Dr. David Matthew Epstein, MD

I had a serious fall with a lot of pain and went to the walk-in clinic for an X-ray. The PA diagnosed me with a shoulder fracture and scheduled me for a follow up visit with this doctor. He greeted me in the exam room, leaving the door open. He asked why I was there, did not appear to consult the online notes. A phone rang in the hallway and he ran out, taking a lengthy phone call that I could plainly hear. His brief conversation with me was interspersed with exhortations out the door to the office staff with directions on how to manage an incoming patient, an aspiring footballer, and to “treat him like any other patient”. Still leaving the door open, he told me I didn’t need to see him, that I should come back in a month for follow up X-rays. He smiled and said “you don’t want a shoulder replacement, do you?” Door open all this time, he never examined me to determine the extent of my injuries. Altogether patronizing and dismissive. I went to another practice, received a thorough… exam of my range of motion and problematic issues, with were documented in detail. An mri revealed a rotator cuff tear in addition to the break. All in all, there is no reason why I could give this provider anything more than one star.

Dr. David Epstein operated on me for a broken ankle, and 10 weeks later I'm running again with no complications. He is an incredible doctor who always puts the patient's needs first. His number one priority is returning patients to their pre-injury status. Dr. Esptein also creates a very comfortable and safe atmosphere that allows patients to air their concerns without feeling ignorant or dismissed. In my experience, Tri-County Orthopedics is terrific. They are always helpful with questions, prompt at getting patients in and out of appointments, and provide unparalleled care in the area.

I knew I likely had a rotator cuff tear, but Dr. Epstein proceeded conservatively after viewing the MRI, which showed a partial tear. A shot of corticosteroid followed by 6 weeks of PT and I had a "new shoulder" for about a year. Soon after, the pain, discomfort and lack of rotation mobility began to reappear and worsen, so in consultation with Dr. E., I decided to bite he bullet and have the surgery. My experience was totally positive: I was fully informed, received very effective PT post-op, healed right on schedule and today, 3 years later, I can swim laps in the pool with NO discomfort, not even a twinge. This guy is a gifted, highly skilled surgeon, and the icing on the cake is that he has a wonderfully compassionate bedside manner, answering any and all questions that come his way.

Expert at his skill as a surgeon

Doctors make mistakes, they're not God. My husband slipped on the ice in Colorado and fractured his upper arm. Two days later we saw Dr. Epstein. My complaint is that he didn't even physically examine him, just looked at the xrays from Colorado and said "we're going to take the conservative approach" and let gravity help. He took my husband out of the sling and had him just put his wrist in the sling hoping for gravity to do it's job. We were told to see his PA the following week and he'll take xrays. A few days later we went to Summit Medical Group where they immediately examined him, took xrays and a CAT scan. They recommended surgery saying that now the injury is like an ice cream cone (arm) that doesn't have the ice cream (shoulder) sitting in it. You could even see his bone pushing against his skin. I'm sure Dr. Epstein's P.A.'s xrays would show the dislocation of the arm but to wait so long in pain and further dislocation??

I sustained a complete ACL tear in a work injury. As a 60 year old, some professionals advised me to learn to live with the injury. Dr Epstein, in his very upbeat, but professional manner, was emphatic and succeeded in convincing me not to compromise and to go through with the surgery.He described the expectations I should have before and following the surgery during every stage of the process and he had patience for my many questions concerning my progress during rehab. The office in Morristown, NJ is a very large Ortho practice, teeming with patients at all hours of the day, but it is run very efficiently and I never waited for more than 10-15 minutes for my appointment. The surgical center where the surgery was performed was run like a Swiss watch with a team of nurses and doctors who were both efficient and caring with explanations during every step of the way and a follow-up call to my home the following day. The end result is exactly as Dr Epstein described; I am ready to go… back to full duty work as a Physical Therapist following 4 months of rehab and hope to be doing full sport activities in 6 months.

I was having right knee pain and buckling and could no longer do any physical activity. Dr. Epstein was able to do an exam and identified a potential meniscus tear. Once this was confirmed via MRI, surgery was scheduled. The day of surgery went very smoothly. Dr. Epstein and his staff are very professional and made me feel extremely comfortable during and after the surgery. My procedure was done in the morning and I was standing in the afternoon. I did not experience any pain after surgery and did not fill my pain medicine prescription. By Day 3, I started rehab on the exercise bike. I was back to full function by week 4. Thank you Dr. Epstein for getting me back to full function!! I couldn’t be happier.

As an active 39-year-old runner, it was very important to me that Dr Epstein cares about returning his patients to the quality-of-life they expect.

I am writing to express how impressed I was with Dr. David Epstein care during my rotator cuff repairs. With each injury (1 to each shoulder) he was very thorough in his diagnostics procedures and able to clearly explain my problem, tell me the options and he walked me through the surgical procedures. He showed great confidence in achieving his surgical goals (1 of my should would probably never be a 100%) and shared his success rate for such a surgery when I asked. Dr. Epstein was always attentive in my follow up visits, always answering my question and followed me with care through my discharge.

After tearing my pectoral tendon off the bone, the first orthopedist I went to suggested that I not have surgery. Skeptical about that plan, I consulted with Dr. Epstein. He recommended the surgery. After a third consultation, I had Dr. Epstein perform the surgery. It went exceedingly well. The surgical assistant and other staff were helpful and comforting. The recovery has gone much better than expected and I am back to almost all my activities after just three months! I attribute much of the ease of recovery and rehab to Dr. Epstein's expertise.