Nirschl Orthopaedic Center

Had my first visit yesterday, with Dr. Guidi. Everyone on the staff was extremely professional. My appointment was for 3pm. They called my name at 3pm on the dot! Dr. Guidi met with me personally — unlike other doctors I felt the visit was very personal with the right amount of attention. I am grateful to be in his care!
BTW — not only was the visit great, but I can not say enough about the front office staffed by Melissa. She’s absolutely the BEST. My case involved Workers Comp, and even prior to me becoming a patient she provided me more guidance and correct about how to ensure the WC was setup correctly. If not for her, I would have had to endure several unnecessary days with a fractured ankle waiting for our company Workers Comp provider to do the right approval.
This was a great experience — from beginning to end.
PS — when you come, make sure you head toward the Green parking, and you’ll be right there. Use the Green lot to save the walk.

This specifically directed to Dr Ouchie (Derek Ochiai) whom seems to have a grandiose view of himself as a care provider. His narcissistic view of himself without regard to patients is a big concern. I found him to be cold, smug and INACCURATE and deliberately refusing to provide care I requested after my own research (my dad, brothers, sister & daughter are all docs). He injected my knee without ordering an MRI and when I requested one he refused & said it was bone on bone. I went to Dr. Malek in Fairfax who ordered an MRI which provided a clear view of the bracing injury and an untreated severe strain from an accident months before and fraying/​tears. This failure to diagnose for over a year caused my knee to be much worse. He even told me the injection probably wouldn’t help! Further he informed me I would need to schedule a knee replacement. He is a cold person but that is not the issue — his grandiose view of himself leads him to make decisions that are clearly not in the best interest of his patients :(.

The phenomenal service starts with the initial phone call with Dr. Wellborn’s secretary, Shannon. The inflection in her voice alone showed genuine empathy and care for the reason of your visit. I am a personal trainer and competitive boxer/​mma fighter, so I have gone through my share of doctors. I have to say that Dr. Wellborn was the best orthorpedic doctor I’ve visited as a patient. He is very transparent and genuine in his approach. My physician of choice for sure. Grateful for the experience, professionalism, and care.

Dr. Ochia is a total ass. I came from out of town for a meeting with him driving two hours each way for a total of about 5 hours with hip pain to see this man. When I got there they did not have any paperwork prepared although I had scheduled the appointment a month out. They did not have my MRIs or X-​rays. So, I ended up getting another X-​Ray. I was extremely angry to have travelled all that way for nothing. Dr. Ochia was horrible and not helpful at all. He wanted to do a whole bone debrievement of my hip which requires you not to put any weight on the hip for six weeks after surgery and it’s like really — I’m single? He never asked me anything about myself. I would have no way to support myself and have to quit my job if I had to do something like that. Totally inappropriate. He deserves no patients. Even this woman that worked as PT at Commonwealth Orthopaedic did not go to him for the surgery because he has no bedside manner. I’m really tired of meeting these over entitled people who thing they are god’s gift to earth because they are doctors. I wish he’d go work at McDonalds for a while and learn some customer service and how to interact with people.

Dr Ochia was a welcome relief after years of hip pain. Email with staff was quick amd responsive. Surgery went well even coming from out of town. So glad to see someone who knew how to fix my problems.

Had a terrible experience. The doctor rushed my diagnosis and I left with no resolution on my injury. I was also left with miscellaneous charges that I was forced to pick up. The office was not helpful in resolving my issues either.

