Dr. Thomas Chen, MD

I had been suffering lower back pain for years. I was receiving treatment elsewhere with no success. I had a cyst in my sacral area that was causing me excruciating pain. I opted to seek help from another doctor. I was referred to USC Keck by a family member who is a patient there and told me to give them a try as she was very happy with the care she received. I made an appointment with Dr. Chen. He reviewed my scans and said he could help me through surgical intervention. I was skeptical at first but when he explained the procedure, he basically answered my questions without having to ask them because he explained everything so beautifully in a manner I can understand. The surgery went well and immediately after surgery, the pain I went in for was gone!! My quality of life has improved 100%. Dr. Chen literally saved my life because the pain I was in was unbearable. Thank you Dr. Chen and all his staff. You’re all amazing at what you do.

I was truly blessed when I finally found my way to Dr. Thomas Chen. Truly a Godsend after 30+ years of seeking help for my severe spinal degenerative disease, compounded with many other complications. Having gone thru a plethera of orthos, orthosurgeons, neuro and neurosurgeons; I KNEW when I met Dr. Chen, I was finally where I was meant to be. He was the most professional, informative, honest, patient, caring and kind specialist I had met in all my journey. For the first time, I felt no fear and was so grateful I was finally able to feel so comfortable. By the time I finally found Dr. Chen I was in such a critical condition;my spine required a couple of fusion surgeries. I am standing upright for the first time in decades. He saved me from almost becoming paraplegic.I am eternally grateful for Dr. Chen's incredible surgical skill, his amazing bedside manner, his highly skilled hospital surgical team, his nurses his staff and their unmatched care for my condition and recovery.

Dr. Chen and his incredible staff (thanks Morgan et al) made a very scary difficult situation manageable by their incredible attention to detail. It is difficult for me to put in to words my level of appreciation. From my initial consultation through my post operative assessment I was treated by a professional, caring staff. I will be forever grateful for Dr. Chens life changing care.

I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Thomas Chen. He is very conservative, which is what you want in a surgeon and views surgery as a last resort. In my case, I've needed two lumbar spine fusions in the last 12 years and he has restored "normalcy" to my life. He is meticulous and very comprehensive in his approach and very easy to communicate with. I have recommended him to my family and friends and will continue to do so.

When my HMO referred me to the Keck Spine Center for multi-level fusion surgery, I was imagining a huge informal place where the doctor would not distinguish me from any other patient. I was disarmed at the first meeting with Dr. Chen. He was so kind and soft spoken and so clear about the procedure with its benefits and risks. Both my husband and I were confident I was in the right place. The surgery was a complete success and I am still amazed how all that long standing pain could just vanish following surgery. At each of my follow-up visits, Dr. Chen showed the same quiet kindness and interest in my welfare. I feel very lucky to have been his patient.

Dr. Chen is a top-notch neurosurgeon/spinal surgeon, and I am grateful to him for the successful two-level cervical spine surgery (ACDF) two years ago. He is very personable and genuinely cares about his patients and their quality of life. I have great confidence in Dr. Chen and his team and recommend him without hesitation.

Top notch. Unsurpassed. Knowledgeable, skilled, professional, caring, compassionate. You cannot and will not find a better neurosurgeon on the west coast of the USA.

Very knowledgable, professional, no nonsense doctor. I trusted him with my life!

Dr. Chen performed a multi-level fusion on my spine and it was 100% successful. Prior to surgery he wanted me to try all other options again (shots, PT, etc.), which I appreciated because it showed he believes surgery should be the last option, not the first (like many other surgeons I met with). He also really took his time with me during our pre-op meetings. He patiently and clearly answered all my questions. But mostly I'm grateful to him for his surgical skills. I've heard many, many stories of botched fusion procedures, but mine has truly given me my life back. It's been a year since the surgery and I am able to swim, exercise, walk for hours, travel, lift things, get up with out grunting, sleep, and I don't have to constantly be taking Advil or other meds.

I have been seeing Dr Chen for a few years now. This was a follow up from past surgeries. Dr Chen is very honest with his information. I have had back issues for many years and all of the doctors that I had seen in the past wanted to either fuse or pin the vertebrae. That worried me and I put it off. My family doctor referred me to Dr Chen I am so happy he did. Dr Chen had me do an MRI and when we went over the results he took a great deal of time to explain by both showing and telling me what was going on with my back. He did it in a way that I understood 100% of what the problem was. He did say I would need surgery and I asked if he would need to fuse or pin and he said "No if this were me I would just do decompression surgery and that should fix your problem" I was very happy and we did the surgery and when I woke up I could feel both legs and my feet. It was amazing. Well about 2 months after the surgery I had a car accident. Dr Chen did a 2nd surgery and 3 years later perfect. THX

Dr. Chen took my case AFTER the doctors at UCLA made my back worse after 2 spinal discs blew out in 2001. Even though my back refused to fuse Dr. Chen NEVER gave up. On the 3rd surgery he went in from both the front & back side of my spine using permanent hardware to help keep the spine in place along with other techniques the back FINALLY fused. That 3rd surgery took almost 13 hours to complete! BUT, he never gave up on me. THANK YOU Dr. Chen!!!

Dr. Chen is knowledgeable and very thorough on explaining the procedure for my brain tumor. He is very experienced. I felt safe when on the day of my Surgery he had to cancel due to safety reasons. He said I had to embolize the tumor before surgery. I had successful surgery a month later and glad he was looking out for me. I would definitely recommend Dr. Chen. His staff Nurse Erika and Jeanette are knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. My overall experience is excellent. Ruby-Pasadena

Dr. Chen is very knowledgeable and pleasant. I liked that he was decisive but took the time to explain and answer my questions.

After 20 years in pain due to a fracture in the tailbone, Dr. Chen fixed the problem. The surgery was a life changer and I have my life back with 0 levels of pain in my lower back. The expertise and state of the art facilities are a god-send and if any of my family moves out here - I will be sure to recommend USC Keck Medical.

I am blessed to know Doctor Thomas Chen . June 2017 he had a successful surgery on my back , which allowed me to stand on my foot again . Last October (2018) almost a year later I needed his experty which he operated on my neck . Due to sever spinal injury doctor Chen after a long hours was able to get rid of my disturbing neck pain . I feel younger , wishes never needed another surgery but if time comes I would ask for doctor Chen again . my sinscer gratitude , Ardy Saeid

I have never had a Doctor so thoroughly explain my situation and the manor of treatment that I would receive. To wake up from surgery pain free was beyond any expectations that I dreamed of. Thank you Dr. Chen

Spent 2 years, underwent 2 surgeries with Thomas Chen. Nothing improved but getting worse and more painful everyday. He said he doesn’t know why patient is in pain. He spent averagely 7 minutes while seeing patient. And the wait time to see him is 2-3 hours on average. He only shows one morning a week in the Garfield Center. And he cancels his appointments very often due to varies of reasons, vacations, surgeries, emergencies, and so on. Staff named Erika is also horrible!! Don’t see him!

Dr Chen has what I consider the attributes of not only a good surgeon but someone who often inspires patient confidence. His team of Spine Surgeons performed a rather routine Decompression Laminectomy to relieve, reduce nerve pressure. He neither promised unrealistic complete and total pain relief, but his strategy increased my leg mobility. He has a complimentary bedside manner and very professional demeanor. A very busy Surgeon indeed, it is not that easy scheduling a convenient appointment