Dr. Damper is one of the best doctors I have ever been to. He communicates clearly what my issues are in terms I can understand. He also sets expectations for my healthy outcomes from his treatments.

Submitted Feb. 7, 2024

Excellent doctor for managing chronic back pain issues, for me, four different yet common aging issues including a recent herniated disc. He is a good listener and explains treatment and long term goals toward quality of living to lessen or eliminate back pain. He is a compassionate doctor and a patient advocate. I recommend Dr. Damper to anyone struggling with back pain issues.

Submitted May 20, 2019

Grateful for his knowledge and has ability to get me back to doing the things I love. I've started sending my friends to him too!

Submitted May 16, 2017

I have been seeing Dr. Walter Damper in Tempe AZ at Hedley Orthopaedics since approximately May of 2016. I find him to be very attentive to my pain issues, compassionate, a Great listener and proactive in addressing the specific issues that I have. I highly recommend him!

Submitted Feb. 16, 2017

I thought I'd found Nervana when Dr Damper walked in the room . Unbelievable
capacity for compassion .. Not been this pain free in 20 years .. every single referral I made to him .. all feel like I do . A sense of
trust immediately.. the review I saw was from Tucson .. He's in Tempe now and right next to the sports Stadium.. Beautiful Clinic .. Beautiful area . I'm knocked over by his talent with back injections .. How anyone could say different is beyond me ..
you'd probably not like Santa Clause if you didn't like Doctor Damper !! What a blessing .. R.R.

Submitted Dec. 28, 2016

Please do now go there, staff and Doctors are terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Submitted Dec. 9, 2016

My w wifeife has been in pain (suffering ) over two years from R/A, fibromyalgia, on crutches for over 8 months from a progressive back issue, and something else that Doctor's have been unable to diagnose. Her medication of 5 oxycodone 15mg has not controlled her pain, after telling her primary care provider she wanted to make changes to her medication for better pain control the provider instructed her to seek a pain management specialist. I should add she has been unsuccessfully been receiving injections for her back from a spinal doctor, having 5 procedures and finding Dr Damper was for the purpose of pain relief.
After our first appointment Dr. Damper had convinced us to have him do injections trying a different approach. That same day (Thursday ) Dr. Damper prescribed her 15 mg extended release morphine twice a day period. Having run out of her oxycodone she began the new medication and that night unable to sleep, crying in pain I called Dr.Dampers office and was unable to reach Dr. Damper or his medical assistant so left a message early Friday morning, again around noon and tried desperately again before clinic closing with no return calls or able to speak with anyone other than the receptionist. Again Monday I again left messages and not until later received a return call from Tina his medical assistance only to be told Dr. Damper was unavailable but may be able to leave a written prescription that I would be able to retrieve for her, but Tuesday came and went.
The following morning (Wednesday ) my wife was scheduled for an injection with Dr Damper so when she was called back (over an hour past scheduled time) I saw Dr. Damper and explained how I had been trying to reach him, how much my wife had been suffering, unable to sleep for more than a few hours since Thursday, Dr Damper said he would talk to my wife ( I assumed that meant help her). During the time my wife was changing into her surgery gown I told the nurse how much pain she has been in, at which time the nurse instructed me Dr. Damper does not send patients home with pain medication. I replied that no way could my wife have a painful procedure on top of the pain she was in and had been experiencing without additional pain medicine. Another nurse overheard me and repeated no pain medicine would be given to take home (written prescription ) and again I repeated no pain medicine, no procedure. Both nurses became very agitated with me and EXTREMELY rude demanding I leave and that this was between my wife and Dr. Damper. My reply was "No, this is between my wife, myself and the doctor and I was not going to allow her added pain and more days of crying in pain and no sleep. The nurses agreed nor to begin my wife's I.V. until my wife could speak with Dr. Damper in the event the procedure would be cancelled, and now another patient had entered the pre-op room so I had to leave, which I then returned to the waiting room. Approximately 25 +/- minutes later a nurse told me my wife was ready to leave, come and get her.
As I was helping my wife down the hallway thinking since she was on her crutches, not escorted out in a wheelchair had not had the procedure, only to have her begin crying. She explained they did place the I.V. needle in her but never used it and refused any pain medicine for her procedure (every other patient did receive pain medicine pre-procedure, but the nurses refused her any and the entire time complained about me between themselves and to my wife. Other patients received a large cup of post-procedure fluids, but my wife was given an extremely small two ounce cup of water. Also the Doctor refused sending her home with any pain medicine. Just before leaving the nurses hand patients gram crackers, but for my wife the nurse said "oh sorry I accidentally opened your crackers" and then dropped them in the bag patients put their clothing in. When my wife went into the bathroom to change into her clothes, she discovered the crackers had been crushed, not just opened and covered her cloths. Just before the nurse came to get me from the waiting room, a nurse approached my wife asking If she felt safe with me or had any fears of me, such an angry controlling man. Wow...and because I agitated the nurses they took it out on my wife, rude, mean, no pain medicine like other patients, no hydrating I.V. crushed crackers, and placed me as an abusive husband, controlling. Double wow...
The staff at this center behave liken to children having a temper tantrum should there be an interruption to their flow, and a Doctor that could care less if a patient is suffering in pain, they allow a patient to exit post-procedure on crutches, not a wheelchair.
My wife was so upset that when exiting the door, caught her crutch and fell down. I reacted and said we need to go back in, she became hysterical demanding to just go home
As I write this it is just now midnight and she just fell asleep (crying) in pain.