I too had a problem with Dr. Ochiai. I went after an MRI and had surgery. I woke up and preceded with normal post op protocol. Then I started to hurt worse than before the surgery. He kept saying wait six weeks… then I went back again was told to wait six week… went back again was told to wait six weeks. Long story short he never fixed the root of the problem nor explained it and said one day I will just need a hip replacement. He Dismissed the pain I was in completely. I asked for an MRI about four and a half months out of surgery he refused to write a script. I got one from my Md. He must have changed his mind bcs I got one in the mail well after I had already gotten my other MRI. I asked him to look at it since I had it done at the VA hosp so all he had to do is look it up. He didn’t need my disk. All of my drs are at virginia hosp center and ALL of them have been willing to look at an MRI before an appt because I live very far away. I used to see dr Wolff who is wonderful but he moved practices and does take my insurance which is the ONLY reason why I used Ochiai. I decided to bite the bullet and seek out dr Wolff and fork out the out of network benefits. He said the problem was my labrum and not all this other stuff that that was just secondary to what was going on in my hip. Dr Wolff did my first, hip, Sx in 2011. He was and is fantastic. I have been pain free since that surgery until I did something. So guess what?! I need another surgery just this week may 9^th. Dr. Wolff found copious amounts of scar tissue and said my labrum or lack of one was the issue. We also ruled out other problems prior to surgery because he gave me an injection in my hip joint and low and behold the outside of my hip pain was all gone! Proved his point. So I had to undergo another long surgery to repair what Ochiai should have done in the first place. Now with cadaver labrum and a repeat of most of Ochiai’s work I hopefully will avoid a hip replacement now and not live in pain until I get one as Ochiai had rudely eluded. I am so very very. Angry to have to have put my body through another sx and to have lost more work etc etc. I agree with the posts he is a lawsuit awaiting to happen!!!

Dr Welborn performed hip replacement surgery on me about five years ago. As a result of the passage of time, I can recommend him without reservation from both a short– and long-​term perspective. I have also had the opportunity over the years to compare my experience with friends and relatives. I have had less discomfort (almost none) and a faster recovery time than anyone I know. There were no post-​surgery complications. The new hip has given me no problem. Within a short time, it was like I had no surgery.
Because of his high level of competence and effectiveness, I would not require a good bed-​side manner. But he’s very accessible and a nice guy as well, so a great bed-​side manner is another bonus.

Dr Root is terrific! She removed a tumor from my finger last July. I was happy with her explanation of the diagnosis and what the process would be like. The surgical outcome and the entire experience was very positive.
When I fractured my wrist in November, I chose her again for the surgery. In fact, I had the accident while on vacation in London and the emergency room staff wanted me to have the surgery there. However, I chose to fly home to have Dr. Root perform the surgery because she is a hand specialist and I had confidence in her from my previous operation.
It was a very complex fracture that required two steel plates. She fully explained the x-​rays to me and described how she would approach the repair and what the surgery would be like. I felt comfortable throughout the surgical experience. She did a marvelous job. Even though I had a longer incision because two plates were required, I’ve met three people with similar surgeries who ended up with larger scars from other surgeons. Dr. Root did a neat job, with small stitches.
The nursing and front office staff was friendly and efficient throughout multiple visits: to have a cast removed and replaced by a splint, get stitches removed, replace a splint with a cast, and then have the final cast removed, as well as x-​rays pre-​surgery and for followup exams. Also very convenient is that the practice is located across the hall from a physical therapy center that has done a great job with my wrist recovery treatment.
I hope you will never need hand surgery, but if you do I highly recommend Dr Root.

Dr, Ochiai
I tore my kneecap away from my tendons. Sixty nine years old and a hundred pounds overweight. Did not look or feel good!
Dr. Ochiai performed extensive reconstructive surgery and it has been great!
Do not believe all you read, he is not a barrel of laughs, but I did not need a stand-​up comedian, I needed a surgeon. Boy– did I get a great one.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Ochiai.
Stan Watson

I saw Eric Guidi for arm pain. Turned out it originated in the shoulder & I had to have rotator cuff repair and bicep repair surgery. I am extremely impressed with Dr, Guidi and his knowledge, bedside manner, attention to detail etc. I have been back for several cortisone injections which are perfectly (no pain) executed. He is a little corny but very kind & compassionate. He listens. He is truly brilliant at his craft. My MIL also had the same surgery several years prior to me. And my spouse sees Dr. Guidi for foot neurologic pain. Their PT dept is first rate. I can’t say enough good things about it. Dr. Guidi was recommended to me by a college soccer player and I in turn recommend the Nirschl Group to anyone who asks.

I went to see Dr. Root for a cyst that had formed on my hand. Was pleasantly surprised to have the entire problem taken care of in one visit, and not have to come back and pay for another appointment. She came in, asked what was wrong with my hand, and didn’t waste any time. After a brief chat, had an X-​Ray and an ultrasound on my hand, and we discussed options for treatment. She suggested aspirating the cyst instead of surgery as a first step. To my surprise, we took care of it right then and there.
My only complaint-​I had to wait about 25 minutes after my scheduled appointment for Dr. Root. I overheard a patient (that came in after me) tell the receptionist that he was running very late for his appointment. They took him ahead of me, thus the wait. However, not enough of a problem for me to give the office an anything less than stellar review.
Be advised, however, you do have to pay $ 5 for parking in the garage.

