Those small magic words.My case is just one of thousands that he has done, yet he extended me and my family so much time, kindness and care as though we were the only ones. It is not an easy job to manage bunch of emotional people before walking into 7 hour complicated reconstructive case. How does he do it all daily? I will never know but God bless him. He truly cares for his patients and that is something one cannot pay for unfortunately.Dr.Johnson went in and removed my ADR, then fused me from the front and back. The surgery was successful and I am so grateful. Of course I cannot write a review without mentioning the people behind the scenes. Jodi and Peggy, these 2 angels who went above and beyond to make sure I was ok and taken care of. It did not go unappreciated. Kevin, Marisol.. the list goes on. Everyone there is the best in their field :) I'm forever grateful to have met Dr.Johnson and his team. Yesterday was the first day in years I didn't have to rely on pain medication, and my husband pointed out that I'm laughing again too.I'm excited for future again. Thank you for giving me chance in life again. Im forever grateful.

I am not just Dr. Johnson's Physician Assistant, I am his patient as well. I have had the honor and pleasure to work alongside Dr. Johnson since 2005. When I recently required lumbar surgery there is no one else I would trust with my spine and after a 4 level decompression, I was able to return to work after 10 days and am truly grateful that I am able to walk again. Dr. Johnson is a truly gifted surgeon and diagnostician who does what is best for each patient. Surgery is a last option but if needed, I am lucky that I knew where to go. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask for me.

I am not just Dr. Johnson's Physician Assistant, I am his patient as well. I have had the honor and pleasure to work alongside Dr. Johnson since 2005. When I recently required lumbar surgery there was no one else I would trust with my spine and after a 4 level decompression, I was able to return to work after 10 days and am truly grateful that I am able to walk again. Dr. Johnson is a truly gifted surgeon and diagnostician who does what is best for each patient. Surgery is a last option but if needed, I am lucky that I knew where to go. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask for me.