Rowan Paul, MD

Great doctor, very knowledgeable, extremely thorough.
He’s very eager to learn more about what’s going on, and explains everything as he goes through the motions.
Excellent bedside manner — a really great doctor to have.

Apparently I neglected to further update after last visit at least one year ago. Was seen very late, even a receptionist from another office I use, was accommodated as an unexpected non-​urgent lunch hour walk-​in, and seen before me, thus making my already delayed appt time even later. When Dr. Paul came in it was back to the pattern of abrupt, dismissive and walking out prematurely, after indicating I should simply go see the surgeon across the hall, a route i had already consulted. I have since consulted a different surgeon, highly esteemed, who had a less radical solution to suggest. My dissatisfaction with Dr. Paul’s manner is based on numerous visits. Unfortunate, as I have experience both his better side and then the experiences that were so unacceptable, and despite his wisdom he seems unable to stay focused on a caring delivery that treats a patient with dignity.

Great experience with Dr. Paul and Damian. I was referred to him by my PT after we were unable to obtain significant improvement in bilateral gluteal tendinopathy (no longer inflammatory as in tendonitis) and related trochanter bursitis. The problem had been acute at the end of a trip with heavy walking in less than great shoes and then settled in to a less painful but chronic condition. I couldn’t seem to get rid of it. Over a period of months in PT, we had tried specific exercises to strengthen the glutes, electric stimulation, iontophoresis, and deep tissue massage. I also tried non-​ultrasound guided cortisone injections administered by a rheumatologist. My PT at Presidio Sports Medicine thought that PRP (platelet rich plasma) treatment might be helpful and referred me to Dr. Paul.
In discussion with Dr. Paul, we decided to first try an ultrasound guided cortisone shot on one side. It would be covered by insurance, and because it was ultrasound guided might be more effective than the previous non-​guided injection. It did help but the effect didn’t last. Even though my insurance wouldn’t cover PRP (some do; some don’t), I decided to go ahead and try it on one side. I did not find the procedure itself too painful, though I did feel like I had been kicked in the upper thigh for a day or two. The idea is to re-​inflame the area by debriding it while simultaneously injecting a higher than normal concentration of your own healing platelets (spun off from a small amount of your own blood that is drawn at that same appt) to the area. I had to lay off of certain activities for a time. The improvement was gradual yet continuous over a course of a few weeks, to the point that I did the other side a month or two later. Best decision ever, as it’s relatively non-​invasive, all done in the office in one visit, and was very effective for my condition.
I would see Dr. Paul for a consultation on virtually any neuromuscular or orthopedic problem before doing anything else. He’s very kind, doesn’t pressure you to make a decision, and is really on the forefront of restorative medicine. He really should be tooting his own horn more about the type of treatments that are his specialty. Alas, he is also incredibly humble.
It can take awhile to get a first appointment, but less so if you have a referral, as I did. Thereafter, it was not difficult, though there is sometimes a wait in the office. Frankly, I don’t mind waiting when the results are so worthwhile, and I remind myself that he is taking his time with other patients who may have similarly intractable issues. It’s nothing compared to the time spent recovering from surgery or the feeling of giving up on ever being pain free and fully functional.

Dr Paul’s expert diagnosis and seven point treatment plan worked magic on fixing my achilles tendon injury. Six weeks after I came to Dr Paul with this serious injury, I was able to successfully run the Machu Picchu marathon, the world’s most difficult marathon which climbs over three mountains and ascends 10,000-feet of total elevation (topping out at an altitude of 14,000-feet) — pain free! Magic I tell you. For proof you can watch this video:

I’m an older patient with a hamstring tear. Dr. Paul immediately said I was a candidate for tissue regeneration and went to work to solve the problem. He is a fabulous doctor… patient, positive and energetic. He loves medicine and has great tenacity which in my case. «he never gives up!» Indeed he treated me for several weeks and I am now «hamstring tear» free!
Yes, there can be some wait time involved. and thats ok with me. That means he is spending time with another patient and thats a good sign. Damien is a «think out of the box» assistant to Dr. Paul and always solves the appointment problems. Bring a book and your time will come!
Judi E.

5 star review for orthopedic services, zero stars for the wait time. I’ve seen Dr Paul for maybe a year now, about 4 – 6 times, and EVERYTIME I see him, there’s a wait. I’ve waited anywhere between 20 mins to 1 hour 15 mins at my most recent visit. They only schedule 15 mins for each patient, not sure if that’s a normal time period in general, but have just had the most horrible wait times at this place.

