Peter I-Kung Wu

MD PhD

Physical medicine and pain medicine specialist

Dr. Peter I-Kung Wu is a specialist in pain medicine and physical medicine, a field that focuses on improving or restoring physical function. He cares for patients with chronic back, neck and other kinds of musculoskeletal pain. Using ultrasound and X-ray technologies, he performs image-guided injections to alleviate pain. He further applies regenerative therapies, such as platelet-rich plasma, which involves injecting a concentrated sample of the patient's own platelets (blood factors involved in healing) to accelerate the repair of musculoskeletal tissues.

In research, Wu is interested in studying the relationship between spine mechanics and low back pain. Other interests include studying outcomes for patients who receive minimally invasive spine treatments and developing new therapies for back pain and other musculoskeletal pain conditions.

Wu earned his doctorate degree in mechanical and medical engineering at a joint program of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He completed a fellowship in pain medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, also a Harvard affiliate.

  • Education

    Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD, Mechanical and Medical Engineering, 2008

    Stanford University School of Medicine, 2013

  • Residencies

    Harvard Medical School, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2017

  • Fellowships

    Harvard Medical School, Pain Medicine, 2018

  • Board Certifications

    Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

  • Academic Title

    Associate Professor

Where I see patients (3)

    My reviews

    4.7

    Overall Experience
    421 Ratings
    About our process
    Sep 29, 2024
    Dr. Wu was profession, caring and did a great job.
    Sep 23, 2024
    Excellent communication by care provider.
    Sep 11, 2024
    Dr. Woo offered an intelligent discussion regarding the condition, and was not dismissive or condescending as I find many doctors to be. I often find doctors who come across as if they feel their patients are too stupid to understand what they're talking about. Not so with Dr. Wu.
    Sep 05, 2024
    Dr. Woo was easy to talk to, and he made an effort to understand my point of view l About balancing his approach with that of symptom management. I appreciate it how he listened to me and we had a good discussion on this subject
    Sep 03, 2024
    I have the utmost confidence in the skill of my provider. That said, although I generally understand *what* he is saying, I sometimes struggle to understand what he *means*. For example, I sometimes don't understand the ramifications of what he is telling me, so it makes it hard for me to make a decision or to understand what is next. The nice thing is, he is not at all condescending. But the down side is that his explanations are very technical, in my opinion.
    Aug 31, 2024
    EXCEPTIONAL
    Aug 24, 2024
    I have already recommended Dr. Wu to 2 other people
    Aug 09, 2024
    A great doctor!
    Aug 05, 2024
    He's the most caring doctor that I've met
    Jun 14, 2024
    I am very grateful for Dr Wu. I've been treated by many MDs over 4 yrs & Dr Wu is by far the best. He genuinely cares, gathers All information he needs, discusses all options, recommends treatment, is absolutely an advocate on behalf of his patients in every way & achieves great results. Lastly, he follows up! Dr Wu is excellent & I highly recommend hm
    Jun 14, 2024
    I felt listened to, heard and respected and felt Dr Wu had not made judgements re: me or my care prior to meeting me. It was obvious that he had reviewed my chart, Including the forms that I was asked to complete on arrival. I did not at all feel that he had a condescending attitude. I look forward to working with Dr. Wu in making decisions together for my future care.
    Jun 05, 2024
    Dr. Wu showed little empathy, did not seem interested in getting to know me as a person, and seemed slightly annoyed when I interrupted him once or twice to ask questions. I don't expect to have my hand held but it would be nice to feel like something other than anonymous patient number 19,283.
    May 08, 2024
    Dr. Wu seemed like he was in a rush to get out of the appointment. I don't find him empathetic and would not recommend him for pain management care.
    Apr 18, 2024
    He listened and offered up realistic options for me
    Mar 28, 2024
    Very generous with his time. I was the last patient .
    Jan 05, 2024
    Apparent lack of interest in patient's concerns and questions. It was as if the provider was late for something and just wanted to finish the appointment. Answers were not helpful and there was no indication that the provider is making an effort in working for the patient not for the insurance companies.
    Jan 04, 2024
    Dr. Wu is always kind and and gives me the best treatment.
    Dec 29, 2023
    The provider informed me that we only had 15 minutes and I needed to tell him what I was there for so we could go over within the time frame. Very Kurt and non-communicative.
    Dec 15, 2023
    This doctor was great!
    Dec 15, 2023
    He was patient, he listened very attentively and answered all my questions in simple ways,he also addressed all my concerns
    Dec 08, 2023
    He's great!
    Nov 04, 2023
    Really appreciated the follow up call regarding my concerns about a severe reaction to contrast dye. Dr. Wu listened and took the time to follow up.
    Oct 15, 2023
    Did not have complete tx plan. Held up by insurance review as to coverage.
    Oct 13, 2023
    Insurance is denying treatment this doctor recommended but I'm being asked to take the burden of battling the Insurance company or paying for more treatment unnecessarily. I did not feel advocated for.
    Oct 06, 2023
    He is a great doctor
    Sep 19, 2023
    I felt like I had to ask lots of questions to find out how the follow-up steps informed each other.
    Sep 08, 2023
    Dr Wu is very patient and compassionate. I'm very grateful he is assigned as my care provider. I feel I can trust him, unlike so many care providers in the past.
    Sep 08, 2023
    Great communicator, great "bedside manner" skills
    Sep 02, 2023
    I had supplied an MRI. While in the room it was the first time he had looked at the MRI, I believe he should have assessed before the visit. I thought that was not very professional.
    Sep 01, 2023
