Dr. Steven Laxson, DPM

I saw him for a severe ankle fracture in September of 2023. Despite my concern that he wasn’t an orthopedic surgeon, and ignoring my better judgment, I allowed him to do surgery. The surgery went very well, although I had to take myself off of certain medications pre-op and advise him which blood thinners I should be on post-op based on my health history, previous surgeries, and the fact that I am a providerMy follow up appointments were with his 3rd year resident. Although he said in the chart notes that he saw me- he didn’t. The resident did. Once I got my cast off, my PT and I were very happy with the progress I made. When I had my 12 week follow up appointment, he actually saw me and acted like I should be able to do everything I had done before. He acted like I was lazy and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t back to baseline. I am a provider and should have listened to my gut and had a physician, who has studied more than just the foot, to provide quality care and follow up.

After a failed Brostrom procedure on my left ankle in 2010 left me again searching for answers, I thankfully ended up in the care of Dr. Laxson. I’ve been holding off on this review until I was over a year past the surgery to ensure it held up. In December 2020 he and his team completed a ligament replacement for me on the aforementioned ankle. 3 months post surgery I was able to start to return to normal activities, and 6 months post surgery it was as I’d been given a brand new ankle and a new lease on life. For those who have suffered from chronic sprains, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Years of monthly sprains are now a thing of the past. Dr. Laxson came highly recommended to me by friends in the area and I can’t give him a big enough endorsement. If you’re hunting for the best in Portland, you’ve found him.

Had a few visits with him and found him to be very unsympathetic and arrogant. He was also very rush at all my appointments like he didn’t care about the patient. He didn’t involve the patient in his care. It was only his ways and he was dismissive in my concerns and questions. I felt like just another health record number rather than a patient.

He repaired my ankle and foot after a major motor vehicle accident and was very nice on first meeting, but a deep pressure ulcer was created on my heel after wrapping post surgery. He then claimed it was a "blood blister" for weeks only to say yes, it was a pressure sore when I got out of the cast and home health looked at it. He then wanted me to start weight baring but wound care was clear that pressure ulcers on the heel don't heal well with weight baring. He yelled at me in front of the fracture clinic about pain management, advised me to take advil while on a blood thinner he prescribed and refused to look at my notes about my pain levels, and only at the 6 month follow up said about the pressure ulcer: "we don't usually see patients have these unless in a lot of pain." But when I wanted to talk about my pain he assumed the worst and refused to ask more. Told me "you don't know what it's like to have the power of live and death" in front of a resident the day after surgery.

I found him to be arrogant, dismissive, hurried, and rude. He messed up my surgery too. He lied about the potential outcomes, didn't tell me the risks, and once he walked out of the OR, he didn't give a rip about my pain, lack of motion, and failure at PT. Find another DPM who wants to be a partner in your healthcare. This dude isn't it.