Steve A Mora, MD

Dr. Mora has performed 3 surgeries (the most recent 6 months ago) on my knees, which have taken a beating after 50 years of daily athletics. Although you often do have to wait a long time in the office to see him, when you do he is completely attentive and caring. Most important, he has helped me return to active athletics again, for which I am grateful.

It’s so difficult to decide what doctor to go to and I’m so grateful my husband decided to go to dr. Mora based on all these good reviews Dr. Mora has on Unilocal.Indeed, he is a super nice person and even though we thought my husband needed surgery, he recommended to go with a steroid shot which seems to have fixed the problem. Day 2 and the pain is gone. I’m amazed at how easy and fast this process was. Should my husband end up needing surgery we will definitely go back to Dr. Mora!

Dr. Mora might be the best doctor I have ever seen in my 53 years. Incredibly empathetic! He spent a great deal of time explaining my knee problems and recommendations. The office is very clean with state if the art X-​rays that show up on the screen in the exam room. Staff is courteous and phone calls are returned. I’m a retired nurse and I did my research! He’s amazing! I’ll report back after my knee surgery!

I saw Dr. Mora today for a second opinion work related injury. I have been injured for about four months and was just not getting answers about my injuries; nor significantly improving from treatment with my current orthopedic. The staff is friendly and the office is clean. Dr. Mora met me with a smile. He was so warm and personable. I didn’t feel rushed by one of those doctors trying to get to his next patient. He listened to my questions and was thorough with his answers. He’s definitely not old or uptight. In fact quit the opposite. Super down to earth and approachable. Some of the technical terms in my report were so unclear to me and were never explained prior to seeing Dr. Mora. I feel so relieved and have a much stronger understanding of the slow progress related to my injuries. Dr. Mora came highly recommended to me and he met my expectations. In fact, I’m going to request that the insurance company switch me to his office for any future follow up treatments. I highly recommend this doctor if you’re truly interested in seeing results. If not, your wasting your time with the others. Thank you Dr. Mora.

I have been going to Dr. Mora for about 10 years now. He’s an excellent doctor that really cares about his patients. I’ve even referred friends and family to him. However, this past year I’ve been really disappointed by his staff. His assistants don’t return phone calls anymore and I felt like I was begging them to send my physical therapist the order every month. They wouldn’t return their calls either. This summer I had to get a cortisone injection in my back and I had to delay it because the girls lost my chart. Then I had different girls calling me telling me different excuses and I could tell they were not communicating with each other.
After what happened this week I am changing doctors. I went to my physical therapy appt and they still hadn’t sent the order again. When I called they actually answered the phone and they said I would have to follow up with Dr. Mora for a re– evaluation. That would have been fine, but they wanted me to wait over a month until the next available appt. I asked why they didn’t inform me in October with the last order that it was time to schedule a follow up and she agreed that should have been done, but now there’s nothing she could do (in previous messages I even stated that if there was a problem with getting another order to please call me and I never got a response!). So, because of their mistake I was cut off from the only treatment that relieves some of my pain literally standing in my physical therapy office. I had to ask them to cancel my session and walked away embarrassed that I inconvenienced them and upset that I had to drive 30 min in pain to an appt I could not keep.
The professional thing to do would have been to offer a temporary extension of the treatment that Dr. Mora ordered for me until the day he could see me for a re-​evaluation. I know that Dr. Mora wouldn’t have told them to just cut me off like that, but because of the lack of compassion from his staff I have followed up with another doctor that agreed to continue the therapy I clearly need .I get to go back next week.

I’ve been to Dr Mora three times. The first time was for my knee when he was in a previous office. Did an MRI, got the results, nothing structurally wrong with me knee, so I got an injection to help with inflammation and was sent on my way.
Fast forward to a few months later, he is in a new office with what I presume is a new staff. I called and asked to make an appointment with Dr Mora for a wrist injury from a cycling accident, she transferred me to someone named Jasmine to make an appointment. Got a voicemail, left a message. Two days later, no call back still, so I called again. Same thing, got transferred to Jasmine’s desk, no answer, left a voicemail. No call back. So the following week, I called again as my wrist was not improving, this time finally got a call back after a third voicemail and made an appointment. Got there, the x-​ray tech did x-​rays, and then came the waiting. I waited for 60 minutes in the exam room… I finally popped my head out and asked the two girls behind the desk «does the doctor know I’m here?». I seriously thought I had been forgotten about. They responded saying yes, he would be in soon. Another 30 minutes passed, I popped my head out again and said ‘I’m sorry but I will have to leave soon, I have to get back to work, I’ve been waiting for 90 minutes, any idea how much longer it will be?” to which they replied, «oh there must have been a mix up with your time» they looked it up, and no my appointment was correct — no mix up — but thanks for trying to blame me. They then said he would be right in. He did finally come in after another 10 minutes or so, and gave me the results of my x-​rays and a few pointers of how to help my wrist heal a little faster. I’m not upset about the level of care the Dr gave once in the room, the advice was good advice and my wrist has now healed — what I was upset about was waiting over 90 minutes and being late to work. I honor my appointments when I have them — I arrive early and or/​on time. i get that things can put a Dr behind, but staff should be prepared to tell patients «He is running X amount of minutes behind, and then he will be in to see you» so you are prepared, and if need be you can reschedule.
So fast forward another few months to the present, I now have a sprained ankle (I’m a very active athlete). I call to make an appointment, same thing, get transferred to Jasmine, left a voicemail on Monday 11÷2÷15 (I don’t even know if Jasmine exists at this point), and never received a call back AT ALL. I had a gut feeling after leaving the voicemail that no one would call me back, so I found a different ortho near me. I called their office, got scheduled for an appointment the next day, was in and out of the office, including x-​rays within 30 minutes with instructions of how to care for the sprain as well as with a referral to a physical therapist. This is the level of care I expect from a doctors office/​staff. I’m very happy with my new ortho and office.
I hope this is helpful, and I hope the staff at Dr Mora’s office can make improvements. I know he is a good doctor and I’d hate to see him lose more patients because of things like this.