    I have already recommended him to my physical therapist. Dr Wu is without a doubt one of the most caring, communicative, well informed, thorough and open minded doctors I have ever seen and and I have seen many! He is an exemplar for the medical profession of what is means to be a true and implicit healer!
    Aug 14, 2023
    Dr Wu is the best physiatrist I have seen. He is working his way through his differential diagnosis, which is quite comprehensive.
    Aug 12, 2023
    My experience with Dr. Wu was excellent. His bedside manner is outstanding, he is very respectful and informative.
    Aug 03, 2023
    My problems are complex. I think they did there best.
    Jul 21, 2023
    Dr. Wu is well trained, experienced and gives me confidence in his care.
    Jul 07, 2023
    My doctor was late, then asked why I even had an appointment (it was a follow-up appointment). When I explained to him that I made an additional appointment (in the future) with another UCSF doctor for a spinal injection, he asked why I didn't make it with him (according to the scheduler - my doctor was unavailable until late August). Then I asked why I needed to have someone take me home after the injection and he said that it was standard procedure to be lightly sedated for the spinal injection, but then said that I didn't need to be sedated if I didn't want to be. This was very confusing and I didn't receive much insight as to what I should do. The entire follow-up appointment was very confusing and to be honest, a waste of my time. It did not feel like the doctor was at all prepared for my appointment and only looked at my chart when he actually was in front of me.
    Jul 03, 2023
    I asked "how will this diagnosis affect my life?" And "how does this diagnosis affect my other disabling conditions?" I didn't receive an answer to either . The doctor did recommend treatment which I will try. But I wish doctors could better understand how these things interact.
    Jun 28, 2023
    Dr Wu is extremely knowledgeable- has a thorough differential diagnosis, and has a well organized plan to work through the possibilities. I could not be more fortunate than to find him to be my doctor for my debilitating condition. I have hope!
    Jun 23, 2023
    Dr.wu,Great DOCTOR, THANK YOU, FOR Caring.
    Jun 01, 2023
    I was not happy when the procedure was over, my leg turned numb to the point that I could not drive or really even walk very well. When I called for Dr. Wu to come back, he told me that this was to be expected and I shouldn't worry about it.The problem is that I needed to drive home, and that I would have not driven myself had I known I would have to wait some time before driving. This is something that would've been very useful to me to know beforehand.
    May 27, 2023
    Excellent provider.
    May 25, 2023
    Dr. Wu is excellent. I felt comfortable asking any questions I had and he listened carefully to my responses and never hurried me along.
    May 20, 2023
    We were successful with the treatment we used
    May 19, 2023
    Dr. Wu looked exhausted. He communicated clearly and his comments were thorough but he is not warm and I ended up feeling like he was annoyed with me.
    May 12, 2023
    Dr. Wu is very helpful His concerns are the same as mine. Hopefully we can get my Issue resolved.
    May 12, 2023
    I could not be more happy with the medical attention I received from UCSF
    Apr 29, 2023
    Thank you, Dr. I Kung Wu!
    Apr 22, 2023
    Dr. Wu was most helpful and a good listener
    Apr 17, 2023
    I was just another peace of meat
    Apr 11, 2023
    I think dry needle treatment is an excellent idea. It marries acupuncture like treatment with Western medicine. I love Dr. Wu.
    Apr 09, 2023
    The doctor was in a hurry, he didn't sit down, he was not relaxed. I've been in pain for a year and it was just disappointing that the poor guy was so harried. He didn't show me anything on my mri. I left feeling confused and wondering if I needed a second opinion
    Mar 25, 2023
    Dr. Wu is personable and has provided good treatment thus far, but I would appreciate it if he were better prepared for my appointments (e.g. Reading my chart & being familiar with my case before entering the room) and more hands-on with assessment.
    Mar 22, 2023
    Dr Wu was great once we saw him. I still have not received the follow up order that I need however, 24 hours after our appointment.
    Mar 22, 2023
    I requested to be transfered out to a different provider ive stuck with this provider for more than a year now no progress
    Mar 16, 2023
    Felt comfortable.
    Mar 05, 2023
    I,thank my provider, from the bottom of my heart for being there for me, and helping me with my issues
    Mar 02, 2023
    It's very good experience to have doctor Wu to stop my pain.
    Feb 24, 2023
    Dr. Wu is always kind and considerate!
    Feb 23, 2023
    Excellent!
    Dec 23, 2022
    Dr. Wu is a very kind and attentive doctor who lis very caring.
    Dec 22, 2022
    One of my favorite doctors!
    Dec 19, 2022
    Dr. Wu was very good about responding to my questions. But I felt like I was doing most of the work getting information out of him, whereas he could have explained more on his own about my conditions and treatment options.
    Dec 11, 2022
    The doctor is very carefully land detailed.
    Dec 05, 2022
    Clear and thoughtful.
    Dec 03, 2022
    The provider recommended physical therapy. However, he did not send the physical therapy order to anyone so that they could give it to me. I still do not have the PT order and so cannot schedule an appointment to start the physical therapy treatment. I am very upset about this.
    Dec 02, 2022
    Love my Dr. He is amazing! He informs me of every detail of my medicalSituation.
    Nov 30, 2022
    Impressed with UCSF health
    Nov 24, 2022
    He's a good doctor and has a great bedside manner.
    Nov 23, 2022
    Extremely thorough. Listened carefully & excellent technique for injection
    Nov 20, 2022
    I'd appreciate more active listening and a better explanation of test results and treatment procedures.
    Nov 19, 2022
    Dr. Wu was very thorough in his examination as well as his explanations. I really appreciated the time he took in explaining what was happening as well as the treatments available. Much more than very good, I would have to say excellent care.
    Nov 19, 2022
    He is very patient and caring.

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