Today I went to Dr. Paul for a severe pain in my thigh/​hip that I’ve been hoping would go away for 7 or 8 months, and it’s only gotten worse, and causes me to limp badly. He was accompanied by a resident doctor in training who pretty much just listened to him. He has really good listening skills, isn’t at all patronizing (even to an older person, which I am) and told me that my problem is either (sparing readers the details he told me) Thing A or Thing B or Both Thing A and Thing B. He explained both of those in as much detail as I felt like I needed to know before he told me what the alternative treatments were for those conditions. One of them was an injection into the place where it already hurt a lot, and I thought he was really honest about how much the injection would hurt. After hearing my options, I decided to go for the injection, and after he did it, I thought it hurt even less than he said it would. It seemed like he had a lot of experience with this procedure and knew just what he was doing. He also didn’t rush me in deciding whether to go for that or painless alternatives he described that probably wouldn’t help as much. He treated me like a human being, and was both knowledgeable and compassionate. This is the doctor I’ll go to for this problem and any other orthopedic needs I have in the future. I highly recommend him.

I came to see Dr Paul from Oregon as I could not find a doctor in my state with his expertise! It was a great decision– Dr Paul is at the top in his field! (and I am a Physician so I speak with experience) His wonderful «bedside manner» and thoroughness immediately puts one at ease and confident of his competence.
I had been treated for chronic knee Osteoarthritis with every treatment known, except for total knee replacement. I came to see Dr Paul hoping that he could offer me the latest in medical care and indeed he did!- I cannot rate him any higher than «As good as it gets» I look forward to returning to see him for my follow up

Dr. Paul is the best doctor I have visited in my entire life. Without question, he is the best in his field, and I consider myself blessed by god to be treated by him. I have been suffering due to my injured ankle since 2012, however, in the last weeks my ankle has improved and I feel like I never did before. All this thanks for Dr. Rowan Paul. Unluckily, I wasted my time with other dishonest physicians, leaving me in the shadows of pain. Thanks god those days are in the past and I am now being treated by the best in the field.

Without question Dr. Paul is the greatest doctor I have visited in my 51 year life. He saved the tendon on my ankle without surgery administering a series of Protein Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. Dr. Paul goes beyond standard medicine practices; he is cutting edge. In addition, he is as kind and patient as any doctor I have spent time with. I will follow him wherever he chooses to practice. His assistant, Damian, is also a wonderful man and eager to help and put you at ease. What a team! The only problem is Dr. Paul is booked and appointments are tough for new patients. Once you are established, Dr. Paul and Damian will do their all to see you as soon as possible. Trust this man and his practice and hope other doctors follow his leads.

Wow! Just called to get an appointment to check what’s going on with my lower back and I was told I cannot get an appointment until August 18^th! «Doctors can look at the back only certain days and times». Really??? Am I really supposed to buy that? Thought all the parts of our body were interconnected. What if I go in for my back and it happens that my ankle is the reason for the pain? I go back 6 weeks later to check the ankle then!!!
Too bad I won’t get to meet Dr Paul. Heard he’s good, but my back can’t wait 7 weeks, and I can’t deal with the rude people in the front office.

Love him. He knows his stuff (I’m a Physical Therapist) and he’s got SUCH a nice bedside manner. I never felt rushed during either of my consultations; I felt very much attended to.
I can usually ‘diagnose’ and treat my own musculoskeletal problems, but in this case, i was truly stumped. He had a hunch, got the MRI and he was right.
Only con: He’s VERY hard to get a hold of — lots of gate keepers in the office — and the call backs take WAY too long in my opinion (maybe i’m spoiled because i’m in the medical profession and can get a hold of other professionals fairly easily), but it doesn’t deter me; i’d still go back because I think he’s great at what he does and he is so nice to work with. :)

A physician who really wants to heal patients. I was misdiagnosed, and subsequently, given the wrong treatment plan by two ortho specialists. The pain in my left foot and ankle was so intense I was in a walking boot for nearly three months.
Then I listen to my colleague’s advice, go see Dr Paul. He treated my teenage daughter and was wonderful. So I did. Dr Paul was attentive, explanatory, and had excellent patient skills. Turns out I had tarsal tunnel pain. Tarsal what? Exactly. He diagnosed and treated me with the right diagnostic procedure and the right treatment.
He broke the nerve pain cycle in my left ankle and foot by giving two injections while in his office.
The practice runs like a corporation. Would not be surprised if patients were scheduled every 15 minutes. Like that actually is adequate time. So be prepared to wait and don’t be discouraged by this. Dr Paul truly listens and acts on patients’ pain. I trust his clinical judgment and will go back to him for my ankle ligament issue.

This practice sucks. They won’t see you until you’ve done physical therapy for 6 weeks. So they want you to self diagnose, pick a crack pot phyiscal therapist, hope the therapy you’ve done will help, rather than harm your problem, and then they will see you. THEY are what’s wrong with medicine. Direct patients down the wrong path, make your problem worse, then deign to see you. Get out of medicine if you don’t want to help people.

