Patient Testimonials

I have been seeing Dr. Jeffrey Mair at TCO for my orthopedic concerns for quite a few years based on a friend referral. I made the right choice in having Dr. Mair as my orthopedic surgeon. It was time to have my right knee replaced. Dr. Mair completed the surgery in the spring of 2024 and I have had great results. My surgery was completed at the Two Twelve Surgery Center in Chaska through TCO and I went through their EXCEL Program. The care I received from Dr. Mair, his staff, and everyone in the EXCEL Program was great. My scar is nearly unnoticeable and I’m more than happy with my new knee. I will be having my other knee replaced by Dr. Mair and I will again be going through their EXCEL Program. I have recommended Dr. Mair and TCO to others and will continue to recommend them. I am confident my next surgery will go as great as my first one.

In 2018, I was told I needed a hip replacement by another orthopedic practice and I said, I’m not getting one, how long do I have? I was told 3 years. In the Spring of 2024, I had enough ibuprofen and decided to schedule an appointment.  I was also motivated by an upcoming project completion in July. I knew I was going with TCO as I was aware of their reputation. Researching hip doctors, I found Dr. Bircher  and I’m so glad I did, and when I met with him he was professional and to the point. He stated I was good candidate for a successful hip surgery. I enjoyed his friendly confidence. He explained things and as a result, I went in July with no worries. I followed the recommended home therapy and was able to return to work with some caution and restrictions in about 60 days. Follow up appointments were great. Dr Bircher and his staff always gave me all of the time I needed to describe where I was at. I should also add that on the day of the surgery the staff was remarkable. One by one they each came in to meet me to explain their role and to wish me luck; A+ on it all. Do this thing. The pain I had endured was gone immediately after surgery. I used a walker for a two weeks to ensure no falls, then went to a cane and could do pretty much what I wanted to do. By the way great job on the closure too. My scar is as thin as a kite string.

From the first time I met Dr. Bircher and PA Kari I had trust in their expertise, their recommendations, and pre-surgical instructions. In addition, their bedside manner, both before and after surgery was superb, kind, attentive, and informative. This was such pleasant surprise since I’ve had the opposite previously. They told me exactly what I’d be going through post-surgery including a timeline for healing. The communication with Dr. Bircher, Kari, Cassie, and Stephanie was beyond excellent. They returned my calls, emails, and texts either within minutes, within the day, or by the next day. They also responded in the evenings and even on weekends. That surprised me and made me feel important. The physical therapy team of Michelle and Lisa demonstrated their knowledge and well proven techniques. Their bedside manner was also superb. Their patience and encouragement were exactly what I needed. Since the conclusion of my clinical PT I’ve continued to follow the exercise program they laid out for me. I attribute the level of my mobility to them. At this writing, I am three months post-surgery. My knee is doing well, and I am happy with the results. I am looking forward to further healing. I have an appointment with Dr. Bircher/Kari in one week and I’m curious to see what their reaction will be to my progress.  Finally, and it’s obvious by my comments cited above, I completely and totally recommend this fantastic team. In fact, a year from now I’m planning on having my other knee replaced. I have been in their expert hands, and I know I will be in the future.

I continually made excuses on why it wouldn’t make sense to have the knee replacement done until I could retire. My quality of life had gotten worse to the point where I was having trouble with simple day to day activities. My family were constantly asking me to go get my knee fixed. They could tell I was in a lot of pain most of the time. I was struggling to sleep; I had no end in sight. Finally, I decided to go to TCO to have Dr. Bircher look at it. He recommended to have surgery because he felt he could help me have a better quality of life. He suggested the EXCEL Program, he felt it was a good fit for me because of my age 56. He was very honest, and said it wasn’t going to be easy, but if I worked hard and followed the plan, I should have good results. The day of the surgery I was extremely nervous, I started to doubt my decision to do it. Then walked in Dr. Bircher, smile on his face as usual. He went through everything that was going to happen, and what to expect going forward. Then to my surprise he asked if he could pray with me. The nervousness went away, I knew I was in good hands. When I awoke, I felt good. They brought me to my room at the Plymouth Orthopedic Surgery Center. This is where my recovery began, and Dr. Bircher checked on me a few times while I was there. He said if I need anything to let him know. The pain I had post-surgery was nothing compared to what I had been dealing with for years. I worked hard and followed the plan set for me, everyday seemed to get better and better. Now, here I am 4 months after surgery and I got my life back. I wish I would have had surgery years ago; I will never put anything like this off again. A huge Thank You goes out to Dr. Bircher and his incredible team at TCO.

