Dr. Michael Devon Bates, MD

Extremely caring physician and I have many friends that work in the operating room in this area and state he is actually an exceptionally gifted surgeon. He is a great communicator as well.

He cut my Tibial tray with too much slope thus causing me to fall many times hurting myself and my knee would buckle and move side to side several inches both ways, when it buckles inward it tore my ligaments and they were barely intact! I lived in Tremendous pain for 14 months, got another surgeon to do my 3rd reconstructed knee replacement, had to go behind Bates & do the best he could using Hinge prosthesis , The morning after my knee replacement I asked Dr.Curtin why my knee buckled and went side to side, he held up 2 fingers apart and said to much GAP!!! The Tibia tray cut is the foundation of a knee replacement, so Bate had no foundation to build a knee replacement on!so I ended up with 3 knee replacement on my lift knee,2 failed by Michael Bates, the 3rd by Dr Brian Curtin, & now I'm not allowed to make appointments at Ortho Carolina anymore! I surely wasn't going to that place after what I Experienced.Over 2 yrs of pain & mental stress!!

Cut my Tibial tray with too much slope causing My 2nd knee replacement by him,my knee buckled and went side to side several inches causing me to fall many times hurting myself!The Tibia tray cut is the foundation of a knee replacement, if you don't have a good foundation yr knee replacement can't work, I suffered 14 months with severe pain falling hurting myself, had to get another surgeon to go behind Bates to fix what he had mess up on his failed knee replacements!!After 3 knee replacement my complete leg & foot remains swollen! My Personal experience wouldn't Refer him

Had a total right knee replacement by Dr Bates. Continued to have pain and could not move up stairs or squat after surgery but because he said it takes a year, I waited. After many attempts to get him to take notice that something was wrong , I made an appointment at Duke Health. Before going to Duke I returned for a shot in my left knee which also needed repair. I told the PA my plans to go to Duke. It was then and only then that he looked at my scans again ( he’d looked on a previous shot visit) and said he saw the problem that Dr Bates did not resurface my Patella. My physical therapist told Dr Bates months ago that it was the patella but, Dr Bates acted as if that was ludicrous. So now I have to have a 2nd surgery to get something fixed that should’ve been done the first time! In addition, Dr Bates and the PA at OrthoCarolina continue to ask when am I getting my left knee replaced. I told them I’m not doing it until my right knee works. So rather than try other… therapies for my left knee they pump a cortisone shot in the left knee. There is a gel therapy but they told me it takes very long to get it approved so the shot was the way to go. Fast forward to Duke. The Dr at Duke told me exactly what needs to happen to fix my right knee. They also received approval for the gel therapy for my left knee while I was in the Dr office ( same day)! Bottomline, it’s my opinion that Dr Bates at OrthoCarolina is merely looking to maximize by doing surgeries…. He is not trying to help improve the quality of your life but rather trying to improve his standing at OrthoCarolina and his pockets.

Spent time with me in the examining room. Answered all my questions thoroughly.