Cary C Schwartzbach

Pre-op nothing bad to report. Post op was absolutely unbelievable. First, the discharge instructions: Nothing mentioning the probability of being swollen so bad and what to do in this case. Trying to reach the nurses station is impossible (at the practice), the automated system is messed up so bad that you can't leave a message. By calling the front desk I was able to talk to someone for a nurse to call back. After uploading pictures of my arm and hand through the portal I was told to go to the ER. Same the day after when my arm and hand had doubled in size. Same advice go back to the ER. An orthopedic doctor who works with Dr. Cary Schwartzbach at the same practice came to see me at 6 pm, said that indeed it was very swollen more than usual, he was going to give him a call and come right back. 11 PM he still wasn't back! Follow up today he didn't even come in instead he sent another doctor (very nice lady)!

I saw him one time during a two week stay at INOVA Fairfax. He was in my room for less than 10 minutes. My leg is shorter than the other one. Getting in bed one night I felt a sharp pain which sent me for X-rays. ER Dr sent X-rays to Swartzbach. He said it was ok. Now beginning Physical Therapy again. Guess we'll see. The hospital let me leave with staples in my leg. They should have been taken out day before. Then I had to pester them to allow my Home Health nurse to take them out. I live 4 hrs west of Fairfax & I was NOT driving that far away to remove Staples that they had opportunity to take while I was a patient! I think Dr Swartzbach should have been more hands on with my case & concerned about the staples. Other than that he did ok I guess. Time will tell.

He refused to operate on my completely destroyed left shoulder because my a1c was 8.4. Which sent me into a mental health crisis (I have PTSD from CSA) that I may never recover from. My psychiatrist is at the end of her options because I'm on SSI; I don't know whether to go with shock treatments or ketamine. My diabetes is as hard to manage as my mental illness, it's type 2 but sometimes acts like type 1, I have to take insulin every day. Every day I want to die because the system is designed to punish people like me, but I refuse to give up. He refused to operate on my completely destroyed left shoulder because my a1c was 8.4. Which sent me into a mental health crisis (I have PTSD from CSA) that I may never recover from. My psychiatrist is at the end of her options because I'm … More

I fell on ice in 2016 and fractured my right arm. I had 2 surgeries by 2 different doctors and neither was successful. I was referred to Dr Schwartzbach in Feb 2019. After 2 nonunions I was skeptical but From the first appointment with Dr Schwartzbach I was impressed with his bed side manners, his care, empathy, confidence and knowledge. He spent a lot of time explaining what type of surgery I needed and said it might not work. The first surgery was in April with graft from my femur. Painful and long recovery but didn’t work. By that point I had spent 2 1/2 years 3 surgeries, pain and disappointments. In August of 2019 he discussed a procedure he thought it might work. He was honest he said it may not work. He explained he would do 2 surgeries within 6 weeks. I saw 2 more doctors and both told me I have 2% chance of recovery and both told me Dr Schwartzbach is the best trauma surgeon if he cannot fix it no one can. I did Agree to do 2 surgeries in Sep and Nov of last year. 2 weeks ago I found out my arm is healed. I will never be 100%. I have lots of hardware from shoulder to elbow, still have some pain, my arm is a bit shorter, I would not be able to play tennis or do some activities but I am so very happy that after all these painful years, 5 surgeries my arm is healed. It’s been a long painful depressing 3 1/2 years for me and my family. I have a deep gratitude for Dr Schwartzbach, I can never thank him enough. He is brilliant surgeon who is kind and caring. I fell on ice in 2016 and fractured my right arm. I had 2 surgeries by 2 different doctors and neither was successful. I was referred to Dr Schwartzbach in Feb 2019. After 2 nonunions I was skeptical but From the first appointment with Dr … More

Just wasted 30 minutes of my life calling this Dr. Office to meet (get appointment) with Dr Schwartzbach. I received a referral to have the Dr. take a look at my necessary hand surgery. Children (early 20's) answered the phone and wanted my primary Dr. to fax the referral to the insurance who would then fax to the office of Dr Cary Schwartzbach (Ring around the rosies) ---and when I explained, 1) it is simple- I want to meet the Dr. to see if I am comfortable with him specifically to preform my hand surgery, and I will pay private pay to meet- I was told, "we don't do the hand.".. "If you want the hand you have to get the referral faxed to the insurance and then we can give you a referral to do the hand." (What? If I want the hand????) When I asked how long the "manager" I was speaking to had been doing this, she said, "I just asked and they said you need the fax the referral to your insurance." No- I asked "How long have you been at your job?" She said in her early 20's tone, "long enough to know." Sorry- I need a professional Surgeon and a professional and knowledgeable office staff to *handle* my surgery. No thank you. I don't want to meet or talk to inexperienced children before meeting the surgeon. I want to talk with the doctor who will preform the surgery and decide weather or not I feel comfortable with him cutting into my hands. Just wasted 30 minutes of my life calling this Dr. Office to meet (get appointment) with Dr Schwartzbach. I received a referral to have the Dr. take a look at my necessary hand surgery. Children (early 20's) answered the phone and wanted … More

Dr. Schwartzbach is a Brilliant surgeon! After being turned down by three different surgeons and going through such tremendous pain! Dr. Schwartzbach was my light at the end of the tunnel. He made me feel safe! I cannot Thank him enough for relieving my pain!

