Patient Testimonials

This was my first visit to TCO and my first visit with Dr. TJ Ridley. From the minute I entered the building, I had a good feeling and felt comfortable. Each of the staff members I encountered before meeting with Dr. Ridley were kind and welcoming. My visit with Dr. Ridley was exceptional. He was very interested in hearing my story of the pain in my foot. He was thorough in his questioning. When my results came in, he explained so I could understand what he saw in my tests. Dr. Ridley was clear in his prognosis and he immediately had a plan for me to implement. At this time I have no upcoming appointment as long as I follow his recommendations. I highly recommend Dr. TJ Ridley to anyone looking for an orthopedic physician who is highly qualified and one who truly cares about his patients.

In January my husband and I were in a pretty significant snowmobile accident that resulted in multiple injuries— all of which Dr. Ridley provided treatment for. After explaining the pain and swelling I was experiencing in my elbow and knees, Dr. Ridley was extremely proactive in ordering MRI’s to ensure everything was assessed thoroughly. During my follow up appointment, Dr. Ridley took the time to talk through the MRI results in a way that was easily understandable. He made sure any and all of my questions were answered before recommending a treatment plan. I was so impressed by how knowledgeable and thorough Dr. Ridley was in my care across all injuries. I was especially impressed when he took the time to reach out after my appointments to see how I was doing. Overall, Dr. Ridley’s extensive knowledge, excellent communication, and genuine care for his patients make him one of a kind. I would HIGHLY recommend Dr. Ridley to anyone looking for orthopedic care!

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the staff at Twin Cities Orthopedics. On May 22, 2020, I tore a hamstring tendon while on a run. This injury resulted in me requiring surgery to reattach the tendon and the accompanying physical therapy. My experience with TCO has always been positive, from the staff at the front desk, to the doctors and their staff, to the physical therapists. On this occasion though, my experience with the clinic seemed to be even more positive in many ways, with several of the staff, one in particular that I would like to bring attention to, going “Above And Beyond” what I have come to expect.

The day after my injury I walked (was wheeled actually) into the urgent care at the Burnsville facility. I was seen very quickly, and the physicians assistant was thorough in assessing my injury and ordered an MRI for my leg. I went downstairs to the MRI imaging office and was warmly greeted there by Aga, who told me that due to it being the Saturday of Memorial day weekend, it would be nearly impossible to get the required pre-authorization for the MRI from my insurance company until Tuesday. She said she was going to make some phone calls as well as put in the request electronically and would contact me when she had more information. No more than 15 minutes later, she phoned me saying that no one was available at the insurance company, but she would continue to try and at the very least contact me Tuesday morning when she should have an approval and a time available for an MRI. I asked Aga if there was a way I could schedule an MRI prior to having authorization, if I paid for it myself and then received reimbursed from the insurance company once approved. She informed me that would be a possibility, but the availability of locations would be limited with that option. She said she would look into it. She phoned me about 10 minutes later and said nothing was available that day but something might open up for Sunday. The next morning she phoned me with a time available that afternoon at Edina. I was thrilled she was able to make that happen and get the process going. This only could have happened because of Aga’s determination to swiftly move forward with my care.

The staff conducting the MRI were very professional and went out of their way to see I was comfortable during my MRI, as there were very few ways I could position my body where I wasn’t in a high degree of pain. I also was pleasantly surprised to see Aga was working the desk at the MRI imaging office. She escorted my wife to the billing office to pay for the procedure. Afterwards she said she had been looking at available appointments with Dr. Holm, who I normally see at TCO, but that he didn’t have anything available on Tuesday. I told her I preferred Dr. Holm, but considering the pain I was in I wanted to have results as soon as possible and I would see a different Doctor if I had to to get in as early as possible. Aga, on her initiative, texted Dr. Holm’s patient coordinator Kelly to see if I could be fit in. Kelly responded immediately, on a Sunday afternoon, saying to come in at 1:00 PM on Tuesday. This coordination truly made me feel cared for and important.

On Tuesday Dr. Holm gave me the results of the MRI and as usual, thoroughly explained my options, as well as expected recovery times and recommendations for how I could most thoroughly return to my pre-injury status. On his recommendation I decided to have a surgical repair. He said it would be best to perform this surgery as soon as possible, and he turned me over to his patient coordinator Kelly. Kelly set me up with a surgery time in two days, and coordinated an immediate Covid 19 test, as well as a fitting for a leg brace so that I would have the brace available before my surgery. She was extremely efficient.

On Thursday I had the surgery. The entire surgery staff, from the admitting nurses, to the nurses in the surgery and recovery rooms, the anesthesiologist, the nurse anesthetist, and of course Dr. Holm, were all very professional and accommodating, as well as very thorough in explaining how my surgery would unfold that day. On my discharge my wife and I both were very thoroughly briefed on what medications I should be taking and how often, what activities I should and should not be doing, and other important general information. The following day I received a very nice follow up call from the nursing staff, and the following Monday, a follow up from Dr. Holm’s physicians assistant Aaron, as well as another phone call from Aga to tell me that my insurance company had indeed approved the MRI.

