Rayshad Oshtory, MD

I call Dr. Oshtory «The LIBERATOR.» Here is my story: For the past several years I have suffered with shooting lower back, posterior, and right leg pain. At times it was insufferable. Sitting hurt. Standing hurt. I was walking with a limp. Finally I went to see my GP doctor. They prescribed medication and physical therapy. I went that route and it did not help the condition. Next I was told to have an imaging MRI done. Then I saw an orthopedic specialist. They referred me to Dr. Oshtory for a possible «surgical consultation.» When I went into his office, his assistant Sewanda enthusiastically greeted me. Then I saw Dr. Oshtory. He had me stand up, felt my legs and told me to walk across the examining room. Immediately he knew my condition. He had me come into his own office, sat me down and thoroughly explained my MRI results. The disk between my L4/​L5 vertebrae was severely herniated (kaput, failing). That caused my vertebrae to shift and was cutting off/​pinching the nerve that runs to my lower body. He showed me on his computer screen exactly where my disk was failing and where the nerve was being severely pinched. He immediately suggested surgery. I said, «At this point if that’s what it will take to get rid of the pain, I’m game.» He was very up front explaining the surgery «should» correct my condition. «Should» was a scary word, so I asked him what that meant. He told me my condition is a classic case and that I have a 90% chance that the new disk implant surgery will resolve my condition. He also explained the surgery is «lateral» and minimally invasive. There will be only two small ~1 inch incisions. And, that I will be on my feet shortly after the surgery (later the same day). The next day, I’ll be walking and discharged from the hospital. Since I liked Dr. Oshtory and Sewanda immediately, I decided right then and there to go ahead with the surgery. Was I scared of the upcoming procedure? Of course I was. Everyone fears surgery. Well, the whole procedure went just as he explained… and even beyond my expectations. Since the time I woke up from my surgery, my pain was GONE! I went home the next day and was walking around the house. Four days later, I drove myself and went to a class I’m taking. I’m 57 years old and my back hasn’t felt this good since my early 20’s. And that is how Dr. Oshtory «liberated» me from my back pain. One more note: So many people told me, «Whatever you do, don’t get back surgery.» Well, that’s a wives tale. If you have tried all the other options and your back does in fact need surgery, now you know who to go to. If you want to know more about the lateral surgery, go here and watch the videos:
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You won’t find a more qualified, capable surgeon. Dr. Oshtory is extremely bright, talented and provides no-​nonsense advice.
Despite specializing in spinal surgery I consulted him with an issue I had with my left hand where I sliced the dorsal hood of my index finger, which decreased my grip and strength. His consultation was insightful, straight forward and beneficial. Where others wanted to correct with surgery he had a more practical solution that was the right route to take.
I can’t thank Dr. Oshtory enough and could only imagine how thorough he would be for patients seeking treatment within his specialty. I would absolutely recommend him and glad to have such a great physician in the Bay Area.

I am writing this review for my Mom who recently had decompression surgery at 86 years of age. Dr Oshtory was professional, very knowledgable and straight forward with his diagnosis and plan of care for my Mom. He wanted to do the least invasive procedure first (epidural to see if that could help ease the L4-​L5 compression pain down leg) and only when that didn’t work did we discuss surgery. We decided to do the surgery to increase her quality of life. So glad we did… It was a total success. She was walking the same evening without any pain and hasn’t had any pain in the 6 weeks since the surgery. I work in the medical field and I would highly recommend Dr. Oshtory.

Dr. Oshtory is such an amazing Doctor!!! I do not trust many but felt so comfortable with his attentive manner! I really recommend him and know that you will have great care in the future! It is hard too find a great orthopedic surgeon but trust me he is the Best San Francisco has!!!

11÷11÷14 was the day of my operation with Dr. Oshtory, A year later I am so happy I had an XLIF. I was walking immediately, driving in several weeks, doing pilates in 3 months & playing golf & bike riding in 6 months, Hospitals & operations are never something one wants to go through, but not being in pain was worth the discomfort of a 2 day hospital stay, & an uncomfortable first week at home. Dr. Oshtory is a confident, good surgeon: see him for an honest appraisal of your back.