Dr Cary rather than give any helpful information decided my nerve pain is exaggerated. Does not accept responsibility. Only call me a lier. How dare he say my pain is over exaggerated. He doesnt know know the pain hes put me through.

Awesome doctor.. the only specialist in the DMV in my case - scapula fracture and a bad collar bone fracture with 2 cracked ribs to go with it. He performed the surgery and with his guidance in rehab process - riding my bike again in less than 5 months. He is a straight talker and knows what he's doing and it might not appeal to snowflakes.. you just gotta trust him.. I did.. Thanks again doc! Awesome doctor.. the only specialist in the DMV in my case - scapula fracture and a bad collar bone fracture with 2 cracked ribs to go with it. He performed the surgery and with his guidance in rehab process - riding my bike again in less … More

I had a head on collision a few years back crushed my ankle and he and his colleague dr Schwartz were the surgeons that saved my life catching the blood clots in time and put my ankle back together after 6 hours of surgery. He was fantastic in every way but last month my son was in a motorcycle accident and guess who showed up to treat his badly injured elbow. A god sent at that moment of fear and hesitation for my son and me. He is one of The best drs I’ve ever met. His bedside manner and empathy puts his patients at ease. If I had to choose he would have been the one I wanted for my sons care but he showed up with his signature smile and recognized me right away .thank you dr Schwartzback and god bless. I had a head on collision a few years back crushed my ankle and he and his colleague dr Schwartz were the surgeons that saved my life catching the blood clots in time and put my ankle back together after 6 hours of surgery. He was … More

Had 2 ankle surgeries with him in the past year. Extremely pleased with the results. Very nice guy. Very knowledgeable and thorough.

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Not very happy with my surgery results. I liked Dr Schwartzbach, but i go there to see him, not some intern. When i requested to see the doctor they acted like i was putting everyone out and were then very brief with me.

Negatives: -The front desk staff all seem to hate life, they say as little as possible and all frown. When I feel terrible the last thing I want is to deal with a grouchy person. -On your first appointment you get x-rays before getting to talk to a doctor. You meet the intern under your doctor and then you see the doctor. You never see that doctor again unless they think you have a serious enough problem. -Each doctor in the office is only there one day a week so make sure you picked a day that works for you. If you say you need to switch because the day doesn't work for you it will turn into a big drama filled ordeal, which is ridiculous when you never see your doctor after the first appointment and you see a different intern each time. I never met the second doctor! I met all of his interns though. -If your problem doesn't seem big enough then you aren't important. -The one doctor I saw (C. Schwartzbach) wasn't friendly, wasn't caring and I didn't trust him. His intern could be good when he's got more experience under his belt. -When you're PT sends a progress report with concerns you're released and never asked to come in for a followup. Thanks for thinking of your patient. - You're charged the same cost to see a resident as you are to see the doctor. -A resident told me I could do something with fractures when I read that you shouldn't, it's sad when you trust Google more, than what you paid for. -I could call the office three times in a row and get a busy signal. Positives: -They gave me a diagnosis. -They got me a PT prescription. -My friend had knee surgery here and it was successful, but not everyone requires surgery and I feel everyone's problems should have the same value. I was still having problems after PT so I went elsewhere. I'm glad I did, they're great! Great doctors, thorough, caring, knowledgeable, no residents left in charge of my appointment, more thorough x-rays, no wait time, and it's cheaper. Negatives: -The front desk staff all seem to hate life, they say as little as possible and all frown. When I feel terrible the last thing I want is to deal with a grouchy … More

Dr. Schwartzbach attended to my husband's compound leg fracture after being hit by a taxi in Africa. He eliminated the bone infection that developed with several abradement surgeries and ultimately aligned all of his bones so that he is back to running and bike riding. Beside his expert surgical skills, his bedside manner put us all at ease. Dr. Schwartzbach attended to my husband's compound leg fracture after being hit by a taxi in Africa. He eliminated the bone infection that developed with several abradement surgeries and ultimately aligned all of his bones so that he is … More

While Dr. Schwartzbach is good, his surgical scheduler is terrible. I had a surgery years before Dr. Schwartzbach joined INOVA and was very pleased with the results and his office staff. I have had a terrible time with his surgical scheduler, who never sent me the paperwork for my pre surgical physical with my internist. My internist faxed her the results of the physical 4-5 times and she claimed she never received it. After numerous emails and calls, I asked my internist for another surgeon

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