When I first came to Dr. Ali, I was in a lot of pain, Couldn't sleep it was so bad. I had an Acute Compression Fracture T12, My experience with Dr. Ali has been good. I am new with Dr, Ali, I was nervous, but Dr, Ali and his staff made me feel comfortable, and assured me I was in good hands. His staff was very caring. Even put my favorite radio station on to relax me. For the kind of procedure I had, (Kyphoplasti) I would recommend Dr. Raed Ali no problem.

Submitted Sept. 28, 2020

Warning!! I had back pain for 20+ years. I got relief from epiduarl shots, I hadn't had one for 6 years so I needed to see a doctor to get a prescription. That brought me to Dr. Ali of coarse I had to get an MRI, while going over the MRI with Dr. Ali he came off very concerned for me and very persuasive on how he could relive the pain through surgery. He made it very clear I would need this surgery at some point in my life. I was very nervous about going under the knife so I went the shot route. After 2 shots came my follow up app. with Dr. Ali, I had some relief but again the Dr. gave a very convincing argument for going ahead with surgery. Full cage front and back and complete clean out L4 & L5. On the day of the surgery, I was very nervous about waking up paralyzed, he calmed me down and said the WORST thing that could happen is I'd have some tingling in my right leg for 3 to 4 weeks due to entering through my side instead of cutting me though the front stomach area. If he has told you the same thing after 9 / 2019 he's a Lair cause I woke up not able to move my right leg at all. I could wiggle my toes and move my foot up and down slightly. Here's where I saw the real Dr. Ali, he came in the room asked me to wiggle my toes...once he saw I could do that he simply said your nerves are "pi$$ed off" and it could take 3 months for your leg to heal. I dragged my leg around using a walker to get to the 1 month app. Again he seemed to down play any problem, I said Doc this very painful dead feeling leg is going to be 100% in 2 months??? oh no no...now he kicked the can down the road to "6 months to a Year for nerves to fully heal" At my 6 month app. I didn't have much improvement when I said are sure my leg is going to be 100% in another 6 months. His reply was "it could take up to 3 years and lets shoot for 80%" Where did that kind caring Dr. I witnessed before the surgery go, he seemed to be stringing me along with BS. I did however notice at every app I had after the surgery, through his thin walls I heard the same spiel almost word by word convincing his patients how surgery would really help them...go figure...he's a surgeon! If your considering surgery PLEASE get a 2nd opinion and then maybe use that guy...I sure wish I did!! Sure he seemed so caring before the problem but when he screwed something up he gave no explanation other than my nerves are pi$$ed. I know I didn't pi$$ them off. I could see it in his eyes...he knows what happened and seems to care less!

Submitted Sept. 18, 2020

Great Surgeon!! Very knowledgeable. Wife has had 3 successful fusions at St. Jude by this Doctor.

Submitted July 25, 2017

Dr. Ali saved my life. Literally! An MRI revealed a life threatening spinal canal tumor, and an admission to St. Joes brought Dr. Ali to me on a Friday night. He stayed with me for an hour answering my questions and explaining the risks. He and Dr. Ho (neurosurgeon) performed a 4 hour surgery on me and not only did I have no repercussions from the surgery, but my chronic back and hip pain disappeared! Dr. Ali is so caring and attentive, I always felt safe and secure. He is confident, but always warm. His tremendous skill and compassionate personality turned a frightening experience into a miraculous result! His staff is also top notch! I visited both locations and always received excellent attention, fast service, and wonderful care from the staff. A lovely man with a great skill and supportive staff!

Submitted July 12, 2017

I wouldn't advise going to this orthopedic spine surgeon if your quality of life depends on it. Beware. There are multiple bad reviews about Dr. Raed Ali online. His failed back cases are a horrible nightmare for his patients like me who are permantly suffering from his gross surgical errors and mistakes. Dr. Ali is certainly a tosser surgeon.

Submitted Oct. 17, 2016

I had a totally different experience with two separate surgeries by Dr. Ali then those presented here. I had multilevel lumbar laminectomy by Dr. Ali and later a four level discectomy and cervical fusion. Dr. Ali spent a long time discussing the procedures with my wife and I prior to the surgeries and either he or the assisting surgeon were the ones that I saw in the hospital for follow up. In his office afterwards I again saw Dr. Ali, at no time was I handed off to a P.A. and again he spent as much time with me that I needed and never made me feel rushed or unimportant. There are no guarantees in spinal surgeries and Dr. Ali made clear the best and worst case possibilities. Do I still have some physical issues? Yes. Do I blame Dr. Ali? NO! Let me put it this way, I will most likely require a total knee replacement very soon and if Dr. Ali performed that type of surgery I would have no qualms or reservations to him working on me again.

