I had an ongoing back problem for years and went from doctor to doctor who blew it off. A lower back issue is VERY hard to get care for, at least in my experience. My primary care doctor ordered a MRI and I took the results to specialists who basically looked them, threw some medicine at me and sent me on my way. I got zero compassion and no one who took my escalating pain issue seriously. A friend of mine had gone to Dr. Schulak and swore by him so we made an appointment. By the day of my appointment, I couldn’t walk any more. My husband had to put a mattress in the back of our van to get me to the dr.. . I couldn’t sit either. My pain was to the point that I told my husband, either we need to fix this or I need to be put down. That’s where I was at. Dr. Schulak felt like my last hope and honestly I didn’t hold out much hope after dozens of doctors blowing me off no matter how great my pain was.. . I walked in with MRI results I had taken in Oct 2013, and this was now April 2014.. . So many months that I had barely survived and doctors dismissed me after looking at the same results Dr. Schulak put on his computer and looked at. Then he walked into my room and told me I was the proud winner of a surgery.. . He was kind. He was compassionate. He cared about my pain and most of all.. . He admitted me to the hospital THATDAY and did the surgery the next morning and fixed the problem. He told me it was the only surgery I was going to feel better coming out of then I did going in and boy was he right.. . 2 days after my surgery I threw a birthday party for my daughter and people were amazed(In retrospect I was probably over doing it and Dr. Schulak would faint if he reads this.. . But after so long in so much pain I felt on top of the world) He saved my life. I would send my mother to him tomorrow if she needed back surgery. .. I read some of the other reviews and honestly.. . He’s not a pain management doctor. He is a doctor who fixes the issue. That’s what he does. He determines what the issue is and works towards helping patients live healthy lives. And yes, he told me to exercise. He told me to walk. He said I needed to do my exercises to keep my back strong and called me out when it obvious I wasn’t doing them like I should. I don’t see anything wrong with that. .. Like I said, he’s a Orthopedic Surgeon and I went to a lot of doctors who specialized in back pain who did nothing to help me.. . And honestly, I didn’t get fistfuls of meds from him, but I did get a second chance at life without NEEDING meds.. . And I’ll take that any day! Also, as a side note.. . His staff is amazing too! They were all compassionate and wonderful! They really cheered for me on my follow up visits when it was obvious I was doing so well!