Sang Do Kim, MD

I want to thank Dr. Kim and his team of amazing specialists and schedulers. They have been so wonderful, and the whole process was simple and effective. My grandmother had a microdiscectomy and laminectomy done by Dr. Kim and his colleague. Their bedside manner, professionalism, and charisma was all beneficial in making the surgery a wonderful experience, rather than a fearful one. Dr. Kim’s colleague was understanding of my grandmother’s age, and was patient the whole way through. In addition to this, Dr. Kim moved the surgery to an earlier date, knowing that my grandmother desperately needed help. From the pre-​op to the surgery date, it only took a week. I can’t thank this team enough. The pain from the sciatic nerve caused my grandmother to lose hope for the availability of treatment. It has been a couple days after the surgery, and my grandmother is doing great. She can sit, walk, and do day-​to-​day tasks. I can’t recommend this team enough. Thank you so much.
I want to edit this review after I find the name of his colleague. He is someone I am also very thankful for.

Truly has Hands from GOD!!! but honestly this very humble Dr. saved my LIFE! I was having unbearable pain in my low back from injury on my L5S1. My disc was herniated /​bulging into my nerve plate causing the worst nerve pain imaginable. I hurt my low back playing tennis and falling on my low back /​butt while going backwards for a ball and i lost my balance and fell. This injury was in 2012. The pain in my low back and butt began instantly. I could not sit down without the feeling of like little knives poking into my butt and sharp pains in my low back. First i saw my chiropractor who injected me with an inflammatory like 1,000 times stronger than over counter medicine. All it did would numb pain for a few hours. This went on 3 – 4 months. Finally i said i need something else. My Chiropractor said i should try getting Epidurals. I went and get three or 4 epidurals and all it did was mask the nerve pain for about a couple months after each injection. Plus more and more epidurals you get can be bad for the body. So after the Epidural treatment did not work, i asked my same Chiropractor for a recommendation for a surgeon to treat my back pain. I got another MRI after the Epidural MRI i got was not good. So i went to Liberty Pacific Advanced Imaging in Encino (very Good) to get my new MRI. So i then I went to see Brain D. Rubin in Westlake that my Chiropractor recommended. He looked at my new MRI and said that i needed to get a disc replacement surgery and that it would also fix my nerve pain. He wanted to open me up from my stomach and remove my bad disc and replace it with an artificial disc. Going in from the stomach is very serious and requires another surgeon to make sure vital organs are intake during surgery. Not to mention there is a 10% chance that after surgery you no longer can ejaculate semen. NOT COOL! LOL! So luckily my parents after looking at the disc replacement surgery said Justin you need another opinion. So my dad said that i should contact Dr. Robert Klapper who has weekend morning show for sports related injuries and he is awesome! Really explains injuries well from his famous Klapper Vision so anyone can understand what is wrong with a certain part in your body. I emailed him and dude is awesome! I got a response right away and he said i should look at Dr. Bae or one other doctor i forget his name. I researched and i felt Dr. Bae was a bit better for what i needed done. Unfortunately Dr. Bae did not take PPO Anthem Blue Cross. But luckily the nice office assistant said that his associate Dr. Kim did! I knew nothing really about Dr. Kim there was not alot of information regarding other patients who had seen him. But i researched him and he was at the top of his field in College and went to some of the most prestigious schools in America for his Doctorates. When i went to see Dr. Kim in Santa Monica he looked at my MRI on a disc with me int he room and explained my problems. He then told me that he 100% DISAGREED with Dr. Brain D. Rubin from Westlake and said there was no way after looking at my MRI that if i got a disc replacement surgery that the artificial disc would hold up since i had some much inflammation and scar tissue in my L5S1. He then asked me if i wanted to remove my bad L5S1 disc with surgery or a Microdiscectomy which would get rid of my nerve pain. He was brutally honest with me and said i would not remove the disc unless it was the last option since if i do remove the disc in the latter years i will put more pressure on my remaining discs and could have more problems. So i choose the Microdiscectomy and he shaved my bad L5S1 disc so it was not touching my nerve plates! Honestly anyone who has had nerve pain knows it honestly the WORST FEELING EVER! i could not stand sit or walk without feeling like my legs and feet and butt was on fire with sharp little needles poking me! It was hell! But after 3 to 4 hours of staying at Santa Monica Hospital which i must say is AMAZING! My nurses and whole staff and doctors with Dr. Kim was amazing! And Lisa who works with Dr. Kim in his Santa Monica office is awesome! And she was great when i was getting ready for surgery helping me relax. My surgery was in August & I’m 100 TIMES BETTER!!! I still have a bit of soreness in my low back since my disc is still bulging but my nerve pain is gone. I treat my low back with Aleve and that works wonders. I will never do Opiates they are a pit to destruction of your body STAY AWAY! They will not solve your problem and you will get worse! So Aleve and a little medical marijuana if i need it and honestly my back pain is very treatable now! I also started physical therapy after surgery and its been amazing! But you must find right spot! Some places are a total joke! Touch Of Life Physical Therapy at West Hills Hospital=AMAZING! Ask For Meghan Dinse! She is incredible. Felt amazing after seeing her and back had no pain at all! I look forward to therapy its amazing with Meghan. GO SEE DR. KIM NOW!!!

