Dr. Frank H Valone, MD

Dr. Valone has been a life-saver for me! Over the last two years I have seen numerous spinal surgeons; many telling me that after 15 spinal surgeries, that my case is too complicated and I would be better off leaving well enough alone. A couple others have performed surgeries that helped, but really didn’t address the issues that were impacting me the most. Fortunately, after almost giving up, I reached out to Dr. Mark Schrumpf, who had recently performed a shoulder replacement surgery on me. I asked him through the portal if there were any of his colleagues who might be willing to help me. The next day I received a response from Dr. Schrumpf telling me that there was a surgeon in his office who specializes in difficult cases involving the cervical spine and that he was waiting for my call. When speaking with Dr. Valone’s office, I asked if the MRI of my spine done a few months earlier at UCSF was good enough. He responded that it would help him to have imaging of just my cervical… spine. I complied and when I met with him he was able to give me an idea just how bad the stenosis was in my cervical spine. It was pretty daunting! My surgery was scheduled for February 25th in Novato. The next day his scheduler called me and asked if I could be ready the day after the next; which would be February 5th. I was able to get everything done as quickly as possible and the surgery went off without a hitch! Today I saw Dr. Valone for my three week checkup. First thing he told me was that my stenosis was just about the worst case he had ever seen! It had literally pushed my upper spine out of alignment and locked it into its new placement, where my chin was being pushed down towards my chest! When I got home and told my partner, Greg said he wondered why I never looked him directly in the eyes. And he said that I’m no longer hunched over like an old man, but instead stand straight now and am looking much more youthful! I know now that Dr. Valone realized early on the severity of my case and as soon as an opening became available, he tried very hard to get me in quickly to fix my problem as soon as possible! And not only is he a great surgeon, but he, and Dr. Schrumpf as well, are two of the nicest surgeons that I’ve ever had work on me. And that is saying quite a bit, because by my estimation, since 1997, I have had close to 45 different surgeons; everything from urologists, hand, knee, wrist, neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons.

I had been in serious, chronic pain and at risk. On a trusted referral, I saw Dr. Valone, who carefully evaluated me, walked me through my options, and recommended ACDF surgery. He expedited the scheduling, performed a smooth procedure, and—only three weeks later—I’m feeling dramatically better with the prior pain gone as well as the risk of serious injury. The entire California Pacific Orthopedic team is professional, responsive, and compassionate. I couldn’t recommend them more.

I have been a patient of Dr. Valone for almost 10 years. I originally went to him for a second opinion when another surgeon wanted to fuse 3 of my discs. Dr. Valone recommended and ultimately performed a Laminectomy on L4-5 which provided three or four years of pain free living. He then performed another Laminectomy on on L3-4 which provided another 5 years pain free. This past May, I finally had to have a fusion of the L4-5 which has again taken away all the pain and has been a quick recovery. I so appreciative of Dr. Valone, James Aicardi and their entire team and feel so fortunate that they are and have been my team. I know I have a bad back from years of bad habits and bad genes but Dr. Valone has used minimally invasive techniques to solve each particular issue and has given me a pain free life. He is an excellent surgeon but he's also excellent at diagnosing the cause of pain and dealing with specific issues instead of just fusing or operating on the entire area. I am fortunate.

Successful surgery...ecellent Doctor...excellent medical team and practice! Highly recommend!

Very kind and thoughtful. A little more than a week later, I had life-changing surgery. SO glad I went to see him !!

Dr. Valone is a skillful surgeon who is kind and does good follow up of the surgery. His surgical team is also very good. I would highly recommend Dr. Valone.

Dr. Valone is a skilled surgeon, thorough in analysis, and considerate in approach. I want to thank and appreciate the staff, and technicians at California Pacific Orthopaedics for handling my delicate condition professionally. The surgery team and nurses for being so friendly and helpful with all my questions and caring for me. When I met Dr. Valone I had an issue with my lower back, I got an MRI and did a consultation with him. Based on my age and health, he recommended surgery. Dr. Valone advised me that he performed 300-400 of these procedures yearly, so he’s very experienced and knows what he's doing. They will remove degenerative disc material from my L4/L5, which was compressing my nerves causing my ability to walk long distances, sit and stand for a long period. Today marks three weeks since my surgery, and I had my first post-operative appointment with Dr. Valone. I experienced immediate relief from my symptoms after the surgery, and today, I have regained mobility in my… left leg. I am looking forward to starting physical therapy to reclaim my active lifestyle.

Dr. Valone and his group did a very good job on addressing my needed surgery and corresponding therapy. They are very professional, efficient, and directed in their approach.

Dr. Valone and his team were amazing!! My need for spine surgery was complicated by the fact that I had knee surgery also this year (meniscectomy). Was healing pretty well but then things started to go south. The first thing I expected was muscle pain/contraction in my calf on the contralateral side of the knee surgery. Symptoms kept progressing up and down my leg and I was thinking something really went wrong. But after beginning to feel burning in my hamstring, I realized this was all nerve related. Was able to arrange for an MRI and Dr. Valone's team got me in for a consult almost immediately (and it is a hugely busy practice). From there, he recommended lumbar spine micro decompression surgery (3 weeks ago), I was scheduled in less than 2 weeks from the consult. Dr. Valone really takes the time to explain things, asks great questions to get to the bottom of my concerns...and his team is just fabulous! I felt completely safe and in good hands the entire time.

I got an MRI and did a consult with Dr. Valone. He recommended surgery based on my age and health. As luck would have it, they had availability the very next day! So, I took the plunge and am now three weeks post-op and pain-free! Dr. Valone does 300-400 of these procedures a year, so he knows what he's doing. They fished a fair amount of disc out of me - it was from the L4/L5 and was compressing my nerves. The entire staff was fantastic to deal with - James the PA was great over the course of the conservative treatment and checked-in twice the week following the surgery. Dr. Valone himself explained the procedure and answered all my questions. I start PT in three weeks and couldn't be happier about it!