Dr. Richard Ryu, a board certified orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, is the senior member of the Ryu Hurvitz Orthopedic Clinic. He is also one of the founding members and the current Surgical Director for Summit and Premier Surgery Centers located in Santa Barbara, California. Dr. Ryu utilizes minimally invasive and open surgery procedures to restore injured soft tissues and bones within the shoulder and knee joints.
Dr. Ryu specializes in:
Dr. Richard Ryu, orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, graduated cum laude from Yale University with a degree in Biological Sciences. He then attended UCSF Medical School where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Medical Honors Society. Dr. Ryu completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at UCSF, and then spent his fellowship year with additional training in sports medicine and arthroscopy at the renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles.
Dr. Ryu began his private practice in Santa Barbara, California in 1986. He has been serving as the Team Physician for UCSB, Westmont College, the Santa Barbara Foresters, Santa Barbara High School, Bishop Garcia Diego High School and the Cate School for numerous years. He has also served on the board for various local non-profit organizations, and has been a Foundation Trustee for UCSB since 1996.
Dr. Richard Ryu is a past President of the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and has served on its board of directors, in addition to his appointments as Chairman of the Education Committee, the Ethics and Standards Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Program Committee.
Dr. Ryu was designated a Master Shoulder Surgeon in 1997 and continues to teach complex shoulder surgery to other orthopedic surgeons who visit the Orthopedic Learning Center in Chicago. Dr. Richard Ryu recently completed a six-year term as a California delegate to the Council of Delegates for the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, and has been a visiting professor or guest lecturer at the Mayo Clinic, Yale University, UC San Francisco, Tulane University, UCLA, UC Irvine, Temple and UC San Diego.
Richard Ryu, MD Reviews
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In 2019, I tore my ACL, MCL, and Meniscus playing soccer. With the efforts and continuous support of Dr. Ryu, recovery went amazing and feel my knee as strong as prior to injury and have had no post op issues on the knee since then (5 years later!)
Although i dont hope to be in this position again, i will easily visit Dr Ryu in the event that i need his amazing servicen in the future. The best!
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr Ryu and his entire staff for the care and support they provide me with following a shoulder injury I got earlier this year.
Several years ago I was referred to Dr Ryu for a second opinion on an injury that another doctor had recommended surgery to repair, how ever after Dr Ryu done his evaluation he felt that P.T.would be a better approach and he was correct. He recommended a P.T. and a plan, a few months later I had fully recovered and for that I am very grateful for his professionalism and recommendation that saved me from the trauma of surgery. Earlier this year following an accident that injured me shoulder I had no hesitation on having Dr Ryu care for me. This time I need surgery. Dr Ryu developed a plan to perform the procedure along with a plan for my recovery. The procedure and plan that he walked me through and explained each step thoroughly all of which I am pleased to say it was a great success. I am very confident that I would not hesitate to have DR Ryu care for me in the future should the need arise.
Thank you again Doc.
I had an MRI done in mid-2023 and it showed I had a high-grade bursal-sided partial rotator cuff tear on my left shoulder.
This greatly limited the use of my left arm – I could only raise it just above my head. My shoulder become sorer and stiffer every couple of days.
I read many on-line reviews of the orthopedic surgeons to familiarize myself with the surgeons in the Santa Barbara area. Fortunately, we are lucky to have some fine surgeons to choose from. From the reviews and ratings that I read, Dr. Richard Ryu was at the on top of the ratings.
Due to the critical importance of selecting the right surgeon however, I decided to also personally speak with health care and medical professionals here in town for their recommendations. Dr. Ryu was the name usually mentioned as the best orthopedic surgeon. This made my decision an easy one.
I had surgery at the end of Oct 2023. I had MINIMAL PAIN after my surgery. After the fourth day of surgery I no longer needed to take any medication.
My left shoulder was however very stiff. I had intensive physical therapy at home 5-7 days a week/5x a day and formal physical therapy at Hayashida PT downtown SB twice a week for approx. 24 weeks. As of May 2024, I now have full range of motion in my left shoulder.
- The office of Dr. Ryu is busy but courteous and friendly.
- You will be expected to be on time for your appointment!