I hope this review is read by potential patients looking for an excellent orthopedic surgeon, because this guy is really, really good.
I went to Ray with some back issues and he spent time evaluating my condition. He recommended physiotherapy and acupuncture which was working really well — little slow recovering but going the right direction. Statistically, physiotherapy works 50% of the time for a bulging disc (no surgery needed). Unfortunately, physio did not work for me, and about three months into the physiotherapy, I herniated my L4/​L5 disc while bending down. Over the next couple of weeks my back got worse so I went back to Ray. He evaluated my new symptoms and had me schedule an MRI ASAP. With MRI in hand, Ray saw me next day. Upon review of the MRI Ray opened his schedule for the following day and I went in for surgery.
The procedure took about a ½ day, from admittance to discharge. I emailed Ray every day over the next week or so and he was extremely responsive. It been 6 weeks since my surgery and I’m doing absolutely fantastic. I returned to work within three weeks, and am walking 3 miles a day. If you want an orthopedic surgeon that delivers results, then Ray Oshtory is the guy.
If you’re still unsure, go meet him and ask about industry success statistics for surgery and how his stats compare. As a guy that’s spent 30+ years in engineering, I’m all about the results. I have not been disappointed, and I doubt you will be either!
I’m now seeing Ray for some other spine related stuff, and he’s right on it… I have no complaints!

Well it’s been 6 weeks and I can finally stand up straight! I went in today and took x-​rays (in the same building!!) and all is well! I recommend Dr Oshtory very highly!

It may not be often that a patient writes to compliment a doctor after being told not to have surgery.
Dr. Oshtory told me 4 months ago that I was not a surgical candidate. He assured me that my MRI would certainly identify something he could operate on, but advised that it would most likely not alleviate my lower back pain. He suggested that I continue targeted exercises and that this would stimulate improvement. How rare, in this era of procedure-​hungry doctors, to meet a surgeon who puts ethics ahead of income!
In my case routine exercises did make my pain go away.
Thank you Dr. Oshtory for not being knife happy!

Over the years Dr. Oshtory has given me nothing but the best advice. As I am approaching 40 and my body has begun to exhibit random back pain here and there, Ray continues to give advice that gets to the root cause of the pain (exercise, and muscle building)…he has never gone for the quick fix (pain meds, etc). I understand some patients want the easiest answer to their problems, but sometimes the path of least resistance leads to the worst possible outcome.
He is as honest as they come and has the most integrity of any doctor I’ve ever visited. You may not like what he has to say, but he is always going to give you the best advice, based solely on the scientific evidence. Many doctors will recommend surgery because that’s where they make the most money… Ray is the opposite. He only recommends surgery when it’s absolutely necessary. Surgery is a big deal and should be treated as such.
He also may not be the warmest or the fuzziest doctor in the world, but he is by far one of the smartest, most dedicated doctors I’ve come across. I don’t go to doctors to become their friends, I go to doctors to get the best advice possible.
Highly recommended.

No one WANTS to get back surgery… I feel confident stating that factually. But if you’ve exhausted every other option, you’d better go see Dr. Oshtory.
After feeling a sensation similar to being tasered in my lower back and upper leg during heavy weightlifting, I woke up the next day to find that I had shooting pains all the way down my left leg and numbness in my toes. Being an avid weightlifter and athlete, I have had my share of injuries, but I knew this was really bad. Life changing-​ly so. The MRI revealed I had a severe lumbar disc herniation and I was told by a spine specialist that I had four options.
The first was physical therapy, which I started immediately. The therapy centered around using your legs and hips to support balance and weight, rather than your lower back. Learning to change my habits was helpful, but the shooting pain down my leg was still unbearable. The second option was to receive anti-​inflammatory cortisone shots directly into my back around the herniated disc to try and relieve the pressure on my nerve. While the shots helped temporarily, it was not a long-​term solution. The third option was to remain patient while continuing options 1 and 2 and wait until my body slowly adapts to the herniation, taking up to 14 months. I couldn’t take the pain another month let alone 14.
The fourth option was surgery. I began to research back surgeons by talking to other surgeons I knew in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and every road led back to Oshtory. It is one thing to be recommended by a patient or someone you know, but an entirely different thing to be sent to a surgeon that other surgeons look up to.
I scheduled an appointment (which was without hassle, by the way) in order to get a consult. After seeing my MRI, he was not hasty into telling me surgery was the only option, and proceeded to lay out exactly what my choices were.
I continued physical therapy, but my reluctance to have surgery began to wear off as my gains in therapy did not include less pain. I had my surgery on July 14^th, and I woke up in post-​operations with zero pain. Two weeks later, I am back to my everyday activities with no pain.
Again, deciding to have back surgery is not a decision anyone wants to contemplate, but if you decide to do it, Dr. Oshtory is your guy. Not every type of back pain is surgically curable, but if there’s a chance it is, go to see Dr. Oshtory. He’s your best chance to get back to living your life pain free.