I saw Dr. Wolff for a nagging shin splint problem that I had. He went through the usual recommendations that I’d already tried unsuccessfully and gave me little hope that I’d be able to continue as a runner. He suggested a 6 week break and suggestion for custom orthotics as a last ditch effort. 6 weeks later with new orthotics, I was running again and my problem was solved.

I’m really surprised by all the negative reviews as I was referred by a friend to this office. I saw Dr. Wellburn and have nothing but wonderful things to say about him.
He’d been called into surgery the morning of my appointment and was running about 15 minutes late. As soon as he walked into the room and introduced himself he apologized for the delay. After explaining my problem — dealing with my first ever running injury (I’ve been running for over 20 years), he was understanding and immediately said, «Okay, we need to get you running again as soon as possible.» I didn’t have to explain to him the importance of running or argue that this sport was something I wanted (needed!) to continue.
He listened to my concerns and explained everything thoroughly, including my diagnosis. He took his time and I never felt rushed. Overall I was very pleased and I’m hopeful that when I return in a month for my follow-​up exam I can state the PT helped correct the problem and I’ll be cleared to return to my previous levels of running.

I have had trouble with my knee since ’06 and nobody was given me a clear diagnosis except for they needed to operate. I went to Dr. Wolff to get a second opinion, and from the get go it was the best decision I have ever made. For starters TIna his secretary is amazing, she takes care of you and makes sure your course of treatment goes as smoothly as possible. Dr. Wolff is awesome too. We did xrays, MRI and after all of these other ortho drs telling me I needed surgery, he concluded that nothing needed to be operated on, and all I needed was strength training and several weeks of PT. I am appreciative that he took the time to look at my case, and did not just look at my knee for .5 secs and tell me I needed surgery! Thank you Dr. Wolff and Tina for everything!!!

As others have experienced, my first encounter at this center was with Dr Ochiai. I too was very disappointed and left after my appointment with him feeling that my hip would never be right and I was destined to stay in pain until I «was old enough to have a hip replacement». He literally told me I was too old to have a hip arthroscopy and that I was «pretty weak for a Pilates Instructor». Not the most personable physician I’ve met.
Then I was encouraged by the Owner of my PT group to see Dr. Wolff. OMG! What a difference! Dr. Wolff is kind and listens to your issue and tries to understand your lifestyle. He doesn’t condemn. He uses his knowledge to help you deal with getting better so you can do what you love to do. His staff is great and I would recommend anyone visit back to this group to see him.

It’s a three generation tradition in my family to go to Nirschl! My grandfather had his knee replaced, my grandmother had her hip replaced, my aunt and mother had their osteopenia and osteoporosis treated here, my dad had his wrist examined here, and my sister and I have had our various sport related injuries treated here.
I started going to Nirschl Orthopedic Center back in 06 when I broke my wrist and elbow playing basketball (back then I saw Dr. Lennen who has since moved) and I was delighted with the staff and the experience. Tina, his secretary, is one of the sweetest, most-​wonderful and caring people I have ever met and she always worked with me to make sure I could get seen as soon as possible, including even allowing me to come in super early. The X-​ray techs are also a delight and remembered me and made sure to see how I was doing and remembered things about my life so they could make conversation with me. They’re also extremely kind and compassionate during the inevitable painful portion of the X-​ray process when they have to move your broken joints to get a better view.
I later broke my hip playing volleyball and started seeing Dr. Wolff. He is probably one of the best doctors I have ever met! When I tell my friends about Nirschl, I always say that if I had to have heart surgery, I’d go to Dr. Wolff even though he’s not a cardiac surgeon because I trust his medical opinion THAT much. A lot of doctors are distant and cold and use big medical words when explaining things, but not Dr. Wolff. He actually cares and makes sure that the patient fully understands what is going on without using crazy medical jargon. He also takes the time to really listen to his patients. My favorite part about Dr. Wolff is that he seems like such a down-​to-​earth and chill guy, but he is so incredibly smart and not pushy or a show-​off about it! I have a medical background and he will use more medical jargon explanations with me, and boy does he know his stuff!
My family has also seen Dr. Nirschl and Dr. Wellborn and both are extremely great and friendly doctors! Dr. Nirschl is an older gentleman and it always makes me giggle when I go in his office and hear him say «Yoooo!» when he walks into the room with younger generation patients. Dr. Wellborn is also a great doctor and super friendly and down to earth! My mom was really pleased with him when he checked out her meniscal tear in her knee!
Overall I am just so incredibly happy with all of the doctors at Nirschl (NEVER had a bad experience), and I wouldn’t take my business anywhere else!
My only complaint is they don’t take United Healthcare so I have to pay a bit more out of pocket when I go to appointments.