If you are considering a hip replacement or have hip pain and wonder what to do, I highly recommend seeing Dr. Bircher. He is an amazing doctor, a straight shooter, and we need more like him! After looking at my X-rays, he didn’t hesitate to tell me I needed a hip replacement and honestly explained why having PT or cortisone shots would not help since I was bone on bone. He also explained the risks I had (my weight and fact that I take a blood thinner), let my husband and I make our decision based on the facts.  His caring nature after the surgery is priceless! Have not experienced a doctor of any kind with as much caring as he showed me. I would not hesitate to use him again!

This spring I met with Dr. Bircher to discuss a possible knee replacement. He was patient, knowledgeable, warm and encouraging. The entire team took time to answer questions when they arose, check in on status, and encourage continued recovery. As anyone having knee replacement knows, it is not a fun surgery or recovery process, but the team was amazing. Since a second knee replacement is in my future (the other knee), I am so much more at peace knowing Dr Bircher and his team provide awesome care and support!

My surgery with Dr. Bircher was a well-planned and trouble-free experience. The staff was thoroughly professional as well and always kept me in the loop about the details.

This past fall, I ended up tearing my ACL during a football game. In general, you never want to see or experience any kind of injury, and especially so being an athlete. My story starts off on the night of September 8th, 2023. On this night we happened to be running a screenplay. As I was driving my guy down, I planted my foot and attempted to rotate it with my knee and then all of a sudden I felt a POP! In the second quarter of the second game of the season, with 3 minutes and 38 seconds until halftime, I hit the ground and was in immediate pain. When Heidi Beckendorf (our trainer at Anoka), Kate Cayton, and Dr. Patrick O’Keefe got out onto the field to meet me, they asked what was wrong. I responded by telling them that, “I felt a bad pop in my left knee.”

From that night on I can still remember the look on their faces, and I knew that something was seriously wrong and I began to imagine the worst. As soon as my mom saw me hopping over and getting onto the medical cart, she knew that it must have been bad. Right then and there it started to hit me that this is really serious. Seeing the look of concern on everyone’s faces when we started to drive off is still imprinted in my brain.

Once I got back to the locker room, they pulled my mom aside and told her what was wrong. They came in, and my mom was in tears. Seeing my mom cry only made me cry more. They told me that my season was over and that I most likely tore multiple ligaments in my knee. Wow. Just like that, my season was over and it was probably my biggest year for recruitment too.

After I got home from the game all of my emotions came out. I was a mess. I had an appointment that next Tuesday to find out what really happened. I was honestly very relieved to find out that I had torn only my ACL due to the fact that I was originally told that I likely had multiple tears in my knee. To this day, I can still remember the phone call with my head coach after we found out the diagnosis. He said to me, “I’m sorry bud, it will be difficult, but I know that you’ll be able to get through it and come back even better next year.”

My surgery was a success and went very well. When I was about 2-3 weeks Post-OP, one of the physical therapists in the clinic that I had the opportunity to meet and work with thought that I was six weeks into recovery, instead of being only 2-3 weeks. Hearing that was a huge confidence booster for me!

