David F Smolins, MD

Dr. Smollins is a helpful, caring physician. It can sometimes be difficult getting an appointment, but all in all I recommend him highly.

I was referred to Dr. Smolins from another doctor. I have called and emailed the office of Dr. Smolins multiple times to schedule an appointment and have been repeatedly ignored. The last time I called, the receptionist took down my name and then said «Oh! I know your name!» and told me someone would call me back shortly. Well, it’s nice to know someone knows my name over there. One would think they might even call or email me back, but weeks have passed and I still haven’t heard anything.
To be clear, I haven’t had any contact with the doctor so can’t comment about him. I can tell you the administration and customer service at the office is a joke, so my advice is to find another doctor.

My broken down husband, soon to be retired police officer, has been seeing Dr. Smolins and his assistant Marina for over two years. He has had two lower back surgeries including a two level fusion. He recently had another two level fusion in his neck and had his rotator cuff put back together. Also in this five year span he had a nasty break in his arm from a skate boarding accident. Yes he is over 40 and rides a skateboard. Needless to say this has been a challenge for the entire family. Dr. smolins and Marina have taken great care of my hubby. We have tried a lot of different methods but so far still looking for the right cure to get him more functional and out of some pretty severe pain. Dr. Smolins is wonderful at addressing the mental side of pain and how it takes its toll on patients. My husband went from being an avid surfer skateboarder former baseball player and active cop to struggling to get out of bed due to pain. He has been through a lot so that is to be expected. A great thing about Marina is she will ALWAYS make time for my husband if he has a bad flare up. She calls us at home to make sure he is improving and that the flare up has calmed down. Chronic pain is a real challenge and watching my husband struggle every day has been hard. It has been a Blessing to have Dr. Smolins and Marina in our corner. We both we recommend Dr. Smolins and Marina they really have been a Blessing!

Dr. Smolins is an excellent doctor! He has two offices. One in Redwood city and one in San Francisco. He is treating me for spinal cord damage after my 5 week stay in the hospital. Although our initial appointment was only thirty minutes he took his time and was extremely thorough in his examination. Excellent bedside manner as well as a sense of humor. I would recommend him to anyone!

I’ve had ongoing pain from a broken back for the past couple of decades that I’ve mostly managed with alternative forms of healthcare. But when an auto accident left me with severe tendinitis and carpal tunnel in both forearms this past year, it took me over the top and I was referred to Dr. Smolins.
He was wonderful, both in terms of the broadness of his expertise (he treats 49er’s team members who have serious injury), his friendly and upbeat attitude, as well as his prescriptive suggestions. He was also open to my using alternative therapies, and desire to avoid pills and recommended the best physical therapist I have ever seen.
I highly recommend Dr. Smolins if you have pain or debility of any kind that traditional doctors can’t help you with, and you want to avoid surgery — or if you are dedicated to being drug-​free as possible.

Even after moving out of the Bay Area, Dr. Smolins still works his magic! Well worth the drive.

Great doctor. Dr. Smolins is an extremely knowledgeable and patient doctor. We have not found a cure for my degenerative disc disease and herniated disc yet after months of treatment, but he has walked me step by step through the whole process of what can be done and lets me to come to my own decisions on the next course of action and what my options are. He makes sure and gives you more than one opportunity to ask any questions and you will never feel rushed.

I saw Dr. Smolins in his SF office. When I called his office I was told I would get a phone call from the patient care coordinator to schedule my appointment and she called when they said they would! A+ already. His front office staff were friendly and got me in for my appointment on time. In fact, he had a cancellation before me and they gave me a call day of to see if I wanted to come in earlier (which I did). They even e-​mailed me the paperwork ahead of time so I wouldn’t have to sit in the waiting room to fill it out.
Dr. Smolins was thorough and best of all, a fan of conservative management. He demonstrated great skill with his ability to palpate a myofascial trigger point that reproduced my pain and was able to give me an injection on the spot that significantly reduced my pain. He also recommended I see a Feldenkrais practitioner to work on my posture (I’ve heard great things about this practitioner from my own patients), oh did I forget to mention I’m a physical therapist? I had been doing exercises, bought a new mattress, going to PIlates and yoga as well as chiropractic appointments for months. My pain was already 75% better, but I couldn’t get rid of that last bit. I truly believe I’ve found the key to bringing all the pieces together. I highly recommend him. Thanks Dr. Smolins!

An amazing doctor with great advice. He pays attention to your needs & takes time to address your concerns. I would recommend him to anyone with spine related issues– I’m finally pain free without medication & understand my issue thoroughly thanks to him!

I have nothing, but good things to say about Dr. Smolins. His knowledge, demeanor, work ethic and diligence are far beyond what I’ve come to expect from most medical professionals. He asked detailed questions, listened to my answers and then asked additional questions based on the information I provided. It was a rare instance where I had an actual conversation rather than getting hit with the same 10 questions every doctor seems to ask then a cookie-​cutter remedy. He and his office have twisted themselves into pretzels to accomdate me and ensure I receive the proper care. I would recommend Dr. Smolins to anyone at anytime.

Dr. Smolins not only is a great Dr. he also takes the time to answer all your questions. Its nice to find a Dr. with a genuine concern for his patients. I highly recommend him.