Dr. Brarens is dedicated to giving each and every patient outstanding care and professional attention. Rated as a 5-star physician by HealthGrades, we are proud to share just a few testimonials from our very satisfied patients. We look forward to adding you to our host of happy clients, too.
Mandy A.
Dr. B and his incredible staff blew my mind! They are quick, attentive, courteous and caring. I felt like a real person, not just a patient. The whole office is bright, clean, and advanced. This was by far the best care and experience I have had with any physician. I will recommend Dr. Brarens and his nurses to everyone. Thank you for everything you have done for me and continue to do.
Evelyn
Found this doctor on the internet and decided it might be worth the drive for me to be seen because the comments were so great. Glad I found Dr. Brarens and will continue to make the drive. He takes a great deal of time to make sure everything is explained and I have felt better and better each visit -- better than I have felt in year. Didn't know my feet were hurting so much until he started to fix ‘em!
J. Williams
Thank you Dr. Brarens for always treating me like I am a close friend and not just a dollar sign. Words cannot express how much my life has changed as you've healed me. After seeing all those other doctors my only regret is not finding you sooner! My feet and ankle, and now my knee and my back - you are a miracle worker! Thank you for always taking so much time to evaluate me and to explain and then always make sure I understand all my options - and thank you to your staff too! Michele and Staci are so friendly and so dedicated to making sure I am taken care of every time I'm there or I need something. Thanks doc! YOU ARE THE BEST!
John H.
Most caring physician around. Very friendly staff. Usually have to wait 10-15 minutes but I'd wait an hour if they needed me to - he's that good! Their tag line is complete compassionate care - they aren't kidding! The absolute best!
Ron C.
This doctor and practice is AWESOME! I had them prior to moving out of the area (and was sad to leave them), and looked them up first thing when I moved back. Dr. Brarens is extremely knowledgeable and is even fun to visit and talk to. His office staff is exactly the same way. I look forward to my visits at SureStep Foot & Ankle. How many doctor visits can you say THAT about?
Diane R.
Great doc and great staff. Went through so many bad experiences with other podiatrists - even went through surgery with an orthopedic surgeon. Never seemed to be able to get out of pain until I met Dr. Brarens. Did a very thorough exam and gave me a few treatment options. Now I feel better than ever. Will tell every one of my friends about him!
Joseph
Spent a great deal of time evaluating and explaining ALL of my options. Hands down the best doctor - of any kind - I have ever been to! Extremely patient and knowledgeable. Makes all the other docs out there look very incompetent.
J.W.
Went to a lot of other doctors for a lot of different issues with my feet and my knee and my back. Went to Dr. Brarens and will never go to anyone else. He takes so much time to evaluate and to explain and to lay out all your options. He has treated my feet and a few other issues and my knee and my back are almost pain-free because he's changed the way I walk and the way I stand. Then I broke my ankle and needed surgery. All the nurses at the hospital talked for two days straight about how great he is. They are right! I run everything by him. I would tell anyone that they are not getting the best if they see anyone else!
T.B.
Read a bunch of reviews and comments on Dr. Brarens on several other sites. People seemed to be exaggerating - not the case. He was really thorough and spent a lot of time running through everything and answering all my questions (and my wife’s!). Heading back and bringing my daughter, a soccer star, for a bit of sports therapy too.
Mike P.
Wow. The thought that an entire ankle replacement would result in only a pain equal to a small headache is unreal! Fortunately, through the skill and care of Dr. Brarens, I’m currently at that minor level. Getting here was another story. My initial injury happened nearly three years prior. The damage to my ankle was the most that one could possibly do and keep their foot. UC hospital was the first step, where they put some screws and staples in, then sewed me shut.
After a year of follow-up care with them I felt that I was no longer progressing and, in fact, regressing. I received a mailer for a foot doctor near my house and thought I should explore my options. Upon meeting with her she immediately referred me to Dr. Brarens. In his first meeting he recommended a total ankle replacement then went on to explain the procedure as well as the life expectancy. This was way too much. Surely a 31 year-old male that was otherwise healthy was not in need of a complete replacement of his ankle joint.
After seeking two additional opinions from the other orthopedic clinics in town, something wasn’t sitting well with me. The two opinions that I received were both for ankle fusion and both of their descriptions of how ankle replacements wear out did not match any of my research of current ankle replacement devices. It appeared that the other ankle doctors in Cincinnati were stuck with educations from the 70’s. Clearly Dr. Brarens was up on his game and was well read of current research about ankle treatments.
Going back to him, we set up to do an implant of the INBONE Total Ankle. With everything ready to go and prepped for surgery, I was finally mentally prepared to have my birth ankle removed. On my way to the operating room the OR nurse asked for what my allergy tag was. She then stuck her head into the OR and asked what part of the implant had nickel. Dr. Brarens and I were led to believe that the INBONE was nickel-free. Fortunately, the reps for the INBONE were in the OR so that Dr. Brarens could teach other podiatrists about the procedure. While they didn’t know about the presence of nickel they were able to phone the design engineer from the OR and found that one piece of the implant did contain nickel. Crap. For two years I was walking on a deteriorating ankle and now I was faced with more.
After the surgery was canceled, Dr. Brarens cut my shin and placed the part against my leg for two days to see if my skin would react to the nickel content. It turns out that the nickel part did react. Good news was it wasn’t implanted in me causing a lifetime of pain and possible internal blistering/infection. Bad news was that I had to keep walking on an ankle that was completely worn out.
The game plan that my doctor and I formulated would no longer work. The days were going by painfully slowly in the most literal sense. My ability to work in my chemistry lab was diminished and my ability to work in the woodshop was completely exhausted. Something must be done, and soon. Dr. Brarens never stopped looking for solutions. Demonstrating his unparalleled knowledge of his field he offered several options, including rehydrating the cartilage; something that fascinated me from the chemistry aspect.
With time, and myself, now at a crawl, I was ready to agree to fusion so that I could rid myself of the incessant pain and return to being productive. With that admission, Michele Brarens - Dr. Brarens’ office manager - assured me that there were two replacement ankle options in the works and that parts would be in soon to evaluate. As soon as they were in I had them cut to my shin and two days later I was ecstatic to learn both options were unable to react to my skin, meaning that Dr. Brarens had found two alternate options that would return me to walking!
With the second time going to surgery, I was excited about getting the implant and a bit nervous about the huge amounts of pain afterwards. After awaking the next morning as a nerve block wore off, I was metaphorically jumping with joy! It was unreal that merely hours after a major joint replacement surgery I would be experiencing only the discomfort equal to a small headache. Everything with Dr. Brarens has been a huge success. Even when the most direct plan broke down, Dr. Brarens displayed an ability to think on his feet – about my feet.
