Podiatry Associates of Florida - SOUTHSIDE | Dr. Harold Cesar, DPM.

Great adjectives--prompt, personable, knowledgeable, professional, thorough, encouraging. The receptionist is very patient and accommodating, as well. So tickled to have found this practice.

Dr Cesar responded to a review my husband posted (about me) stating what he shared was unfair and misleading. I don’t enjoy public confrontation but must address it. Dr Cesar stated he was the only physician willing to help me, that’s completely untrue. I saw another Dr whom I loved (Dr B Pearce) prior to seeing him but she left her practice so I needed someone new, Dr Cesar was only my second referral. He insisted I’d be better with this “simple procedure” so after two years of contemplation and his confidence in the procedure, I went forward. He stated that nerve damage is impossible but Mayo, SE ortho and JOI all stated the nerves can be damaged anytime we are cut. It was determined in my case, not by my own “claims” but by a painful diagnostic exam conducted by a Dr at Jax Spine who reported one of the branches of nerves is not firing at all “under the incision” (his office was provided the report). All Dr’s I’ve seen have STRONGLY disagreed with where the incision was placed, ALL of them. I don’t know who’s right, I just know I’m in far worse shape than prior to the surgery and still have the pre surgery pain, too. The only surgical option is exploratory in an attempt to view what’s happened but caution the risk could be worse damage. I asked Dr Cesar about complications over and over and he never mentioned scar tissue or anything else. Scar tissue IS a reasonable cause for post surgical pain as his response stated however not ONE Dr. can actually feel or see ANY on the numerous MRI’s I’ve endured (I also supplied all of the MRI’s and the reports to Dr Cesar’s office ). If at any point scar tissue is revealed, I will gladly retract my review (and my husband’s) but despite what the Dr has stated, scar tissue hasn’t been found. Furthermore many of the practitioners I’ve seen since this happened, don’t believe I even had PF- which I also continuously asked Dr Cesar. I was not presenting with standard symptoms and every time I asked if he was SURE this was PF, he answered “what else could it be?” It’s unfortunate that the Dr has responded to my husband’s review stating that what I’ve gone through has been inaccurate or “misleading.” This is sadly how he responded when we first knew there was an issue (directly after the boot was removed); a jarring defensive/ insulted demeanor. When expressing concerns seeking clarification post surgery, you expect your Dr to be caring and helpful but that was not his conduct at all. Dr. Cesar will never comprehend what’s been a horrible year full of trauma, stress, hopelessness and unrelenting pain. I can no longer walk around the neighborhood, travel, run, play tennis or walk the beach without pain, I can’t stand for long periods of time, wear 99% of my shoes, I can no longer do most anything that I could do before the surgery, without throbbing discomfort. I live everyday terrified that my choices are disabled or, possibly more disabled. I’m a busy mom who just wanted to remove what he said was PF pain that could “easily” be solved. I’ve had many surgeries over the course of my life and have never had a complaint, never. Its been over a year and there is no end in sight. Ultimately you decide who trust your body and health to, this was simply my experience and the reality is, it’s been devastating. Had the Dr shown an ounce of compassion and concern AFTER the surgery like he did prior, it would’ve made a difference but he became angry instead. I understand the Dr likely feels the review affects his reputation but that’s not the intent. The surgery has affected my entire family’s life, and the initial review was posted bc my husband doesn’t wish this upon anyone. As patients we don’t have any other way to inform or help one another and while I suppose some reviews might be “unfair”, I believe most people don’t write them out of malice. People expect to receive quality medical care and never look back. However, when something goes deeply ary, it’s in our hearts to want to prevent others from pain and life altering consequences. Best of luck.

PLEASE BEWARE! Dr Cesar operated on my wife’s foot over a year ago now and she has been in tremendous pain ever since. We saw him for two years over what he said was plantar fasciitis. My wife had tried everything but he kept encouraging her to get a release stating after 8 weeks, she’d be back to running and resuming a pain free life. She was very nervous about the surgery and scheduled and canceled it 4x. Dr Cesar assured her it was a “10 minute procedure” and insisted she was wasting time living in pain when she could easily remedy the issue with this surgical procedure. From the moment she put her foot down after removing the boot, she was in terrible NEW pain. When questioned, Dr Cesar was no longer the nice guy and became highly defensive stating we were “blaming him,” and became agitated. He told us that whatever my wife was feeling was due to “her body,” and that it would “take time.” It been a year, countless second opinions, PT, OT, Dry Needling, all sorts of different shoes, thousands of dollars and she has not gotten any better. Mayo, JOI and Southeast Ortho have ALL said she will not be returned to pre surgery condition. A nerve conduction test shows that a nerve was severed despite Dr Cesar stating it was “her body.” My wife lives in constant pain in the foot he operated on, specifically right under the incision. If she wants any chance of being pain free from what happened from Dr Cesar, she has to open the foot up again via an explanatory surgery to try and fix what went wrong. It comes with horrible risks and she is left feeling more disabled then prior to Dr. Cesar’s operation. She went back to see Dr Cesar a few months ago and was put in with another doctor. There’s been no call from Cesar; no apology, no concern, no help. It’s been devastating.

My daughter has ingrown toenails, and so we went to see Dr. Cesar. His front office staff were very welcoming and nice, and then Dr. Cesar took wonderful care of her. She was pretty scared at 10 years old, but he calmed her nerves and got the procedure over with quickly. I'd highly recommend this office and Dr. Cesar!

I scheduled my first appointment with Dr. Cesar and was seen on 8/29/23. Dr. Cesar and his office staff was wonderful. The atmosphere was very welcoming for me. I was referred to him by a friend of mine. When I tell you all of the information that was given to me about Dr. Cesar was all true indeed. He is very knowledgeable and advised me of everything that has been going on with my foot and ankle. Where I have been to two other specialist and they did none of this and was not able to tell me the problem at all. They even had me go for an MRI and still nothing. All Dr. Cesar did was complete and X-ray on both my feet and ankles and he was able to diagnose everything. I am so happy that I schedule to see him and now I feel so much better knowing what is wrong and ready to do everything that he needs me to do so I can feel better and get rid of this pain. Thank you Dr. Cesar, you are one of the best here in Jax, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to meet you and your staff!