The Orthopaedic Institute

"I don't recommend the physical therapist associated with the Orthopaedic Institute Alachua office. I feel that the PT here has a bias against running/runners due to his attitude towards me. I also generally, felt ignored during my appointments. Staff have multiple patients at once and are also talking amongst themselves a lot. I rarely got feedback on the exercises I was doing. It also seemed like they give everyone the same exercises regardless of the reason for their visit (i.e. my "unexplained", sudden onset knee pain was treated the same way as someone recovering from a knee replacement). Very little effort was put into figuring out the root cause of my pain. I wasn't given any tests to determine if certain muscles were weak or if there were other issues. I completed my therapy and still don't know the cause of my pain, meaning it will likely come back. Despite me having no previous joint issues in my 15+ years of running, no acute traumatic injury, and no significant arthritis (according to the orthopaedic surgeon), the PT told me I should probably prepare myself to never run again shortly into my first visit with him. I could understand this statement if he was able to give me a concrete reason as to why I have to stop running forever. However, he never provided one beyond "you're getting older". I'm active and in my 30s. I have many years of running ahead of me and I'll look elsewhere to find a PT who has the skills to help me get back to my normal activities. Did I mention they overcharged me by over $170 across 6 visits? I'm still trying to get them to reimburse me for this."

"Went in for a knee injury. Dr. Canalas was great, but this place failed me. I was told I need an MRI. I have been waiting DAYS and still haven't heard back. I called and was transferred to the MRI department. The answering machine picked up, I left a message and they still haven't called back. Very unprofessional staff here. Too bad they don't match the Doctor they work for."

"We went to The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute and this was a huge mistake. I have never encountered a more rude inconsiderate office staff in my life. We were seen this past Monday and an MRI was ordered. We completed the MRI the very same day at Gainesville Open MRI who were amazing, compassionate, and extremely helpful. They advised the MRI would be sent to The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute. I then called The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute and let them know the MRI had been completed and was sent to them. I was told yes we have it. When we arrived for our appointment today the nurse called us back and she asked for our disk of the MRI. I told her I was told by the office staff they had received the MRI on Monday. The nurse looked at me and said what? She then said they do not send them to us. At that time, I requested a doctor's note for my wife to provide to her employer due to her being out of work. I was advised by a receptionist they would speak with the doctor and then call me back. I never heard back from them regarding the note. My wife and I arrived today at The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute for our follow up appointment. The appointment lasts 3 minutes and they charged us $40.00 just to tell us that my wife was being referred to a specialist back in Gainesville. They could have simply called us to tell us this since nothing else was done today. Instead, it was about the $40.00 payment. We then were escorted to the front desk where the dr. told the receptionist we need to be seen in Gainesville by Dr Trimble. The receptionist then informed us no appointment will be made until Dr Trimble determines it is necessary. She stated she will send him our MRI and then contact us if Dr Trimble thinks he needs to see us. We asked how long this could take as and we were told 2 weeks. I told them this was not acceptable as my wife is in severe pain, numbness from the hip down the right leg and foot and can't walk. Zero care, zero compassion, no nothing! My wife and forgot to ask about the dr. note while we were at our appointment. We called back to The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute and spoke to the receptionist again. We explained to her that we requested a dr. note since my wife has now missed three days of work. She then got snippy with my wife and stated if he didn't tell you to stay out of work you need to be at work. My wife tried to explain to them again the fact that she can't walk and her pain stays constant between 8 and 20. My wife's job requires her to be up and down all day with lots of walking. The receptionist again didn't care, had no compassion or understanding. She told us she will get with the doctor and get right back to us. Well, it's safe to say it's been an hour and we have not heard anything. We will never go back to The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute ever again. The front staff is not welcoming, they don't smile, it seems they hate their job, and they act as if they don't care. They seem to forget that many people they interact with are in some kind of pain or having some kind of issue. A smile, a little compassion or an ounce of care goes a long way. If this entity has a rating of 4.7 overall that is scary because what we have dealt with twice at The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute this week is 0 stars. We will not be back at The Alachua Orthopaedic Institute."

"The only reason they got 2 stars is because the staff was very nice. It's basically like going to a middle man with a degree. He was more concerned with what a radiologist wrote in a report than he was listening to what I was trying to tell him. And I'm sorry but throwing me to a pain management specialist 60 days out before I can even see that person, after I told him my leg was going numb just doesn't see like someone that truly had my best interest in mind."

"I am extremely happy with the physical therapy dept in Alachua. They are a great support system. They are knowledgeable and encourage you to ask questions about your treatment plan. No matter how many patients that are there, they always have there eyes on you. They care about your safety and your discomfort. I actually look forward to my appointments knowing that I'm going to be better because of their commitment. Thanks PT team!"