Stephen Mikulak, MD

Where to begin? I was a 52 year old police officer that was facing a career ending knee injury when my physical therapist told me about Dr Mikulak. I was not happy with my current doctor so I paid him a visit. I liked his athletic background and his understanding of my need for a recovery that would allow me to continue my career in a full capacity and continue a rigorous workout routine. Mikulak performed a total knee replacement the results of which have been remarkable. I left the hospital with a walker and dumped it for a cane as soon as I walked in my front door. By the next day I ditched the cane and was walking unassisted. I was vigorous with my physical therapy and within 2 months had over a 120 degree range of motion. I was running within 3 months and worked my way up to 6 mile runs. Today I maintain 130 degree range of motion. I run, squat, perform 24″ box jumps, burpees, and more, all as a part of my workout routine and have all but forgotten about my knee replacement. I found Dr. Mikulak, Mike (his PA) and his staff to be very professional. One added note, The only pain medication that I took was over the counter Advil. The Norco pain medication prescribed to me remains unopened. My other knee will soon be in need of replacement and you can bet Mikulak is going to do it. Any questions feel free to email me at

I just had my minimally invasive left knee replacement on Dec. 22. I can’t even begin to tell you what a great surgeon he is. Not only was he great, the office staff including Mike and Michelle have been fantastic. I am the biggest baby and they have been nothing but kind and patient. Phone calls are returned right away, the office is in a great location and he performs the surgery at Hoag which is another reason to see him. The incision is small and the recovery has been much better than I had anticipated. They go out of their way to make sure you are pain free. They are completely organized and have a perfect system! Oh and he isn’t bad to look at either ;)

Let me start off with the foundation of this review being that I’ve been in private practice for over 33 years. I feel like I may have a pretty good idea of how a Doctor should conduct himself I’ve never experienced such an AWKWARD UNPROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE from Mikulak When you are investing thousands of dollars in a surgery and the «Doctor» first words out of his mouth «I can’t do this for FREE» it reminds me of these RICH SPOILED ATHLETE who state «I can’t feed my family on 20 million dollars» the audacity of his staff pulling me to the side reminiscent of a «drug deal» that one would see on tv telling me the doctor will speak with me for FIFTY DOLLARS CASH was so INAPPROPRIATE!!! We were offered a PRE SURGICAL CONSULT to address questions that we deemed important such as rehabilitation, functionality and if ACL reconstruction is necessary what and where will tendons be removed from the body kind of important you would think CONSULTS are part of the «Bells and Whistles» to get you as a customer they are NEVER A CHARGED VISIT Quite frankly after peeling the layers one can see that this office is primarily concerned about how much they can bill your insurance The question is this could have been handled much better if the proverbial «Left hand Right hand» actually communicated prior to the visit This guy misses in all categories Maybe he slept thru class during the HIPPOCRATIC OATH!!!

I have been a patient of Dr. Mikulak since I was 11 years old I am now 23, my mom is a patient of his as well. We both have a bone condition making it difficult to find a doctor that can treat us properly. Dr. Mikulak has preformed multiple surgeries on my mom and I, all with far greater success than previous doctors. Checking in at Hoag hospital for my first surgery for a hip replacement with Dr. Mikulak, the receptionist could tell I was terrified. She informed me that I would be in great hands with Dr. Mikulak and that people come from all over the world just to see him. I was indeed in great hands.
Dr. Mikulak is kind, compassionate, and highly skilled as an orthopedic physician. I have nothing but trust in him and his ability to treat me. His Physicians assistant, Mike Walker is also fantastic as well. Every time I come in I feel they genuinely care about me and how I am doing.
If you come to California Orthopaedic Specialists expect to wait a long time to be seen, to me the wait is worth the quality of care received.

Had 2 knee replacements with him. My first knee replacement was 3 years ago. (Thank you for taking me since I weighed soooo much). Anyhow, he did a good job. My knee works great and I’m good with it. Recently I had my other leg done and he kicked ass on this one. The incision was minimal, (way less than before). My joint feels like a human again. The staff, nurses, anesthesia, Big Mike and Michele are outstanding, helpful and friendly people.
Thanks

Dr. Mikulak did knee replacement on my 2 ½ years ago. He did such a good job and it literally gave me back my life which now includes exercise again. I’m an R.N. and very picky about who I see and I expect the best care as I am an informed consumer. Well I got the best care in the hospital, no surgical complications and meticulous post op care. The only thing that bothers me is the wait time in the office.