This is a «cut and run» doctor who performed a back surgery and then left me disabled for months. He ultimately refereed me to a pain doctor who helped me until a professional who repaired my back. I tried to find a lawyer to help me with the 6+ months of pain that left me out of work and my partner had to take a leave a absence to care for me! Watch out for this «doctor», or you could be in the same situation and looking for a real doctor!

I put one star because there was no choice of minus 5. Read other reviews below, this is an arrogant doctor with absolutely NO bedside manner. he doesn’t listen or answer questions. When he proceeded to «examine» me, I told him I had all heads of metatarsals removed due to rheumatoid arthritis, and to please be careful with my foot. I have had many consults and people ranging from PA’s to surgeons have always been considerate, he seemed annoyed by my request. I have been in medical field and can spot arrogance, perhaps combined with culture and a way of treating people,(especially women?).before this he was rude and arrogant but this was last straw, and I walked. and expressed my disappointmnet to doctor who recommended him in full voice in their crowded waiting room, hoping to head off some poor soul who wont speak up.
His front office person was incompetent and shared personal information e.g. credit card
«oh, I just talk out loud to myself» in front of subpoena guy who was there to serve one… hmmm?
and the patient prior to me looked liked a worker comp case given requested time off work… just saying… that is how it appeared… seen many of them in my experience conducting state inspections, unlimited therapy and time off… maybe not… someone else needs to check that out…
Run if your back can take it, dont walk, away from a horrible experiece in a moveable office apparently he «travels». My 10:30 appt was last of the day on a Monday.

My husband is a patient of Dr. Oshtory. My husband had great interaction and success with his surgery, but my review is regarding Dr. Oshtory’s interaction with and treatment of me. How a physician/​surgeon treats their patients is the first priority, but care givers are often overlooked as a part of the process.
I can’t tell you how available Dr. Oshtory was to me before, during and after surgery. I dropped by the office a few days post surgery to pick up a prescription. I had a fair number of questions about my husband’s progress and Dr. Oshtory spent more than 15 minutes (during his lunch time) with me to answer my questions and address my concerns. Surgery is stressful for the patient and for care givers, finding a surgeon that can make us all feel at ease is a big score.
Orthopedic surgery can’t cure everyone and everything and that can be frustrating for some patients to accept; that is not a shortcoming of the surgeon, but a reality of medicine.

The worst experience I have ever have, he was extremely rude and treated me I wasn’t suppose to be there waisting his time, every question I asked he would reply, I DONT HAVE A MAGIC WAND or a cristal ball, he really made feel stupid and humiliated. He should not charge my insurance because all he did was making me feel horrible.

What a horrible experience with this Doctor, we drive in from out of town, took a day off work. For what. For him to tell my husband who couldn’t even get his shoes off that he needed to do Pilates and strengthen his back. Mind you my husband used to ride his back and is a Mechanic before all this pain occurred. The doctor didn’t even go over the spine and how it functions. We brought MRI’s. He didn’t even look at them! A 10 minute appointment to say my husband needs a stronger back was a joke! We are so upset by the treatment received, well we didn’t even receive treatment, I don’t know what we received today! We then drive the two hrs back home in utter dismay. Pain still in tact and no answers! Terrible Service!!!

Herniated a disc in my lower back. Dr. Oshtory got me back to normal.
I couldn’t lay down or sit down without pain. The only position I could tolerate was standing and walking. After an MRI the issue was clear. I had a herniated disc.
I could let my body take care of it on its own, or have outpatient surgery. Dr. Oshtory recommended letting my body handle it if I could take the pain. Unfortunately I couldn’t take the pain and decided on surgery.
After surgery the hernia-​related pain was gone. I experienced tingling versions of it over the following few months (as expected) but was enjoying a trip to Disneyland 2 weeks after surgery. Physical therapist was impressed by the small size of the incision site. Somewhere between months 2 – 3 I felt normal. I’ll occasionally feel a tingle here and there (once a week) but no pain.
One other item I appreciate is that you can email him and he responds. A practice I wish more doctors would adopt.
Thank You Dr. Oshtory. Highly recommended.