Submitted May 19, 2016

Unless he shows me a ratically different side of himself .. He is absolutely wonderful as a doctor . What compassion . I can't understand some of what I've read here .. He's awesome !! I felt better just talking to the man . He moves fast to get you taken care of .. If you take the time to listen to him , he works in " layers" sometime the big pain is not the first thing he tackles .. Because he understands .. as most of us as patients do not .. It's just not going to work that way .. Most doctors cant heal you in one appointment .!!! They actually , barely listen to you .. Dr Damper is a gem , I feel lucky to have him .. R.R.

Submitted April 8, 2016

For the first time in 5 years — and thanks entirely to Dr. Damper's treatment, patience, and kindness — my life is no longer consumed with and controlled by pain. I am able to do things now — sit in a chair for longer than 15 minutes, work a real job, ride my bike — that, even a year ago, were impossible to imagine.

As a chronic pain patient (and, worse, a woman), I've been repeatedly dismissed, condescended to, and generally been made to feel stupid and guilty about my pain by countless specialists, surgeons, therapists, etc. Dr. Damper, on the other hand, treated me like a fellow human being with a legitimate — and treatable — condition. He never gave up on me (even though I'd given up on myself years ago), and I've honestly lost count of the number of times he has gone out of his way to help me.

I'm truly shocked by the last review, as it describes a person entirely unlike the Dr. Damper who gave me my life back. I can wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone looking for a skilled physician *and* a person who genuinely cares about his patients' wellbeing.

Submitted Nov. 1, 2015

This is my first review of a physician, ever. I have had five visits with Dr. Damper. His staff has been very good. I have tried to be patient and acknowledge the fact that we all have bad days from time to time. With that being said, I've come to the conclusion that my experiences with Dr. Damper have been the most unsatisfactory I have had with any healthcare provider in decades! I encourage anyone reading this review to read some of the negative reviews of others' experiences with Dr. Damper and pay heed to them, as this was been my almost exact experience as well.

As a healthcare provider for over 30 years, I believe I asked reasonable and intelligent questions about my care and treatment. Each time I have interacted with Dr. Damper, he has been impatient, dismissive and condescending. He always appears to be already backing out of the room to leave as soon as he walks in to greet you, and then does not follow up on what he told you he would do as he's running out the door. He has consistently been unable or unwilling to listen or pay attention to my presenting problem as evidenced by the fact that he treated a referred pain symptom instead of my core presenting medical problem. We clearly were not on the "same page" as he likes to say.

When he recommended epidural injections, I tried to ask clinical questions regarding how many procedures of this nature he has done before and what his outcomes of been. He stated he has done 8000 of these procedures and that most people reported they wish they had done it sooner. After getting positive results from the first spinal injection I was hopeful that the second one would continue to help me improve. The second injection made things significantly worse, which I was aware of before I even left the changing room. At my one-month follow-up I asked the doctor about this and he dismissively told me that he has done (now) over 10,000 of these procedures (pretty busy man) and that I was the only one that has reported a situation like this. I find this to be statistically highly improbable. My guess is he did something wrong. Also, on the voicemail he left the next day, presumably for some kind of damage control, he left a call-back number which has been disconnected. Although this is not generally a big deal, it does speak to the fact of his lack of attention to detail. I thoroughly expect a physician at his level and who does spinal injections, to be a very precise individual. Incidentally, after looking up the correct number and leaving two messages, he has not bothered to respond.

Personality and communication issues notwithstanding, I frankly have no confidence in him clinically. Be careful. My wish is that somebody else doesn't have to deal with this like I did. There clearly are better choices in a city of this size.

Submitted Sept. 16, 2015