I am early in my recovery, but considering the good results I have had in the past with Dr. Holm, along with what appears to be very professional therapy so far with my physical therapist Jonathan, I am quite confident I will make a full recovery. Getting through this whole process from my injury on Friday to surgery the following Thursday would not have been possible without Aga, Kelly, and Dr. Holm. I was so appreciative to get the recovery process going as soon as possible. I don’t normally write letters expressing my pleasure with services, as I expect professional service as a matter of course, but because of my experience in this case, specifically with Aga, who went way beyond what I would ever expect, I wanted to express my full gratitude.

Thank You Sincerely,
David E.

From the very start in the exam room, Dr. O’Keefe was very helpful. The “schooling” before the procedure was beneficial (don’t skip this). The day of the procedure, everyone involved was very nice. The recovery suites were topnotch – I wanted to stay longer. PT was awesome with Ron at TCO – Otsego. Follow-up appointments (for x-rays four weeks after) were easy to make. I am so happy that I did the procedure and I would recommend TCO and Dr. O’Keefe to all my friends and family.

I have been a patient of Dr. Szalapski at Twin Cities Orthopedics since 2006 and have always received excellent care. I would never consider going anywhere but TCO. The entire staff starting with the pleasant greeting from the receptionist to the personal attention I receive from Jessica, Dr. Szalapski’s assistant, the X-ray technicians, physical therapists, and Dr. Szalapski himself exceed all of my expectations. I have recommended TCO to my family, co-workers and friends because I know TCO will provide excellent care and quality service. Sharon B.

I was referred to Dr. Conner by my primary care physician. I had a very painful medial meniscal tear in my knee. I had waited over two months to have my surgery done because it was summer and I thought it would interfere with my plans. Had I known how quickly I would be back to normal activity, I would have done it sooner. Dr. Conner was excellent from the start.

I had my exam, radiographs and MRI done, and was diagnosed with a medial meniscal tear. I had surgery on a Friday and was able to return to work on Monday. I planned to “take it easy” for the first week, but was actually able to return to normal without missing any work at all! I had one day post surgery that was uncomfortable, but have not looked back since. Three weeks post surgery, I spent a week in Arizona hiking. It’s my fourth week post surgery and I started horseback riding and yoga again! I am thrilled with my surgical results! I highly recommend Dr. Conner and his team.

I met Dr. Hunt in 2016 at the Minneapolis VA where I was referred to him as being a doctor who could handle difficult cases. I had been treated at the VA for over 6 months for shoulder pain without resolution and without a good diagnosis. Dr. Hunt got me an MRI, and very quickly diagnosed a full thickness supraspinatus tendon tear that had happened several months earlier with resultant muscle atrophy. He helped me negotiate the VA system – which said they could schedule surgery in six months – to get referred out to his clinic where I got the arthroscopic shoulder repair surgery much more quickly. Recovery was almost miraculous, literally pain free after two days.

Then, the knees. Both knees had had meniscus cartilage removal/repair between 45 and 50 years ago. Both were bone on bone, arthritic and causing much pain.   After looking at the X-rays he simply asked, “Which one first?” I had a full knee replacement on left knee in January 2017 and another on my right knee in January 2018 by Dr. Hunt, Nick and the rest of his excellent team. Was only in hospital about 30 hours (one night) with the right knee. I am now moving without pain and doing things I have not been able to do for years. And I am a 75 year old man!!! Riding bicycle, climbing ladders, doing heavy building work, etc. are all in my weekly routine.

Dr. Hunt, Nick and the rest of the team display such skill, compassion, humor and overall pleasant demeanor that I would not hesitate one moment in recommending them for any potential patient.

I brought my daughter in yesterday to the Edina walk-in clinic for an injured hand/wrist. It was such a great experience. I appreciate being able to take her there instead of a dirty, influenza infested urgent care. The clinic was clean and the staff was very kind. The x-ray techs were so great with my 4-year-old and got the x-ray done quickly.

Jill M. (pictured on right) had an excellent experience from start to finish at TCO Plymouth, where she saw Jonathan Asp, MD (pictured on left) for her bothersome knee.”From the moment I walked into the office and met the front desk woman, I had a great time,” she said. “The nurse who roomed me was kind, friendly and put me at ease,” she said. She also appreciated how knowledgeable and helpful both the Physician Assistant and x-ray techs were. Upon learning that her knee injury was not serious, Jill was elated and thanked Dr. Asp, who she described as “proficient, timely, kind and funny.” She said her visit was “by far the best office experience I have ever had” and “highly recommends the clinic!”