Patient Testimonials

I’m so grateful for the excellent care I received from Dr. Gilbertson after I fell and rebroke my hip and femur. Because I was a trauma surgery patient, I was apprehensive about the surgery and who my surgeon would be. I realized how fortunate I was that Dr. Gilbertson was the trauma surgeon on call. My recovery has been challenging, but the care received from TCO staff has been great. Dr. Gilbertson’s bedside manner is very good. I highly recommend him and TCO.

What I thought was just an ankle sprain, turned into a life threatening emergency. After the swelling went down on my foot, I thought everything was good. Turns out, I had broken my foot and was unaware the bone had become infected. As the infection became worse, I started to feel extremely sick and ended up in the emergency room. Thanks to TCO’s Dr. TJ Ridley, they found the issue and immediately prepped me for surgery. I remember Dr. Ridley looking at the MRI and saying, “This surgery has gone from trying to save your foot, to saving your life.”

Due to the severe infection, I needed a below the knee amputation. It was a shock, but considering the alternative, there was nothing else to do. I spent 6 days in the hospital, and it took two surgeries to make sure I was clear of the infection. Dr. Ridley assured me I would be up and walking before too long, and after a few weeks of recovery at home, I was able to get the staples removed. Things were progressing nicely and Dr. Ridley referred me to some amazing people who fitted for my prosthetic leg.

By the time I had a follow up appointment with Dr. Ridley, I was able to walk into his office without aid of crutches or a cane. My goal was to be able to walk on my own by Christmas and I’m proud to say I accomplished just that. I have now finished up my physical therapy, and my life is pretty much back to normal. Dr. Ridley and his staff were excellent to work with, always available to answer any questions I had, and helped me maintain a positive attitude, which I believe helped my recovery. I can’t say thank you enough. You literally saved my life.

Watch Bill’s Story Here: https://streamable.com/getje6

I’m so lucky Dr. Lewis was on duty when I fell ice skating and fractured my right femur. He is kind and caring and has a lot of expertise. My leg has three big pins, but feels normal with no more pain. I was a lucky person.

Imagine being sledded down a mountain “blue” ski run headfirst by ski patrol, while being wrapped up like a mummy, with a newly splinted leg! That was the beginning of my comeback story. The ambulance ride to Vail Hospital was brief and the emergency room staff quickly diagnosed the seriousness of my injury—a complete quadriceps tendon tear!

My choice was to either have immediate reconstructive surgery there or back in Minnesota. After conferring with my home doctor, the logical decision was to fly home and have the surgery and subsequent aftercare along with physical therapy, all at Twin Cities Orthopedics. I left Vail immediately, with a splinted leg and crutches, and was back in Minneapolis the next morning, en route to the Blaine TCO Urgent Care Center that also has surgical and physical therapy teams. Once there, I was examined and the Vail diagnosis was confirmed. My surgery was scheduled and following my pre-op physical, I arrived back at the Blaine TCO for surgery that was performed by Dr. Jason Barry with Rebecca Munson, PA-C, assisting.

The procedure involved the reattachment of the quadriceps tendon to the patella, along with 30 staples to close the wound site. I was released that day wearing a new, adjustable leg splint that could be dialed by degree to restrict knee flexing along with cautionary instructions not to re-injure the tendon and to follow a specific knee/quadriceps rehab protocol in physical therapy.

Snow and ice made navigating on crutches very difficult. With the leg splint set to no knee flexing for the next two weeks, my quality of life quickly deteriorated. One does not realize how difficult living can be without mobility until it happens. I somehow managed through the holidays.

At two weeks, I had a post surgery visit with Rebecca and had the staples removed. The battlefield surgery site was healing well and Rebecca gave me encouragement that indeed I was progressing. I received physical therapy orders consisting of twice weekly PT, working towards 60 degree of knee flex by the end of the next 30 days.

Previous to the accident, my wife and I had booked the month of January in Florida and now, I would begin my PT there away from snow and ice. Finding PT in Florida during the winter months proved to be difficult due to an abundance of seniors and golfers needing PT. Those first 30 days were challenging and I slowly made incremental progress towards my flex and strength goals.

I returned to TCO for my six-week post surgery checkup by Rebecca. The visible surgery site was now healed and I received new, twice weekly, physical therapy orders to rebuild my quadriceps strength, increase knee flexibility to 120 degrees, and improve my mobility with the goal of weaning myself off crutches by the end of the next 60 days.

I was fortunate to be assigned a highly trained and professional TCO physical therapy team primarily consisting of Ashley Rundle, DPT, and on occasion Maribeth Honomichl, ATC, PTA. The Blaine physical therapy center also contained state-of-the-art equipment that, along with instruction by the PT team, made a tremendous difference in the tempo of my recovery. For example, Ashley utilized their BFR (Blood Flow Restriction) machine on me that speeds up the strengthening of muscle mass by restricting blood flow to the affected area. Muscle mass strengthens more quickly in an anaerobic state. The PT team also gave me exercise routines to perform at home and as my progress improved, exercises were added to build my recovery step-by-step. I definitely could see I was making progress and this added to my confidence in regaining more mobility. Going down stairs by single stepping the treads was a concern of mine and we worked through that. Another concern was getting up off the floor without something to pull myself up with. Here again, the PT team worked with me to show me how I could accomplish this. Sounds simple, but again losing mobility and strength as I did, I had to regain my confidence and ability to do these tasks. The PT team made the therapy sessions fun that also encouraged me to do my PT homework. I always ended my PT sessions with their ice compression machine that reduced swelling and made my leg feel good.

