I would recommend Dr. Richard Graves to anyone who is experiencing foot pain or just wants to have an expert help them keep their feet healthy.

Before finding Dr. Graves, I had been seeing another podiatrist in Long Beach for several years. This doctor had helped me by designing a pair of orthotics around 7 years ago and they have given me much relief. I still wear these orthotics in every pair of shoes I own.

ln the fall of 2012, I began to notice that I had some discomfort in my right foot and so I returned to this doctor to see if my orthotics might need some "tuning up". At first he told me that the problem was that my shoes did not fit and he used a tool to stretch out my shoes. However, as I was leaving his office he thought better and had me come back in for an x-ray just in case there was something else going on.

This x-ray revealed that I had bone spurs on my right big toe and that they were actually the source of the pain I was experiencing. While I had been satisfied with my previous doctor's work, his indecision in this case together with his odd sense of humor and gruff manner lead me to look for a second opinion.

My research on the internet took me to the office of Dr. Richard Graves. The very positive patient reviews and his history as a runner at UCI and podiatrist for the athletes at UCI helped me to have confidence in Dr. Graves' ability to help me. I like to play baseball and need to be able to run and stay fit in order to compete. From my conversations with Dr. Graves I could tell that he understands exactly what is at stake for me in finding the right podiatrist.

He also noticed from my x-ray that I did not just have bone spurs but that my situation was complicated by the fact that my big toe joint was completely arthritic. In my case he recommended a surgery to not only remove the bone spurs but to also repair the joint. Without the repair of the joint I would most likely be back in a couple of years to have those spurs removed again.

I am now almost 15 months post surgery and able to do everything I could do before the bone spurs began to bother me. Twelve months after my surgery, I played in a 5 day baseball tournament and my feet did not give me any discomfort whatsoever.

In short, I would recommend Dr. Richard Graves to anyone who is experiencing foot pain or just wants to have an expert help them keep their feet healthy.