Dr. Mora is a great doctor who cares! He does take the time to talk to you and understand your issues and injury! Reading a few other reviews the wait time is long. But Dr. Mora is worth the wait… I’d rather wait a little longer than have the Doctor only see me for 5 mins! :/​The staff was friendly and the office is super nice! Would defiantly recommend to my friends or family! :)

Wednesday morning, I had my torn meniscus removed. I didn’t want to be put under, just a local.
Dr. Mora and the anesthesiologist Dr. Haier agreed. I actually watched my surgery on the big screen. The man is extremely talented, just like on YouTube, he checked the whole knee out and got rid of the nasty bits that were causing pain, and locking my knee up. The arthroscope was like an extension of his hands.
Dr. Haier zonked me pretty good while they numbed the knee. and I never felt the needles. But otherwise I watched the whole thing.
This is Saturday morning and it’s 12 hours since I’ve had an Aleve. The first time in 4years there’s no pain. A little swelling still, but the pain is gone I’m bending my knee 120 degrees no pain. Still weak, but walking easy with a cane.
Huge smiles on my face.
Thank you Dr. Mora, and dr. Haier.

I went to Dr Mora with a tendon rupture in both knees. I was scared and depressed, but he made me feel like everything was going to work out. My double knee surgery in one session with Dr Mora went smoothly and three months later I can walk without crutches, pain or knee braces and am a couple of months from being 100% again.

Good reception… efficient, friendly and thoughtful staff.
Dr Mora, very nice and to the point. I like that! .With a .take care of your problem asap! perspective… very nice experience… have to say my knee feels good. I am relieved and energetic. so happy I came here.
I feel that I am good hands.

I had broken my collarbone and had gone to Dr. Mora for a second opinion and couldn’t have been happier with him and his office. I needed surgery and he was able to squeeze me in the next day and my recovery was seamless. Having been very concerned about the severity of the scar, I couldn’t be anymore impressed with how it turned out. It’s barely visible. I would definitely recommend Dr. Mora! He’s great!

Dr Mora did the makoplasty surgery for partial knee replacement. Its only been 6 weeks. I was up walking within a few days. Yes did home therphy. Yes there is some discomfort and pain. No pain no gain i just want my life back so I can hike and bike.
I trust him enough that i may have to get my other knee done and yes i will be going back on yo see dr mora,
I did have a wait but not the first visit. i think it just because of the new office getting organized

1. This doctor saw me for less than 5 min after 3 hours waiting!!! He never showed me any picture of my injury in order for me to understand the degree of the injury. He never guide me which exercise I should and shouldn’t do. He just said do Yoga and Pilates. But there are many moves that cause this to get worse! He just said you need a surgery! and left the room!
2. Terrible in terms of giving appointment. This guy is trying to say that he is too good that is why you have to sit for 2 or 3 HOURS after your scheduled appointment! However, as a project manager, this office is giving too many appointments that can’t provide the right service and they don’t care of people’s time!!! This is very disrespectful to me!
3. When I contacted this office they asked for my insurance info and after checking the insurance they said yes we cover your insurance. When I received the bills $$$ my insurance said the opposite!
Overal is an SCAM to me!
A lot of good doctors turn to be terrible due to overwhelming clients. This is exactly I see in here, this Dr. wants to cut your body and make more money and his quality has been dropped to minus!!!
STOP ACCEPTING 100s that you can’t provide the right services!!!

My husband was suffering from pain on his shoulder for a while. He went to see Dr. Mora he loved the staff and the way the Dr. treated him. The Dr. order X-​rays and saw my husband quickly. Gave him a shot on his arm which he says he didn’t even feel. He is happy and hasn’t had that much pain as before he is going to start physical therapy which was also recommended by Dr. Mora. I am happy to say that Dr. Mora cares for the well being of his patients and treats them all with the same high quality of care. Thank you Dr. Mora.