I made my final post surgery visit with Rebecca after 3 months post surgery and she gave me the “return to normal activities” order. I felt like a marathoner running through the tape—I made it! While I know I still need to continue my strengthening, I have her confidence in my progress and the backup–if I need more care, don’t hesitate to call.

In summary, TCO provided compassionate care in all aspects (surgery and aftercare, physical therapy and training) that made my comeback story a success. All of their staff, including those not specifically named in this story (nurses, anesthesiologist, receptionists and others behind the scenes) played a vital role in my comeback and I am truly grateful. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend TCO to my family and friends! Thank you!

April 20th, 2018, coming down a roof access ladder, my foot slipped; I fall 18-20 feet onto a hard-concrete floor, barely missing a scissor lift. I completely crush my tibia bone above my ankle. It is believed my right leg is now about two inches shorter than the left from the impact. I am told I have a pilon fracture in my right leg, broken tibia in the right leg and crushed heel on the left. I also have torn up most of the cartilage; in other words, my legs are a mess!

Because we are now many, many miles from home at the time of the accident, we start the calls to find a doctor closer to home. Luckily, my mom has a friend that has been seeing an orthopedic doctor at Twin Cities Orthopedics. We are referred to Dr. Bryan Den Hartog. Even while he is on vacation with his family, he reviews pictures of my scans and is willing and able to take my case! I have one more surgery in St. Cloud (where the accident happened) to put a plate and screws on my fibula and start learning how to transfer from location to location using a board and without using my legs. I need to learn how to use a wheelchair, how to get in and out of a car, how to put on my clothes and do the simplest of tasks we all take for granted every day.

Over the next couple of weeks, I have surgery to start “fixing” me up! Surgery #3, I have my fixator removed and more plates and screws put in. Bone fragments and pieces of cartilage are removed. Bone grafts are done. I have screws put into my left heel to fuse it together. I spend another four days in the hospital, I can leave for home to start the new way of doing things while I heal.

During this healing process, I was completely wheel chair bound. Many modifications needed to be made at home so I could get around and attempt to do things on my own. Unfortunately, my incision is not healing properly and I have surgery #4 to pull my skin together on my shin so it can heal; I am also back in a cast.

July 23rd, 2019 is the first time since the accident, I can start to put any weight on my legs. Being able to stand upright for the first time in three months was the best! I still cannot walk, but I can now use my left leg to help me get around a little easier in the wheelchair.

July 30th, I start physical therapy and can stand up for short periods of time! I even take a couple steps this day, but I am still in the wheelchair, as I cannot put my whole body weight on my feet quite yet.

August 17th, I start walking down the hallway at physical therapy – things are starting to move better. At the end of August, I have small set back as a screw has started to work its way out; surgery #5 is scheduled. Luckily, this only delays physical therapy for about a week and I am back at it.

Beginning of September, I am walking around in physical therapy quite a bit. By the end of September, five long months later, I no longer need the wheelchair to get around and have graduated to using the walker! Being able to walk out of the physical therapy door was the best. From that point on, I work to get stronger and work on my walking. It is still somewhat painful, and I am limping, but no more wheelchair. Within a month or so, I am no longer using the walker either. Freedom at last!

In February 2019, the hardware in my leg is starting to bother me so I have another surgery #6 to remove the plate on my fibula and screws in my left heel. We venture to Eagan during a blizzard, but we get there and have my surgery. Recovery from this surgery was a slow and painful process and I am back to using the walker or crutches to help keep me stable as I walk for a couple of weeks. At my follow-up appointment though, things look great so I do not need to come back until May; longest in between appointments since my accident.

Things will never be the same for me, but from where I started April 20th, 2018 to today, is huge. We knew the outcome was ok/good for me to walk again, but you will never know for sure until you get there. I will need additional surgeries on my right leg that could be as extensive as a complete ankle replacement, but from having completely shattered bones and not being able to walk to where I am today, I will take it. I am so grateful for Dr. Den Hartog and Lindsey Ortlip for all they have done and will continue to do for me. Because of the two of them, I am walking today, even if it is with a limp. The hundreds of miles and hours in the car driving to the cities for appointments and surgeries have all been worth it. Thank you to Dr. Den Hartog, Lindsey and the numerous other TCO staff for helping me and my family through this. But, most importantly, THANK YOU for allowing me the chance to walk once again. I have a step daughter and a daughter on the way in June. Because of you, I will be able to WALK them down the aisle some day.

I first met Dr. Murar in the Fairview Southdale Hospital ER in early February of 2018. My husband brought me in after a fall that resulted in a traumatic injury to my shoulder. Dr. Murar explained the extent and seriousness of my injury and that because of the type of fracture, he recommended a reverse total shoulder replacement. He offered me support and encouragement in the face of such a big surgery.

My family told me how generous Dr. Murar was with his time when he met with them after surgery. He made sure that they had all their questions answered and he did not seem in a hurry. My daughter was impressed at how encouraged I was after talking through everything with Dr. Murar in the ER. Clearly, Dr. Murar is able to communicate in a difficult and serious situation and help his patients understand the best plan for the best outcome.

Throughout my recovery I always felt that Dr. Murar was available and accessible if I had questions or concerns. This was especially important to me during the early days of my recovery, I never felt like I was left to myself to try to figure things out. The entire TCO team – Dr. Murar along with care coordinator Kelly, TCO physical therapists Kevin and Nate gave me the support, guidance and tools that I needed to keep making progress.

Today I am almost at the one year mark since my surgery and I am strong and have returned to a full and active lifestyle, spending time with my husband, children, grandchildren and friends.

I am very grateful for what Dr. Murar has done for me and I highly recommend Dr. Murar to anyone who has an orthopedic need.

Barbara A.