Submitted Dec. 29, 2015

Dr. Ali is a butcher.
The first time I met Dr. Ali he appeared kind, calm, concerned, and convincing. He stated I had "severe spinal stenosis" and needed surgery, immediately-URGENTLY. A cervical fusion C3-C7. No time to wait...he then sent in the scheduler who proceeded to schedule the surgery. Dr. Ali stated he would "take care of me" and the only change would be limited range of motion. Wrong. That was in 2011. It is 2015. I have problems I never had pre-surgery. I have since seen several physicians and all are in shock when I state I had a fusion. Even going on to further state there was no "definitive" reason, medical or otherwise, for such a serious surgery. Following the surgery I could not lift my arms, when I went to see Dr. Ali for follow-ups he continued you state everything I was experiencing was normal to "walk" and you will be fine. I wasn't fine. I was a mess. I had MANY problems as a result of the surgery. 2012 Dr. Ali stated “I can go in and take out all the titanium…it will only take an hour…” Seriously? I was already suffering from the result of the surgery and would not allow Dr. Ali to perform such a surgery. Looking back I believe that once again, Dr. Ali just wanted to “cut.”
Dr. Ali performed what is known as an "anterior" and "post-anterior" fusion which involves- cutting the front of my neck AND the back - close to decapitation - then screwing in plates and screws into my cervical spine THAT I DID NOT NEED.
When I initially went to Dr. Ali for my follow up visits, where I expressed my concerns and outlined the sudden influx of medical problems, Dr. Ali tried to smooth talk his way out of it. Truth be told, Dr. Ali does not concern himself with patients once he has "cut" the patient because it appears this is the thrill of the process, for Dr. Ali, the surgery, not the health of the patient.
I later learned, from a neurosurgeon, that cutting the back of the neck is the worst place to cut a patient. This Neurosurgeon NEVER cuts the back of the neck unless it is a trauma case (car accident, etc.) due to all the pain the patient will experience for the rest of their life. Due to the amount of muscle, tissue, and nerves in the back of the neck, when cut by the surgeon, this causes permanent damage. I actually asked Dr. Ali about the “big dip” in my neck, the sticking out of a bone and he said “oh it will go away.” That was 2011. It has not gone away. The pain is still there along with many other issues.
Externally, I have a long and horrible scare, atrophy, and a deformity as a result of Dr. Ali butchering my neck. Honestly, I have many problems as a result of the surgery.
Out of my concern for others, I would ask you to turn and walk away from Dr. Ali as fast as you can. This man does not care about his patients. I don't know if he is simply doing this out of greed or if he truly gets a thrill from the act of slaughtering his patients. However, I do know I did not need this surgery. I was lied to and I suffer as a result of his negligent actions.
Please do not go to Dr. Ali.

Submitted April 6, 2015

This Dr. has way too many patients too provide quality care. I would be lucky to get about 10 minutes with the PA. I had an L5-S1 fusion which after 1 year has not helped in the slightest bit. I feel I have gone to hell and back with he pain of surgery, but thought it would be worth it to get pain relief, but no relief I received. Follow up CT scans apparently show great progress, but my pain tells me differently. I wonder if they are so busy that they had someone else's CT scan or if they are too busy to do a proper interpretation. Going for second opinions.

Submitted Aug. 4, 2013

I will NEVER refer anyone to Dr. Ali. I went to him with a back problem. T12-L1 herniated disk. Took almost 2 mos from my first visit, MRI's, scans, XRays..to tell me I needed surgery. I couldnt walk. Ended up having 2 surgeries. First 1 he didnt even correct the problem. post surgical visit was with his PA. I was still in major pain upon waking up after surgery. PA told me it was normal. 4 weeks went by, I still couldnt walk & the pain was so unberable. Was on 5 painkillers every 2 hrs. Kept calling Dr. After 4 weeks he finally sends me for another MRI. Then tells me he has to do another surgery that the first one didnt "work" and was worse then he thought. Was he sleeping during the 1st surgery? Horrible Horrible experience. then had to see him 2 yrs later, had cervical issues. Have HMO so had to see Dr. Ali again. Long story short....he did surgery on C6-C7 hernatied disk...only to wake up still in pain. Paid out of pocket to see a specialist. Yep.need 2nd surgery.

Submitted Aug. 3, 2012

Doctor refused to see me after doing a bad job operating on my back. I Needed a second operation to fix problems he created. Also, this doctor did not address my flat disc issues. So, his operation was a waste of time and money. Worst of all, he refused to see me after I complained of pain in my back after the operation. After 3 months of leaking spinal fluid and his refusal to see me, I needed to go to another doctor to get my back repaired. I now was no longer leaking spinal fluid (after 2 operations), however, my problem of flat discs still had not been addressed. Worst of all, both this doctor and his colleague convinced each other that I really had no back problem. Five months after the 2nd operation, I asked for an MRI and the 2nd doctor said "It will not show anything". After the MRI was studied, doctor number 2 (colleague of Dr. Ali) admitted, that yes, I really needed a 3rd operation. Why? Simply to fix the original flat disc issue. What an awful experience!!!

Submitted Aug. 21, 2011