Patient Stories

Orthopedics doctors at Adventist Health restore mobility and freedom to our patients. Our team bases care on these pillars:

• Living God’s love by delivering inclusive, compassionate care
• Taking a future-forward approach to care
• Partnering with you through diagnosis, treatment and recovery
• Enhancing outcomes through quality initiatives

Orthopedic hospitals where caring comes first

Every patient’s experience is unique. Compassionate, personalized care at Adventist Health makes all the difference when you need orthopedics care.

Some people credit our team’s bedside manner as the thing that makes a difference. Others gain strength from a physical therapist. Still others lean on a nurse navigator for support during surgical recovery.

Hear from real people who have experienced life-changing care from our orthopedic specialists in California, Oregon and Hawaii.

Everyone’s story is different. At Adventist Health we want to help you write yours.

George's story

"Dr. Howell is an expert at what he does – with a passion to do it well."

Decades of basketball as a professional player and an NBA coach left George with a half dozen knee surgeries, virtually no ACL and a lot of pain. So after 27 seasons and one of only nine NBA coaches in history to have won more than 1,000 games, he was unable to ride a bike or even play golf. Determined to get better, he called around and Dr. Stephen Howell’s name kept popping up. After that, the only regret he had was not going to Dr. Howell ten years sooner.

George was amazed at how well his knee replacement went. Within three days, it was 100% better than it was. Ten days later he was outside and walking. With rehab and will power, today, fifteen months after his surgery, George is doing 25 mile rides, averaging 50 miles a week on his bike and back on the golf course. That kind of recovery sounds like a slam dunk.

Linda's story

For more than ten years, Linda was no longer able to enjoy the activities she loved. Her friends kept telling her to get a knee replacement, but Linda thought it was going to be the worst thing in the world, so she wasn’t going to do it.

“I thought, well, I’ll end up in a wheelchair; wheelchair over fear. I went to see Dr. Ryan Moore who told me not to worry, there’s nothing to worry about. I woke up after my surgery and thought ‘I did it.' Now I wouldn’t trade my new knee for anything. I love my new knee! It’s just nice to have my life back. We’re going to do a lot of dancing, a lot of walking.”

The care you deserve, close to home

Learn more about theorthopedic serviceswe offer or get answers tofrequently asked questions.