Patient Testimonials

I had been having a left sided headache since November 2012, which was nine months ago. I never had any significant headaches in my life, and I was very active and had run several marathons. Once this headache started, it changed me and zapped all of my energy and I just wanted to go to bed and rest. The headache would not wake me at night but it was there when I woke up, it remained throughout the day, and it was there when I went to bed. I had seen seven other doctors but I was referred to Dr. Hirschinger by a neurologist, who was the seventh doctor I had seen. I didn't have a lot of hope that I was ever going to be free of the pain when I walked into his office in Beverly Hill’s. I was wrong, thankfully! Dr. Hirschinger spent a lot of time with me, asking about all my past doctors and past treatments, which included everything from acupuncture to neurologists to dentists to chiropractors. I had several MRI’s and CT’s of my brain and nothing showed up that gave anyone any answers to why I had such a chronic headache. I had previously received pain medications that left me feeling sick on top of the pain I was having, and none of the medications helped to relieve the headache, which was in my temple and also into my left eye. Dr. Hirschinger was the eighth doctor I had seen and he gave me a very thorough exam, he listened to me, and I began to have a glimmer of hope that I would possibly get the pain free life that I was seeking. He was able to reproduce the pain when he examined the muscles in my head and neck during his exam. After giving me trigger point injections in my jaw and in my temples, I walked out of his office 100% pain free for the first time after being in pain for nine months solid. He is what all doctors should be. He is knowledgeable, a listener, compassionate and he has a great bedside manner. Instead of shrugging his shoulders saying he did not know what to do, which I had received from some doctors, he gave me answers and quite literally, my life back! Dr. Hirschinger is a hero in my eyes and I would not hesitate one bit to recommend him to friends and family. I drove over 90 minutes to see him at his Beverly Hills office, and I can't thank him enough for what he has done for me. Anyone who has been in chronic pain will understand the desperation I felt and the hope that is lost that the pain will subside and the question if your life will ever get better. Dr. Hirschinger gave me that hope and I am well on my way back into the world of the living, and I even went on a 4.5 mile run last night, which was my first run of the year!

Bonnie P.
Ventura, California

One day I couldn't open my jaw past a certain point. I was convinced it was a TMJ joint issue and that it needed to be realigned. I had no pain, but the inconvenience was extreme and unsettling, affecting my eating and talking. My dentist couldn't identify the cause and recommended UCLA Orofacial Pain Clinic. Dr. Rich Hirschinger asked a lot of questions and ran a series of hands-on tests, and quickly determined it was a muscle problem, not joint-related. I was astounded, and doubtful, but his tests and x-rays proved my jaw bones were fine. He prescribed a routine of regular jaw and neck stretches, and a temporary alteration in my diet to minimize the strain to my jaw muscles. Almost immediately my jaw regained normal function, and after a month or two was back to normal. I still do my jaw exercises to keep my muscles stretched and prevent the pain that I had from happening again. Dr. Hirschinger's confidence, obvious skill, and easy-going demeanor put me right at ease. From the moment I met him I knew we were on the same team and that we were going to solve this problem together. I highly recommend Dr. Hirschinger, and encourage anyone to see him at his private practice in Beverly Hills, CA.

Lara
Redondo Beach, CA

When you are having the worst migraine of your life, and you are not sure if you should go to the hospital (that hasn't helped!) or shoot yourself in the head, have Dr. Hirschinger's number on your nightstand, under your triptans and ice-packs. If you suffer from Migraines, you will have a new life that you never knew you could have, if you are able to get into this doctor. He is a "boutique" expert, who does home visits in L.A. Dr. Hirschinger is at the VERY TOP of the food chain for all doctors related to head/face pain: this is WHAT HE DOES, and he does it well. I am a lifetime Migrainer - you may know the head-in-a-vice, hammering, intense, nausea: trying triptan after triptan, nasals, subliminal, acupuncture, accupressure/massage, chiropractor, neurologists, shall I go on? Focusing on myofascial pain, he knows absolutely the every thing there is to know in this specialty -- (he also diagnosed a severe jaw pain I had been living with for 20 years which every other doctor called "TMJ", but was actually this a condition called trigeminal neuralgia). His diagnostic skill is unparalleled - he is incisive, specific, clever, out-of-the-box. His migraine treatment is customized to you and brilliant. He has a variety of treatments. One time I went in, he gave me local, specific shots in my head/neck that knocked out my migraine INSTANTLY. The second time I met him, my husband called him and had him enter into my dark-curtains-closed bedroom, where I lay, with the vice-grip migraine. He gently came in and sat by my bed, quietly asking me simple, pointed questions, upon which he gave me an intense spray treatment (releasing a layer of the facial/neck/shoulder muscle pain) a shot in my leg, and left me (my husband) with instructions/treatments/info, that I had not heard before (after many specialists)! Oh yeah, and when he left, the migraine left with him.

Erin D. Los Angeles, CA

I have been suffering from headaches for years. Some are so severe that I could not do anything. Long story but I was referred to Dr. Hirschinger. I saw him for nearly two years and in that time, he taught me what was happening in my jaw, how it was affecting the rest of my body, and what I needed to do, and stop doing, to help reduce the number of migraines and other types of headaches I was getting. Since I started seeing him, I do not have as many headaches as I used to, and even some months I have NONE! I am so happy I met this wonderful doctor as he has helped my quality of life improve by leaps and bounds. Thank you Dr. Rich!

Susie K.
Valencia, CA