Dr. Lacy Eugene Thornburg, MD

My finger will never function correctly because of him. Now he says there's nothing he can do.

I've been having hand pain in my dominant hand for a year now. Went to doctors immediately, once it became a problem. I've tried physical therapy, a cortisone shot, braces, ice and heat, pain medicine, resting it then exercising it, and yet the pain has persisted. After a year of conservative treatment, it was time to delve further into what was wrong, but nothing showed up on Xrays, MRI, or even a nerve conduction study. All were "textbook perfect." Dr. Thornburg was the person I was sent to, to look into my problem deeper. He barely saw me 5 minutes while I tried to express to him that despite the pain, no one has been able to pinpoint it yet. His answer: "Take anti-inflammatory and live your life." Considering I'm in my mid-twenties, that's a lot of "life" left to live in pain. I was given no further recommendations, even as I asked for them. He was also on his way out of the room as I was trying to ask him what I could do. I was more or less given the professional equivalent… of a shrug. And he left me there with no answers, speechless, and in tears.

When I visit a surgeon, I expect him to listen to my complaint, diagnose the condition, and recommend treatment. Dr. Thornburg did all of this. He patiently listened to me; performed testing to confirm diagnosis; and offered treatment recommendations. I elected the surgical route and am very pleased with the success. I found Dr. Thornburg to be pleasant and quietly competent in his surgical skills. I am pleased to have had his services.

Wonderful Surgeon

Dr. Thornburg is personable. I do not feel like a car going in for maintenance when I see him. He has done arthroplasty and carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand. I am planning to have arthroplasty on my right hand soon. I like the fact that he gentle and humble as well as a terrific hand surgeon.

Dr Thornburg was very rude, he did not introduce hImself, he did not examine me. He said he would not give pain meds because even though I had an old fracture on top of a new one, he didn't want me to become a drug addict and end up in jail.

He is incompetent, like his father.

Though I asked if testing existed for diagnosis, Dr. Thornberg did not do simple nerve tests before performing carpel tunnel release on both of my hands,stating, "Classic carpel tunnel". I naively followed his recommendation because I was in such pain and confident in his reputation. Two months post surgery, symptoms recurred and he wouldn't refer me, simply saying he couldn't help me anymore, refusing to give me any recommendations. Nerve testing found the problem to be ruptured cervical disks which I had to have fused. Had he simply ordered the tests, this arrogant man could have saved me from permanent spinal cord damage and 2 useless, painful surgeries that have permanently reduced my fine motor skills.

I waited at least an hour for Dr. Thornburg who spent less than ten minutes with me to tell me he could do nothing for my problem (which persists after two months). He did not seem to be very up to date on current diagnostic techniques or treatments. I was charged $182.00 not counting xray fees for this brief and useless consultation.