As with a few previous reviews have mentioned this is the rudest doctor I have ever met. I accompanied my elderly mother to see him and his demeanor was less than acceptable. Maybe the STANFORD diploma/​credentials on the wall gives him the sense of superiority but he seriously need to keep his attitude in check.
Also, my mother paid cash for her co-​pay but they kept sending her a bill for it. After a while I decided to send a check and be done with them.

One of the worst experiences I had with a doctor. I came with lower back pain and leg pain. Dr. Oshtory did a basic exam in the office, didn’t really spend the time on taking my history, he seemed distracted and uninterested and didn’t even order an xray. He told me I could do some physical therapy or even pilates to strengthen my core but this wasn’t a surgical problem and he seemed completely uninterested in figuring it out. I was there to figure out what’s going on and why I have back pain, not because I needed surgery.
I paid my copay at the office and of course they billed me for it as well, so I had to leave a message to their billing department that never got back to me.
After that, I went to another doctor that ordered tests and told me exactly what was going on, took a hour to explain things and show me what was causing the pain.
Doctors really need to learn their bed side manner!

I’m going to be honest.
Surgery is scary. Back surgery is even scarier. I was told way back when I originally got my back injury that if I had surgery it would be better for me in the long run but I’d be out for 16 weeks. At the time it wasn’t an option. So I tried to do PT and drugs to get some relief. After 2 years I finally had a consult with Dr. Oshtory.
Does he have huggy-​feely-​lets-​do-​yoga bedside manner? NO. He’s a surgeon. He’s to the point, he tells you like it is, and he’s as nice about it as possible. He is there to give you your surgical options. Don’t go unless you’ve explored every other option. But nobody wants to hear that they need hardware and to be cut in half in order to have a chance at a normal life again, not even me so to come to terms with that was hard. But even though I didn’t feel like hugging it out with Dr. Oshtory after my consult, I knew he was probably as brilliant of a surgeon as he acted, seemed to really know exactly what he was talking about, he came highly recommended by 2 different sports doctors as well as both of my physical therapists, and frankly all that combined made me believe I was going to be in good hands.
I won’t go into the gory details of what I had done, it was as hard core as you can get, my spine was severely jacked up, the surgery was horrible to have done, and nothing can prepare you for how horrible recovery is. It’s worse then you can imagine. I am thankful NOBODY sugarcoated that for me. I knew exactly what I was signing up for and I’m glad I was told straight.
It’s been 6 months since Dr. Oshtory opened me up and put in rods and screws and bone grafts… and I feel like a new person. All that pain, misery, fear… all worth it because had Dr. Oshtory not performed the surgery, I’d be a billion times worse. He uses cutting edge technology and methods, and is extremely precise. The best part is he also knows how to cut you up then give you a pretty scar because of his residency (I think he told me) at a plastic surgeon’s office.
I don’t know if I’m 100% healed, but I can say I’m a good 95%, and that is better then I could have asked for.

I am absolutely astounded by every single negative review.
From the moment I met Dr. Oshtory, to today (the one year anniversary of my spinal fusion surgery), I have had nothing but the highest regard for him as a master technician /​surgeon, and as a human being.
I’ve known too many doctors who think they are god. I’ve had too many arrogant doctors who are the absolute opposite of gods. Dr. Oshtory is the most humble, kind and brilliant doctor I’ve ever known… and I’m completely stymied by those who think he is not.
I had spinal stenosis and his technique was nothing short of a miracle. I went from completely debilitating pain and partial paralysis to being able to climb mountains in a matter of months! This less-​invasive technique is brilliant. My recovery was quick, and my healing process was virtually painless… and this is major back surgery!
I can’t imagine a better surgeon. Dr. Oshtory was immediate in his responses during my recovery… even on Memorial Day, when he was out with his family. He was thorough in his answers and followed up with a call. I have complete trust in this man. I have recommended him to anyone I know with back issues and will continue to do so.
Dr. Oshtory can NOT fix everyone’s back issues. There are just too many things that can go wrong with a back for this great doctor to be able to cure all. What he does, works miracles for those who need his specialized procedure.
Dr. Oshtory was recommended to me. I am thankful every day for that recommendation and for this great doctor. I am running, playing, hiking, working out and am in far better shape that I was before my surgery.
Dr. Oshtory is brilliant and I can’t praise him enough. End of story.