Patient Testimonials

I would like to give a huge thank you to Dr. Ryan, her team, and the specialists I have worked with at Twin Cities Orthopedics. Everyone provided exceptional patient care while being very empathetic and understanding of my situation. Dr. Ryan always had my best interest in mind and never lost sight of it. I cannot thank her and her team enough for their amazing personal care. Keep being great at what you do!

Everything with my finger surgery went great. Dr. Dwivedi did an excellent job explaining things before and after my surgery. My finger is healing well, the swelling is going down, and occupational therapy has been beneficial. I would give him five stars!

A year ago, I tore the ACL, meniscus, and cartilage in my knee while skiing. Dr. Ockuly said it was a major surgery, and if all went well, I would be off crutches in six weeks. Ski season was obviously over but hopefully I could recover in time to enjoy spring break with my family. Six weeks later, I was walking with a cane. Three days after that, I was able to board a plane. It wasn’t too much longer before I was walking freely with just a brace. Here I am a year later having just returned from a three-day ski trip. The informative care and bedside manner I received from Dr. Ockuly’s team was second to none. The TCO physical therapists, even the front office staff, made me feel like I was the most important person in their day. I cannot stress how critical their role played in my physical and mental recovery. Every step and every person I encountered throughout this process was exceptional. I cannot recommend TCO enough.

I broke my collarbone in a cycling accident this fall. Prior to the accident, I had separated my shoulder on the same side as the collarbone break about two decades ago. I had the surgery completed by another physician in the Twin Cities at a different practice. The physician installed a “hook plate” to set my collarbone and repair my separated shoulder. I was taking a huge amount of ibuprofen, Tylenol, and oxycodone to reduce the pain to a manageable level, yet it was still extremely difficult to sleep.

After enduring extraordinary pain for over a month, I decided to get a second opinion from Dr. O’Keefe at Twin Cities Orthopedics. At my first appointment Dr. O’Keefe analyzed my problem quickly and suggested a plan of action. He suggested removing the plate and installing a “tight rope” device to secure my shoulder to relieve pain and increase my range of motion. With my other provider I felt like I fell through the cracks even though I communicated how much pain I was experiencing. This was not the case with Dr. O’Keefe.

Just four days after my surgery with Dr. O’Keefe, I was able to stop taking pain medication entirely. He changed my life because I was finally able to sleep again. I could also feel that my range of motion was not limited by the plate. During my post-op appointment, Dr. O’Keefe’s PA, Beth, took as much time as needed to answer all my questions thoroughly. I would recommend Dr. O’Keefe and his team without hesitation.

My surgery went very well and Dr. Dwivedi did a great job explaining things. My recovery is going so well that I am pretty much back to normal. Thank you to Dr. Dwivedi and his team!

My husband and I both had surgery done by Dr. Dwivedi and we couldn’t be more pleased. He is easy to talk to and he did great work! I no longer have numbness in my hands and arms at night. Overall, I am very happy!

Dr. Bircher did a great job, and he is a real nice guy. I would recommend him for anyone who needs a knee replacement.

From my first visit with Dr. Shashank Dwivedi he was personable, professional, and very informative. He made sure I fully understood the condition of my thumb and the surgery that would fix it. During the procedure, he continued to explain each step, which was especially reassuring since I was not under anesthesia. His clear communication and calming manner made the entire experience very positive. I highly recommend Dr. Dwivedi.

I was diagnosed with a “frozen” shoulder and was recommended to start physical therapy first. I was very resistant. I just wanted to take a pill and have the pain gone. Since that wasn’t going to happen, I got in contact with Twin Cities Orthopedics in Staples. They were very flexible with scheduling, and easy to work with. They explained why they were scheduling me with two different therapists. If one was gone, the other one can step right in and already know what my treatment plan was. I thought that was brilliant and very forward thinking. The facility is very clean and the equipment was impressive. Allyson Sima and Peyton Landowski were my therapists. They were very kind, gentle, and very respectful regarding my pain. They truly do listen and want to work with patients. The key with them is, “working with you”. I really can’t say enough about TCO Staples. It’s a great facility with great therapists. I would highly recommend them!

My journey to a full knee replacement began in 1998 when I tore my ACL playing league basketball with some friends. The surgery and recovery went great, but mentally it took a few years before I returned to playing.

Around 2015, I began feeling pain in my kneecap area. A patellar band helped for a while, but over the next year the pain increased enough that I saw a knee specialist. After hearing my history and symptoms, he believed arthritis and bone spurs were setting in, which imaging confirmed. He explained that the ACL injury and surgery often accelerate this kind of deterioration.

Over the following years, the pain slowly increased as soft tissue deteriorated. I tried physical therapy, scope surgeries, and cortisone shots. They helped, but it was clear I was heading toward a full knee replacement. Because of my age, my doctor encouraged me to wait as long asI felt I could, which was a scary moment.

About two years ago, I finally felt limited enough that I knew it was time to seriously consider getting an artificial knee, but how do you find the right doctor? It’s easy to look up reviews for movies, restaurants, or contractors, but in the medical field it’s much harder. Reviews are also so dependent on personal experience, which may not reflect what I would encounter.

Fortunately, I have a friend who provides equipment used in operating rooms. With extensive exposure to orthopedic surgeons, he recommended three that he would ‘send his own mother to.’ That helped me narrow things down quickly. I was able to schedule a consult with Dr. Brian Bjerke at TCO. He gave me a full rundown of the surgery and recovery. I was scared and nervous, but he gave me a confidence and optimism I didn’t have before.

From the beginning, it was made clear that while the surgeon matters tremendously, my success depended just as much on me. I needed to be as strong and flexible as possible going into surgery and remain consistent with PT afterwards. Some of the bad stories I’d heard involved patients who didn’t do that.

About nine months before surgery, I started working out. Because of the pain, I hadn’t been doing much, so I searched YouTube for exercises I could manage and found chair workouts. I did them daily from January to July. I saw major improvements in strength, flexibility, and even pain. At my consult, Dr. Bjerke confirmed I was ready. I also did four PT sessions before surgery to learn the exercises I’d be doing after.

I give the entire TCO team tremendous credit. I’m also extremely proud of the work I put in pre-and post-surgery. Because of that, I was at or ahead of schedule on all my milestones. Within a month, I was doing near-normal activities again: working in the yard, my workshop, around the house, and attending my son’s high school games.

The entire process was scary, but I am so happy with the results. I want to share my experience so others can have the same confidence as they go through their own journey.