Dr. Kim was an absolute pleasure to work with. I required one cervical ADR at C6−7. However, I never had surgery before (except wisdom teeth removal 20+ years ago) and was more than a little nervous about the procedure. At no time did I feel pressured. He showed me exactly what happened to me and walked me through the entire process during our consultations while his staff quickly handled the hospitality and insurance details. This inspired the confidence to undergo what needed to be done. I had the operation in about a month and was pain-​free immediately afterward. It couldn’t have gone any smoother. I highly recommend Dr. Kim for your surgery.

Incredible experience with Dr. Kim. Microdiscectomy procedure that was perfect in every way. Feeling great. Thank you!

Dr. Kim is amazing! I had to have emergency back surgery with him last year and not only was he very compassionate and patient with me, as I was scared out of my mind, but he took time to explain my options and expectations every step of the way. Called to check up on me and evens answers questions via email. Since the surgery I’ve run to him every time I thought I had a problem (which turned out each time to be nothing) and he has been just as kind, making sure I understood what was going on and what to expect in the future.
UPDATE: I recently referred a family member who already had a surgery scheduled to get a 2^nd opinion from Dr. Kim. Of course he decided to go with Dr. Kim and he is was just as satisfied with his experience as I was. He said Dr. Kim made him feel comfortable and eased his mind with his confidence and skill.

Dr. Kim is one of the finest doctors I have ever dealt with. I went to see him after a past lumbar discectomy failed. Dr. Kim was recommended to me by my pain management doctor, who said Dr. Kim was the only spine surgeon he would consider letting work on him.
Dr. Kim is about as good as it gets on paper. He went for Yale undergrad, and then graduated cum laude Harvard Medical School and MIT’s Health, Science and Technology program. Surgical training at Mass General and Harvard’s Orthopaedic Training program.
(link to his resume/​CV:
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Honestly, despite being maybe the most qualified doctor I’ve ever heard of, the main reason I recommend Dr. Kim is his bedside manner. He genuinely cares about his patients and it shows.
Thanks to Dr. Kim I am finally pain free for the first time in years. I can’t thank him enough!

What an outstanding doctor! I went to see Dr. Kim for treatment on my bulging disc and sciatica. Dr. Kim and his team were very professional and handled all details with the highest care. Back surgery can be a scary ordeal but Dr Kim was very patient and understanding while explaining all the fine details, concerns and needs to my wife and I. This allowed my mind to be at ease and focus on treatment and recovery knowing that I was in great hands! I am on the road to recovery and feel better every day. I would highly recommend Dr. Kim for all your back/​spinal needs! Thanks again Dr Kim!

I went to see Dr. Kim (along with two other highly skilled orthopaedic surgeons in Los Angeles). I chose Dr. Kim as he was the most professional, knowledgeable, precise, caring and kind, and made more sense to me than both the other doctors. I had a 3-​level cervical discectomy and fusion (by Dr. Kim) and he did an amazing job. He is very responsive to all my questions and made me feel very comfortable with whatever questions I had. My recovery went as well as could be expected and I would gladly refer him to anyone I know who needs spine surgery. Thank you Dr. Kim!

He is professional and very friendly and is always willing to answer any question I have for him. He performed a spinal fusion on me after I had an accident, the surgery was quick and precise. If anyone I know needs surgery I’d look for him. Thank you Dr. Kim!