Robert H. Byers, MD

Dr. Byers is amazing. These one star reviews are horrible as they are not about Dr. Byers who is an amazing doctor with the best bedside manner you will ever have from a super busy surgeon. He is so caring and so informative — he spends as much time as he needs to with you so you completely understand and are comfortable with everything. If you are in pain he truly wants to find a solution that will get you better forever!
I had two herniated disc surgeries and then Dr. Byers did a spinal fusion for me and I’m like back to normal as if I never even had a problem. I was literally bed ridden and crying from the pain the would shoot down my leg pretty much constantly and now I’m back to completely normal life with ZERO pain.
I can’t say enough about how wonderfully spectacular he is… and special shout out to his amazing nurses — Susan and Allison and scheduler Lyla!

For the last few years I suffered with a herniated disc in my back that slowly began to cripple me and make it impossible for me to live life on my terms. Depressed and unable to run, swim and have a normal day to day, I decided to do something about my back issues.
I saw a few surgeons but I did not feel very comfortable with the doctors I saw in San Francisco proper. One doctor I felt was a good match and I even scheduled a surgery with him but days before I was scheduled to go «under the knife» he dropped my insurance without notifying me. I called a week before surgery to make sure everything was in order and that’s how I found out I wasn’t going to be covered… awesome, right?
So I’m back where I started. A co-​worker suggested I go see «his guy» in Marin County. The thought of leaving the city to go see a surgeon in Marin was unappealing to me but without any other real options, I gave it a go.
I’m glad a did.
I met with Dr. Byers and immediately took to his optimistic, yet cautious approach. He worked especially hard to get all of my MRI’s cleared through insurance when he absolutely didn’t have the time to do so. With the insurance headaches, it was great to have someone really fight for me. I was able to get scheduled for a surgery and felt very comfortable with the process and recovery. They don’t surprise you here.
The whole team at Mt. Tam is very knowledgeable, caring and most importantly, are on top of things. I never felt like I was doing this alone, which is a huge «win» for me. I always felt like I had someone to call with questions, etc. It was a reassuring factor that I was going with the right facility.
6 months after surgery, I’m back to running, swimming and living life on my terms. I’ve been set up with great physical therapy sessions, followup doctor visits and feel like I have my life back.
I can’t thank Dr. Byers and team (Susan) enough…
Recommended to the highest degree.

I have been a patient of Dr. Byers for years treating me for issues with my upper and lower spine. He always prescribed alternatives to surgery leaving it as a last resort. I am 65 and have been in Construction most of my adult life which takes a toll on ones body. Last year I blew out a disk working in the garden which put me in instant severe pain pinching a nerve. I was hospitalized and Dr. Byers went into action. He explained the results of the MRI clearly to me and said surgery was necessary. The operation was a total success and I am very grateful to him for doing such a good job. My entire experience with Dr. Byers and his staff has been wonderful. I feel like a VIP when I walk in and get treated very professionally and personally. Dr. Byers and I have become friends and chat about what’s going on in each others lives. He is a 10 in my book.

i have never been more impressed than by the personable dr. robert byers of Mt. Tam Orthopedic center. he lets you ask questions, he touches your arm while you talk, he encourages your input, he asks you a million questions. he is such a super nice guy that you honestly want him to live next door, and he’s so good looking, he should play atticus finch in a remake of to kill a mockingbird. i really like him to this day. he is well intended, but, like him or not– he really screwed me up. now i know the why of the adage held by hospital workers: any multi level spine or brain issues need a neurosurgeon. not an ortho doc. he tried doing a 3 level lumbar/​sacral surgery on me and it did not succeed. i am not qualified to say how or why it went wrong. yes, i should have used a NEUROSURGEON, NOT AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON; even if i was operated on by the superb dr. byers, i think i chose wrong for my spine issues. i didn’t know how significant this choice would become. in a redo, i would go to UCSF. now i can barely stand up more than 90 seconds. i have lived inside my apartment for over 6 years. i urinate up to 44 times a day, all due to the mistake he made. after finding out that i could not receive an XLIF, an operative approach from the side to fix the top level for me, i went from surgeon to neurosurgeon, looking for a way to modify it. when i never recovered from surgery, i appreciate that he took my scans to his Radiology professor, who told him the top fusion hadn’t been fused completely. the pain is located along my pelvic floor, front to back, at the most intense level. inside my urethra, clitoris, vagina, rectum, all have BURNING, and ITCHING and at a screaming level. i said NOT ME! NOT BYERS! but it happened. dr. byers even apologized to me, which i appreciate so very much! why don’t more people just say that. please take my advise. don’t skimp on your spine. but, if you are a casting director, check him out.

I suggest not wasting your time at this spine center. I went to them in March in real pain and have had no relief from the four shots except the shots made my pain and symptoms escalate. I found out I have a spur that is creating intense pain in my hip knee leg and foot, plus some other L4 L5 disks herniated. They love steroid shots even if they do little to help you. The Docs pass you on to Lisa, she is nice enough but very, very scattered, over worked and in a real high frequency frenzy that is a bit unsettling especially while on is in pain. Lisa told me how well I looked which has nothing to do with my pain I am in I, then she told me the same story on two different occasions of how Dr Byers may not always agree to do surgery like on a former patient who has Parkinson’s. But I do not have Parkinson’s so why this story twice? She also said to feel free to go elsewhere I have great insurance I can go anywhere so I will, since they don’t have the confidence to fix me.
She offers me a brain drug for pain because it works on some and that was a surprise to the drug makes. Lisa says she will call you back and maybe her assistant assistant will after you call a few times wondering what you are to do? For sure there is no relief there. MY husband went there a few years ago and found the same to be true, only giving him shots until he could not walk any longer, then he then went to ST Francis and had surgery where they fixed him, Amazingly well with surgery he is a new man! I wish he could have save the years he spent on taking shots and had it fixed in the first place. They make a lot on the on the shots about 2500 an injection. If they worked it would be great.
For me limping around in pain is not a life anyone wants to lead and my quality of life is poor and restrictive and aging me in a way it isn’t called for in this day and age. I suggest Sutter Dr Andrew or St Francis.