A conversation about your symptoms
Dr. Zalikha asks about your pain, limitations, and goals, and how the problem affects daily life.
Dr. Zalikha completed an adult reconstruction fellowship at Stanford Medicine, training specifically in hip replacement and knee replacement, including complex revision surgery. His practice is built around those operations rather than general orthopedics, and he uses modern, tissue-sparing techniques such as the direct anterior approach for the hip and robotic-assisted planning. For many Westminster and Garden Grove residents, a few extra minutes on the freeway is a reasonable trade for a surgeon whose entire focus is the hip and the knee.
Westminster and Garden Grove together form the heart of Little Saigon, and language can matter as much as logistics when you are planning surgery. If you or a family member would prefer to discuss your care in a language other than English, you are welcome to raise that when you call the office so it can be worked out as part of scheduling. This page is written for Westminster and Garden Grove patients specifically: how to get to the Long Beach office, where surgery actually happens, what your first visit looks like, and answers to the questions people from your area ask most. To get started, you can request an appointment or call the office directly.
Getting Here
From Westminster and Garden Grove the office is a short, mostly freeway drive of about 15 to 20 minutes — the practice sits on Atlantic Ave in central Long Beach, just across the Orange County line. The trip is anchored by the I-405 North, with the Atlantic Avenue exit dropping you about 1.5 miles north of the office. The directions below cover the most direct routes from each city.
- From Westminster: Take Westminster Blvd or Bolsa Ave west to the I-405 North. Follow the 405 toward Long Beach and exit at Atlantic Avenue, then head south on Atlantic. The office is on Atlantic Ave between Willow St and Wardlow Rd, about 1.5 miles south of the exit.
- From Garden Grove: Take the 22 West to the I-405 North, then stay on the 405 to the Atlantic Avenue exit and head south on Atlantic. The office is on Atlantic Ave between Willow St and Wardlow Rd, roughly 1.5 miles south of the exit.
- At the Atlantic Avenue exit: From the Atlantic Avenue exit, head south on Atlantic toward central Long Beach for roughly 1.5 miles. The office is on the right at 2760 Atlantic Ave, between Willow St and Wardlow Rd.
- Drive time: Plan on about 15 to 20 minutes from most of Westminster and Garden Grove outside of peak traffic.
- Parking: Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the building.
Where Dr. Zalikha Operates
MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center
A full-service medical center in Long Beach equipped for inpatient joint replacement surgery. Patients who stay overnight after hip or knee replacement recover here with dedicated nursing support and inpatient physical therapy.
Surgery Center of Long Beach
An outpatient surgery center designed for same-day surgical procedures. Eligible patients undergoing outpatient hip replacement or outpatient knee replacement have their surgery here and return home the same day.
DISC Sports & Spine Center at Marina del Rey
On the Westside in Marina del Rey, DISC Sports & Spine Center is a premier outpatient surgery center with one of the most technologically advanced surgical suites in Southern California, designed for minimally invasive, same-day procedures. It gives patients across greater Los Angeles another setting where Dr. Zalikha operates.
For a Westminster or Garden Grove patient, having both Long Beach options at the end of the same short drive matters. The same-day pathway at the Surgery Center of Long Beach means many eligible patients are home in Orange County recovering within hours of an outpatient procedure — while MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center provides full hospital-grade backup and an overnight stay when a procedure or a patient’s health calls for it. Both Long Beach facilities sit beside the I-405 corridor you already travel for your office visit, so family from Westminster and Garden Grove can visit without a long trip.
Why Westminster patients travel a few minutes for fellowship-trained care
Westminster and Garden Grove both have orthopedic care nearby, so the honest question is why drive across the county line at all. The answer is the depth of specialization. Dr. Zalikha’s practice is dedicated to hip and knee replacement rather than general orthopedics, and the 15 to 20 minutes it takes to reach Long Beach buys a level of training and focus that is hard to match closer to home — the same reasons patients drive in from much further across Orange County.
Fellowship-level specialization
Dr. Zalikha completed an adult reconstruction fellowship at Stanford Medicine, training specifically in hip and knee replacement. That is a narrower, deeper focus than a general orthopedic surgeon provides, and it is the single biggest reason patients from Westminster and Garden Grove make the short trip.
Revision and complex case expertise
Patients with a failed hip replacement, a failed knee replacement, a prosthetic joint infection, or a periprosthetic fracture need a surgeon trained for those harder situations — the kind of work many general practices refer out. Dr. Zalikha trained on these cases at Stanford and manages them regularly.
Modern technique and technology
Dr. Zalikha performs hip replacements through the direct anterior approach and uses robotic-assisted technology for hip procedures, as well as robotic assistance in knee replacement. These are modern, tissue-sparing techniques aimed at accurate component placement, not add-ons billed as gimmicks.
A second opinion before you decide
If you have already been told elsewhere that you need a hip or knee replacement, it is reasonable to want a second perspective from a fellowship-trained specialist first. For Westminster and Garden Grove patients who want that review without an immediate trip, a Virtual Second Opinion lets Dr. Zalikha review your imaging and records before you commit to anything, with an in-person visit easy to add when one is needed.
Worth the short drive from Westminster & Garden Grove
For a Westminster or Garden Grove resident, the practical math is simple: roughly 15 to 20 minutes up the I-405 in exchange for a surgeon whose entire focus is hip and knee replacement. It is a short, familiar drive most patients make without rearranging their day — and the same drive carries through to surgery and follow-up at the Long Beach facilities.
Have a question that isn’t covered here? The office is happy to walk you through it — request an appointment or call (562) 362-5024. If you have had a previous hip or knee procedure elsewhere, bringing your operative reports and implant records to the visit is helpful.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
Your first visit as a new Westminster or Garden Grove patient typically moves through five quick steps:
A physical examination
He will assess your range of motion, strength, stability, and gait.
A review of your imaging
X-rays are taken in the office if you don’t have recent ones, then reviewed with you.
A discussion of your options
Based on the exam and imaging, Dr. Zalikha will explain the diagnosis and walk through the available treatment options, starting with nonsurgical approaches when appropriate.
A plan
You will leave with a clear understanding of the recommended next steps, whether that is physical therapy, an injection, further imaging, or surgical planning.
Request an Appointment with Dr. Zalikha or call (562) 362-5024. For patients outside the area Virtual Second Opinion is available.