Dr. Michael Ast, MD

My sister told Dr Ast about a condition she has before he did her knee replacement surgery. He said he never heard of it. Now, she's suffering much more than before. How could a doctor be so ignorant to a medical condition that affects knee surgery?? He never should have operated until the other issue was taken care of. The knee surgery was a painful waste. She can barely walk now. I'm so sickened by the lack of knowledge

I was referred to Dr. Ast by my insurance company for a total knee replacement. My experience with Dr. Ast has been phenomenal. He is very knowledgeable, speaks clearly, and makes complex discussions understandable. My surgery went very well. Everything Dr. Ast told me I would go through was spot on. No surprises. My recovery time has progressed exactly as Dr. Ast said it would. I am very satisfied with all aspects of the care Dr. Ast provided for me. Highly rated, and I would return to Dr. Ast in the future if needed. You cannot go wrong with Dr. Ast

I consider Doc AST the finest surgeon I know ! He replaced my right hip on June 6th . No pain and had what I would consider a very quick and very easy recovery! Out to dinner one week after surgery/ Back to work in two weeks ?? . I highly recommended him !

Awful experience. Waited two hours to be ignored and talked over. Spent a total of 5 minutes with me. To be avoided at all costs.

I am a very active 72 yr old female. I had hip pain for a year and a half resulting from arthritis. I saw Dr. Ast at his Paramus office and immediately felt confident and comfortable with him. He took time to explain and answer every question I had. I am 4 wks post surgery and doing great! Pain free right after surgery! He is also a pioneer, along with his anesthesiologist, using acupuncture during surgery! I couldn't be happier and would highly recommend Dr. Ast! He's amazing!!

I saw dr Ast for the first time and as soon as he enter the room I felt confident he is very professional and gave me an evaluation no other had Took time to examined me and assure me with the best Information HSS has been number 1 for the last 9 year now I know why God bless you Dr Michael Ast See you for my next evaluation

Dr. Ast answers all your questions and is there for you during surgery and after and so supportive. I am having an excellent recovery and never once needed opioid pain medications, just tylenol!

I had never had surgery until the need arose for a total hip replacement. Dr. Ast was highly recommended by my personal physician and several former patients... and they were correct. I assume there's no such thing as an easy surgery, but, as I told Dr. Ast, this one was a relative breeze. After a 7 AM surgery, I was home and walking up 15 steps leading to my condo, at 3:30 the same afternoon. Within 9 days, there was no pain, no swelling and no limp. Within 6 months, I was able to re-start my yoga practice in earnest. 9 months later, I'm still "aware" of my hip, but less and less so, all the time. Dr. Ast is a great guy who explained every step, and what to expect, without ever condescending.

I had a full knee replacement by Dr. AST at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC after seeing him in his Oaramus office for evaluation. Dr. AST, from the moment I met him, inspired confidence and reassurance. His spending time with me on the day of the surgery helped me understand exactly what to expect post-op. He was personable, took time to make me feel comfortable and safe. The surgery went extremely well where, two weeks later, I only needed a cane and now, 6 weeks later, walk freely on my own, pain free. I highly recommend Dr. AST on every level and would definitely go to him should I need additional surgery.

Review of Dr. Michael Ast, Mercer-Bucks Orthopedics: My experience with Dr. Ast demonstrates a high level of incompetence. I developed very bad pain in my right hip in mid-June of 2016. I saw Dr. Ast and received an x-ray. His diagnosis was probable arthritic flare-up. He recommended Advil and Tylenol and encouraged me to go ahead with a 2-day Catskills hike, which exacerbated the pain. I communicated with Dr. Ast almost daily by email, complaining about the pain. His response- “there is nothing on your x-ray that is consistent with your level of pain.” That may not be word-for-word, but it is extremely close. Two weeks later, I was back at Mercer-Bucks for a cortisone injection. That gave me exactly 24 hours of relief (the injection included a numbing agent). Another week after that, I saw Dr. Ast again, and this time he ordered a hip MRI. The result? “There is nothing on your scans that explains the level of pain you are experiencing.” His next theory was that my pain… might be pain that originated in the lower spine and “referred” to the hip. So he wrote a script for a lumbar MRI. It took them 5 days just to request the required pre-cert (while I was in agony). I only got the pre-cert after multiple acrimonious emails and phone calls with his office. Finally, 9 days after his script and over a month after first seeing him, I got the lumbar MRI. His response- “there are multiple issues in your lumbar spine that MIGHT explain your pain.” By this time, I had lost all confidence in this doctor. I decided to get a second opinion. (Yeah, why did I wait so long?) I saw a more experienced doc at the Rothman Institute, and after taking a new x-ray and looking at it for 30 seconds, his diagnosis was fast and conclusive: “you need a new hip.” Since I had 2 doctors in complete disagreement, I decided on a 3rd opinion. I went to see Dr. Della Valle at Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. He ordered another x-ray, looked at it for 30 seconds, and came to the same conclusion: “You need a new hip.” I had the total hip replacement in late August of 2016 and I have been completely pain free in that hip for 6 months. I snowboard, go mountain climbing, and generally exercise strenuously, and have no issues at all in that hip. (I wish I could say the same for my knees). So why couldn’t Dr. Ast, over multiple scans and 6 weeks, see what the two more experienced doctors saw immediately? That’s for you to decide. Do yourself a favor and see someone else. (I highly recommend Dr. Della Valle at HSS by the way.)