- I experienced NO wait times in the lobby for all of my appointments, and very short wait times in the exam room (approx. 2-5 min – not your typical 15-20 minute wait times or longer). This can only happen if patients are on time.
- Dr. Ryu is very thorough and professional. He’s very good at explaining the steps needed pre and post-surgery – all of pre and post- surgery steps are written down for you to follow. He will expect you to listen and follow his instructions so you will achieve the best results.
- He is on the conservative side of his surgery approach– using documented proven techniques for the bests results.
- Dr. Ryu’s credentials speak for themselves.
I would like to thank everyone at Hayashida physical therapy and a special shout out to my physical therapist, Dr. Carly Shevitz, for her knowledge, enthusiasm and compassion.
Dr. Richard Ryu – I cannot thank you enough for your expertise in your vocation. You are an extremely gifted surgeon and many patients have benefited because of it.
I couldn’t be more pleased with my results!
I had Dr Ryu repair my totally torn rotator cuff and bicep on my left shoulder after years of surfing, kayak paddling and overdoing it in the gym. My arm was pretty worthless and was keeping me from doing what I loved. I was a little nervous being 68 and doing a surgery like this because when you're older it's harder to recover. It's been a little over 5 months now and today Dr Ryu released me to slowly start back on doing what I love. I would like to thank Dr Ryu and staff again for getting me back so fast and also would like to thank Carly at Hayashida Physical Therapy for training me during recovery it was a long haul but am super happy with the outcome. See you in the water and the gym.
Dr Ryu Performed surgery on both of my shoulders, he did an amazing job, I am honored to call him my friend and my surgeon, I cannot recommend Dr Ryu enough. Everything went exactly as he explained it would, If anything else breaks this man is the only person fixing it, Thank you Sir.
Saw Dr. Ryu for a second opinion on a shoulder rotator cuff tear and bicep tendon dislocation. Ultimately had arthroscopic surgery by him and have had tremendous results. I'm 5-months post operation now and my shoulder feels great! I couldn't be more pleased and very thankful to Dr. Ryu and his team for this amazing result!
Dr Ryu performed my husband's knee surgery a couple of years ago and did an amazing job! So it was without question that I chose him to care for my right knee MCL tear. He was thorough in his explaination of how I would feel for the next few weeks, a recovery timeframe and what physical therapy would entail moving forward. I just completed my follow up appointment with him and all is well, better than well!. Great office staff, sincere and caring doctor - look no further. Thank you, Dr. Ryu:)
I recently had surgery on my right meniscus and I was very nervous to have the surgery done but the staff was amazingly nice and understanding. He had a tough call to make during surgery but in the end it was the right one. I’m already up and walking around doing all the things I did before the surgery in May. Would 100% recommend. Thank you!
In September of 2018, Dr. Ryu performed surgery on my left shoulder/bicep. I am a very active guy, and I like to perform weight training 5-6 days a week. When I first was injured, I noticed a serious difference in the movements that I could perform in the gym. I was very sad and depressed, as lifting has been a huge part of my life for the past 5 years. Ever since my surgery, it is like I have been reborn! I never thought that I would be able to train as hard as I could before my injury. However, 7 months post op and I am back and better than ever! I am working out 5-6 days a week just like I used to, and performing extremely well. The other day I hit 115 pounds on the bench press for 10 reps and 40 pounds on shoulder press for 8 reps. While these numbers might not seem high at first, I only started lifting again in February as I had to do P.T before I could get back at it. From shoulder surgery to be able to perform those numbers has given me serious hope for how far I will be able to go in the future. All I can say is that Dr. Ryu is the best. He is professional, caring, kind and most of all knowledgeable! He answered every single question that I had with ease, and he also put up with all my post op anxieties. Not only that but he has a great staff as well who are willing to help no matter what. All I can say is thank you, Dr. Ryu and staff. You have given me my life back
I had immobility and pain in my right shoulder for several years. It got to the point where I was unable to do normal activities and I was unable to sleep or roll over on my right side. I had Dr. Ryu perform laperoscopic surgery in the morning and in the car, on my way home I was able to move my arm with very little pain. Within 6 months and therapy I had no pain and a full range of movement. It has been a year now and I am back to a full workout without pain! I highly recommend Dr. Ryu and his wonderful staff.