Without a doubt, Dr. Paul is the best orthopedist /​sports medicine doc I’ve ever had the good fortune to be seen by. My physical therapist, Mindy Marantz, at Healthwell Physical Therapy Group, spoke highly of him and arranged for me to be seen. Apparently good therapists associate with each other. He’s amazing in his medical skill and equally amazing in his soft skills and consideration for patients. As Mindy said, «He’s the kind of doctor you’d want your elderly parents or injured grandchildren to be seen by.» Heck, I want to continue to be seen by him. Thank God he’s younger than I am so the likelihood he’ll be around as I need him more is quite… likely. Yeah Dr. Paul!

Legit doctor here. Great office, phenomenal doctor.
A great mix of new school techniques mixed with someone who understands how to TREAT a patient.
He treated me for a herniated disc, I wouldn’t dream of going to another doctor for things like this.

I have never had as great an experience with a doctor as I have with Dr. Paul. I had hip pain for about a year, and after a couple visits to my PCP I had received very little help besides take some NSAIDs. I took it upon myself to just request a referral to see Dr. Paul based on these Unilocal reviews, and I couldn’t be happier.
It turned out I have a very minor labral tear, where the most common treatment is a fairly new and not long-​term approved surgery. Dr. Paul specializes in non-​operative treatments and talked me into trying a Platelet Rich Plasma shot and now I am almost entirely pain free. That would be the story of what makes him a good doctor.
What makes him the best doctor I have ever seen personally is that he really cares. I managed to hurt something else between follow up appointments, following another terribly lame experience with my PCP two days prior, Dr. Paul ran a whole bunch of quick tests, ordered some lab work, and referred me to another specialist. All of my appointments have been like this as well.
Every PCP I have had (3 over the last 5 years) has followed a wait and see approach, but if I am at the doctor, that means I already waited and saw that I wasn’t getting any better. I want a proactive doctor, and that is exactly how I would describe Dr. Paul.
Both he and his assistant Roman are friendly and most importantly helpful, explaining everything and talking with me as much as I needed. I have never even had a problem getting an appointment within a week or two. I would, and have, recommended Dr. Paul to everyone who has a sports related injury.

Very nice doctor who understand the mindset of the athlete, as he is one himself. He returns my calls and takes the time to listen to my needs and woes. He’s willing to go the extra mile and do research and talk to colleagues when he’s not sure. He is thorough and represents the new generation of doctor’s who are patient centered and out to improve quality of care.

Dr. Paul is a great Dr. I have seen him for knee issues and not once have I felt rushed like I have with others. I am in the middle of getting back to running after 8 years. An injury kept me away and when I finally decided it was time to jump back on the saddle… there came the pain… Not willing to take no for an answer to my dreams of running again, I asked my general practitioner for a recommendation. He had nothing but great things to say about Dr. Paul and he was right about him. He is very bright, attentive and you can tell he really loves what he does.
I came in the first time with all of my running gear (shoes, insoles, etc.) and I highly recommend you do this too. If anything, I think it helps to see how you wear down a shoe.
As part of my treatment he has not suggested surgery… YES! I actually was told that I could have surgery by another Dr. to clean up the area. I for one thought that was just too much (that was 8 years ago!) I know my knee is not in the best shape, but I also know I can wait longer and Dr. Paul agrees. He has explained my choices for treatment and I am confident in that all that he has recommended will be a good choice for me in the long run.
One thing that I have experienced with other Dr.‘s that see athletes is that sometimes the little folks like me that run for the pure enjoyment of doing it… not because I want to beat anyone’s time or be an elite runner (far from it)… treat you like you aren’t worthy of their time. Dr. Paul actually commended me for returning to running and has been cheering me along the whole way.
I highly recommend him!

If you want a knowledgeable, detailed, attentive, understanding doctor, I highly highly recommend Dr. Paul. He’s a physician who specializes in sports medicine.
First of all, he’s very approachable and easy to talk to. Didn’t make me feel like I was just another number in an assembly line. He really took the time to hear what my concerns were, and then proceeded to ask me detailed questions. You can tell he cares about and loves what he does.
I had a knee injury I was really worried about, and he really took the time to inspect it thoroughly and gave me a very detailed breakdown of what might be going on inside. I don’t know any medical terms, so he translated to me using simple words and analogies to help me understand. LOL.
My next concern was the consequences. My job is very physical and I was worried about not being able to work (I am also my own employer, so no workers comp!) and the possibility of surgery. I mentioned this to Dr. Paul, and he taught me all the possible ways I can help my knee to recover faster and better, and what do you know… I healed really well and didn’t need surgery after all! In fact, about a month later, I went to see a podiatrist and he told me that I was like the «perfect patient» because I did everything I was supposed to in my early stages of injury… all thanks to Dr. Paul. I am immensely grateful because my job is my livelihood, and when you’re a small business owner, you can’t take any leave of absences. Thanks so much Dr. Paul!!!