Physical therapy and everything else was going great up until about a month after the surgery. I woke up one Sunday morning and one of my incisions was burning and there appeared to be a giant cyst there. Later that day, the cyst popped open and started secreting lots of pus. My incision stayed like that for a week and kept oozing, but seemed like it was getting better. The doctors said that the issue occurring was due to a stitch that wasn’t dissolving, which kept my incision from closing up and healing. It looked as if it were getting better, but one Wednesday during after-school PT, Kate was taking a look at my incision and things weren’t looking good. The look on everyone’s faces when Kate said that things were taking a turn for the worse had me shell-shocked. I didn’t know what to think.

That next day I had an emergency appointment with Dr. O’Keefe, and he said that I needed to have another surgery ASAP because my incision was infected.

I was making a lot of progress in physical therapy, and it was looking good, but one random night I woke up writhing in pain because my knee had suddenly popped. That morning when I woke up my knee was completely stiff, and I couldn’t walk at all. I was told to get in for an MRI as soon as possible and we found out that I now had a slight tear in my meniscus. I am currently on a meal plan and am taking physical therapy very intently because I have learned that only I can control how fast I am able to return to sports and fulfill my aspirations of playing in college.

One of the biggest accomplishments I have had so far is being able to run after having my injury. The feeling of running after knowing that only four months ago I couldn’t even walk, it’s one of the best feelings that you can get. It has made me realize all of the hard work I have put in to come back is finally starting to pay off.

Going through all of this adversity has been difficult, although in a certain sense, I am grateful for the opportunities and new doors this journey has opened up for me.

I cannot thank Twin Cities Orthopedics enough for everything that they have done for me, although the person from TCO who has had the biggest impact on me is Kate Cayton. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better than her. I always look forward to going to PT, and always being able to have a conversation with her. She has been there for me at my lowest points with recovery and she has always supported me. I don’t think that I could ever repay her for everything that she has done for myself and for me to come back to playing sports.

I would also like to thank Dr. O’Keefe. He showed that TCO really does care about their patients. One thing that really stood out to me was during the time when I was in the hospital, and there was the possibility of me needing a third surgery; he didn’t want anyone but himself to do the surgery, had I ended up needing it. He wants to stay with me until the end of my recovery, and I can’t thank him enough for showing that he does truly care about people that he operates on.

I have had the pleasure of working with Renata for almost a year. I met her when I was getting ready for a lumpectomy for breast cancer in November, 2023. (It was a colleague of hers, to whom I am so grateful, that referred me to see Renata.) Renata provided a great deal of pre-operative information that was very helpful and reassuring. I then saw her after surgery where again, she was supportive, informative and just the professional I needed.

I wish I had all the correct words to describe how much I appreciate her knowledge, “bed side manner”, support and guidance. The surgery was a scary, anxiety producing time for me, and she made it much less so. She continues to provide support, knowledge and care for my ongoing issues with lymphedema. I can’t imagine my treatment team without her.

Hearing you have Breast Cancer are not the words you dream of as a little girl. When you hear those words, you have no idea how your life will change, and the battle you will be in. You’re frightened. You think about your family. Suddenly, you realize you need to find your armor.  Find your battle cry. It is different for each of us but the need for endurance and resilience finds us all.

I was diagnosed with two different types of cancer, both aggressive. I had two years of treatment that included chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation. Then began life after the treatment.

I have post-mastectomy pain syndrome, radiation damage, lymphedema, scar management, and strength and flexibility issues. I started my therapy journey with a generally trained therapist. I had measurements taken with very general and soft touch therapy. It just wasn’t enough. My oncologist suggested I see Ingrid Weddig with TCO’s Breast Health Program.

She was trained specifically to deal with breast cancer patients and their needs. I am so grateful I drove 40 miles to see her. Her training has allowed me to heal and strengthen my body.  She has helped me tailor an exercise routine in the gym and a stretching routine at home. She is so dedicated and passionate about helping women and letting them know how to heal and live their best life post-cancer.

Kudos and much gratitude to you Ingrid, and many thanks to TCO for building this specialty out. I am thrilled it is now an offering for patients. No one should have to walk this path alone. There are trained professionals that can customize treatment plan to your needs and improve your life.