I had my arthroscopic knee surgery on April 22, 2015 with Dr. Steve Mora. I had a 9 mm meniscus tear in my right knee which had been bothering me for about a year. I am 50 yrs old and I play tournament level tennis however, ironically, I didn’t suffer the injury playing tennis but from squatting and twisting motions in an avocado grove I manage.
The pain level with my meniscus tear was relatively LOW. I never had sharp pain or really any pain at all. It was more of a constant discomfort, like having a pebble in your shoe all the time. It was definitely affecting my movement and range of motion on the tennis court.
I went to see Dr. Mora in early April 2015. This was to obtain a «second opinion» as I had seen another orthopedic a few weeks before. From what I told Dr. Mora I felt and from the MRI films he confirmed what the first doctor had told me. But he took time with me that the first doctor didn’t have. He answered my questions patiently and in detail. He stated that surgery was an «option» but didn’t push me in this direction. At first he even suggested a cortisone shot but as we talked further surgery made more sense (to me) because over 12 months had passed without any improvement in my knee. In fact I felt it was getting worse.
I found Dr. Mora to be patient and knowledgeable. He has an excellent «bedside manner.» He is calm and confident in what he says. He’s very business-​like and won’t waste your time. He answered my questions and made me feel comfortable and un-​rushed. Also, I sent him several e-​mails with questions before and after the surgery and he got back to me right away, sometimes within minutes! He encouraged me to ask questions if I didn’t understand something.
Well after my initial meeting with Dr. Mora I decided to go ahead with the surgery and we scheduled it for 2 weeks later. I saw him on Monday (4÷20÷15) for the «pre-​op.» He went over everything with me, what to expect before, during and after the procedure.
On April 22, 2015 Dr. Mora performed the surgery, making two small incisions in my right knee. He used a scope and trimmed the torn cartilage. It only took about 45 minutes. I was of course under general anesthesia but I have the video files to prove that he actually did the surgery!
After the surgery my wife drove me home and I was able to walk to the bathroom and back without any problem. No pain. In fact, for a few days I just laid in bed and tried to keep my knee elevated to keep the swelling in check.
I had a little swelling but not much. I also iced my knee a couple of times but didn’t feel that I really needed it. No pain pills either. But the knee did feel somewhat STIFF for several weeks.
The day prior to surgery I started antibiotics. This is in case of infecting from the surgery. Dr. Mora recommended this and I think it’s a wise idea.
My knee was wrapped but I took the bandage off after 24 hours. Also I didn’t feel like walking for about 3 days as the body told me to REST.
I saw Dr. Mora again for the «post op» 5 days after the surgery. The assistant removed my stitches. Dr. Mora explained that there was a lot of internal healing going on and urged me to «baby it» for awhile. He also gave me exercises to do and offered a referral for physical therapy (which I elected not to do).
Well I just reached the 9 week point post surgery. At almost exactly 8 weeks my knee felt NORMAL. For the first 8 weeks I felt a little swelling and tightness and overall like my body was healing. It was gradual. It takes time. But at the 8 week point for whatever reason I felt a significant improvement. Less tightness. Walking looks completely normal and my knee feels completely normal.
For anyone considering knee surgery let me say that it’s not a cakewalk. You can expect the recovery period to be measured in months, not weeks. But if you’re at the point where you feel surgery is necessary, Dr. Mora in my opinion has to be one of the best orthopedics. His demeanor is calm and professional. He is knowledgeable and confident. I always felt like I was in good hands so to speak and if I ever have another injury I will certainly go back to him.

Very thankful to find this ortho. Got a knee injection and I couldn’t feel a thing. MRI came back negative for a tear but I will need another injection and possible aspiration because my knee just doesn’t want to release fluid. Long wait but happy he is precise and makes everything less painful :-)

Dr. Mora is an outstanding Orthopedic surgeon. He has been my Dr. for over 5 years. Dr. Mora is very knowledgeable, patient, personable and explains everything very well. His office staff (Norma) is very friendly and professional. I highly recommend him.

I had an 830am appointment so hardly enough time to fall way behind. But I didn’t see the Doctor until 945am. I had read previous reviews and so I was expecting this could happen to me also, but had hoped my early morning appointment time would hedge against this. I kept an open mind because most Unilocal reviews seemed to describe the wait as worth it.
The front desk staff was nice and courteous.
Dr. Mora was very nice and highly professional. He took a long look at the MRI and X ray I brought him and did a thorough job evaluating the injury to my left knee.
He doesn’t jump into surgery, which I like… and we did a cortisone injection today with a plan for what the next steps are going to be.
He gave me a cortisone injection in the knee. I can honestly say that this was the least painful injection I have ever experienced.
Update: 12 days later knee still feels good and i will start my rehab soon.
I would say that the reviews are pretty accurate. You may have to wait a while so schedule 2 hours for an appointment, but the quality of care will never be in doubt. He took his time with me and patiently answered all my questions. I assume he does the same for others, which is why the wait can mount.

Dr mora is amazing, ABSOLOUTELY knows his stuff! He is the Best surgeon in Orange County as far as I’m concerned!

Excellent service.
Dr. Mora is very nice and welcoming. He went into detail regarding my previous injury and answered all my questions.
The office is very clean.
The receptionist was very nice and so was the X-​ray technician.
Waiting time was 15 minutes and I was seen by Dr. Mora 10 minutes after my X-​rays were completed.
Overall very satisfied.
Thank you.