Worst service ever AVOID Dr Ochiai at all cost. Also be ready to deal with his rude secretary Jessica.
I should have read the reviews and warnings but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and it was clearly the wrong choice.

Long review made short:
Dr. Ochiai is rude and condescending. He is aggressive in his treatment plans, and doesn’t take your lifestyle into consideration when advising you on a plan of action. His office’s billing practices are questionable. Staff (secretary and billing department), while very sweet and nice to speak with, are not very efficient at their jobs. Skip it and go straight to Dr. Andrew Parker at Commonwealth!
The full review:
After receiving the diagnosis of a torn labrum in my hip, I was told by other runners there were two people in the area to see for the surgical repair. Dr. Ochiai at Nirschl and Dr. Parker at Commonwealth. Booked appointments with both surgeons. Saw Dr. Ocihai first because he had appointments immediately available while it would take three weeks to see Dr. Parker.
Within minutes of Dr. Ochiai entering the room I wanted to flee the appointment. Right off the bat, he had a terrible bedside manner. He comes across as very condescending and extremely arrogant. He took no time to talk to me about my pain or symptoms and instead immediately launched into his resume and why he and ONLY HE is qualified to perform this kind of surgery (labral tear repair). He said «really I’m your only hope for getting this fixed». He described what I later learned was a VERY aggressive plan for treatment and repair as my only option. He told me it would be painful, take a long time to heal, and that I may or may not be able to run again. I left his office feeling hopeless about my future as a runner. I put my name on a waiting list for surgery because I thought, as I had been told he was my «only shot».
Had a great deal of trouble with the billing department including them trying to charge me $ 250 for an appointment which was made at 3pm one day, and cancelled at 3:15 of the same day. I’m still waiting for them to sort that out.
So extremely happy I decided to wait it out and see Dr. Parker as well. He performed labral tear repair on both my hips and now I’m running strong again. His office is an absolute dream to work with and I couldn’t be happier!
Bottom line: While I’m sure Dr. Ochiai is an artist in the operating room, he’s a stinker in the office. Dr. Parker proves that it really is possible to be a gifted surgeon and a friendly caring doctor. (His review posted separately)

Fortunately for me, I did not read Tess’s review of Dr. Ochiai before seeing him, or else I might not have gone! I was a new runner training for my first marathon when I went to see him. 4 weeks before my race, the pain in my right knee was getting to the point that I couldn’t just ignore it anymore. I was scheduled to see Dr. Ochiai and after an x-​ray and some poking and prodding, he showed me that my knee cap was slightly displaced and told me I had runner’s knee and IT band syndrome (after tell me I had some of the worst hamstring flexibility he’d ever seen, haha).
He said that most doctors would probably try to dissuade me from pursuing the marathon, but if I was hell-​bent on doing it (I was), then I had to start physical therapy immediately. He wrote me a scrip for 6 – 7 sessions (which fit my work schedule perfectly), gave me a brace to wear at all times except showering and sleeping, and wished me luck. He also told me that I was absolutely forbidden from resting my knee for 4 weeks and then running the race cold (it was like he read my mind).
Anyways, the PT worked like a charm, my knee healed up with all the exercises and extra care I took, and I successfully completed my race (but not before I slipped on a patch of ice and busted my other knee, freaking ugh). Given that I think my «injury» was fairly simple, I’m not surprised that it was easy to diagnose or treat, so take this for what it is. Good thing I never needed any injections…