DR Mikulak is a seasoned professional and down to earth. His skill is unimpeachable and his bedside manner perfect. I would trust him with my joints and i think you should too. You wont be disappointed. As an operating room nurse of more than 14 years I highly recommend him.
Valerie Maseuli RN

I thought the best way to thank Dr. Mikulak is to give him a 5 star review! I thought about getting him a gift, gift card, or flowers? But no gift can express my heartfelt gratitude for him treating me like a human being, something that I have missed seeing in all my treating doctors for the past year! He is a caring, passionate, and knowledgeable doctor. I will update you if and when I get my knee surgery. Please have me in your prayers!

Dr Mikulak and his staff are by far top notch. I had my knee replaced 2 years ago and had such great relief and recovery from the get go. My regular ortho dr refused to do my knee surgery because it wasn’t optimal circumstances. But my quality of life and pain were increasing daily. I found Dr Mikulak and when I saw him, he said there was no reason to wait. I have referred several people to him and they have also had great results.

This is a long over due review. I had surgery with Mikulak a few years back and He shaved my knee cap and didn’t properly fix my torn meniscus.
I went to physical therapy for nearly 1 year thinking it was going to get better with numerous cortisone injections and nothing helped.
My knee was getting worse and he finally admitted that didn’t conduct the surgery properly and he would fix it and I refused to let him touch me.
The facility it self makes you wait at least 2 hours for your appt. & they always have someone else come in and see you before the doctor which can make your appt up to 3.5 hours.
He is a horrible doctor and I wouldn’t recommend anyone go to him.

Dr. Mikulak performed a complete knee replacement for me less than 2 weeks ago and my recover, while far from over, is going very well. His staff is professional, the surgical facilities at Hoag Orthopedic are first rate and Dr. Mikulak is an excellent surgeon. Dr. Mikulak came highly recommended to me and I couldn’t agree more. I can understand why he is such high demand.

Dr. Mikulak is, quite simply. the première knee replacement specialist in Southern California. I can say this because it ca be verified statistically. He performs more of these surgeries than most anyone else by a significant margin. This gives him the advantage of having real outcome statistics for wide variety of patient types. So when we tells a 50 year old diabetic, Hispanic lady that she can expect a great outcome, he knows this to be true from his own statistical models and doesn’t need to guess based on a generic, blind, study.
I’m a 44 year old male, ex-​football player, who just had my left knee totally replaced a few days ago by Dr. Mikulak. I found it fascinating that the physical therapy folks who worked with me in the couple of days i spent at Hoag Hospital recovering after surgery joked about how predictable the range of movement that a Dr. Mikulak knee would attain vs. all of the other knees they see each day from other doctors. In particular, they commented that his knee replacements almost always come out being able to straighten right away. They believed this was measurable reflection of Dr. Mikulak’s talent and expertise as knee surgeon.
So far, it’s only been 3 days since my surgery, but i can only pass along what a positive and energizing process it has been. Another point worth mentioning is his office and staff. Dr. Mikulak runs the most timely and efficient medical office i have ever encountered. From reception all the way to billing everyone moves with a purpose and a bounce in their step and are really lovely to work with.
I will revise and amend my remarks as new results reveal themselves but, right now, could not be happier with the work Dr. Mikulak has done to try to recover the athletic operation of my left knee.

Originally, back in, like 2008, my mom heard about this terrific orthopedic surgeon from a Physical Therapist. The PT said that all his patience have limited scarring and great results, generally recovering quickly from their surgery.
My mother’s had her share of knee problems (having gone through meniscus surgery with other surgeons since her 40s). In 2008 she required a full-​knee replacement.
After her successful surgery I tore my knees up. Dr. Mikulak has repaired both my right and left knees.
He has a cautious approach and doesn’t take surgery lightly.
Also, he’s very up-​to-​date on various therapy techniques. He did a microfracture on my right knee. I have tried Synvisc and Orthovisc under his care. He had also suggested I try a plasma technique, which I declined due to it’s not being covered by insurance. He also sells his own line of glucosomine and fish oil supplements.
My left knee was my last surgery done in November. It has been quite successful. My first knee surgery, on my right, in my opinion, was not successful — I don’t blame him for the lack of success, however, I would’ve liked a little more information and preparation for what I went through.
He performed a microfracture. Microfracturing requires 6 weeks without being weight-​bearing. He forgot to tell me that this amount of time off my legs would require at least 2 months to learn to walk again so that there would be no damage. I fell twice, got a blood clot from trying not to move too much, and did not have good physical therapy to follow. I also think I was too fat to be a successful candidate.
ASK questions and push back with him. Make sure you know what you’re getting into with the surgeries and the true recovery time. It can be mentally tasking.
Biggest PROBLEM — waiting. .. why I can’t give him 5 stars. Expect a minimum of a 2 hour wait past your original appointment time, especially if you don’t have the first appointment of the day nor the one following the lunch hour. He’s worth the wait, but be prepared for it.