Patient Testimonials

I had an excellent experience with Dr. Sam Carlson for my hip replacement. Dr. Carlson used the anterior approach, which allowed me to be up and moving without a cane after one week. The whole team was competent, and professional throughout. I was pleased by how responsive Dr. Carlson and his team were to answer questions and address any of my needs during the process.

I feel very fortunate to have found Dr. Bircher to do my right hip replacement. We started with a very careful analysis of my problem and a discussion of options before jumping to solutions. Once we decided on a hip replacement, the entire process was handled very professional and efficiently. If I ever have to do my other hip, Dr. Bircher is my choice for this kind of care. I strongly recommend him.

I had my hip replacement surgery one year ago. It took some time to heal but now it is the best feeling part of my body. Thanks Dr. Meisterling!

I met with Dr. Bircher after I found out the cause of my pain was bone on bone in both hips. After discussing the process, I had confidence it was the way to go. The surgery went great! I was walking with a walker within hours and walking without a cane in five days. I never had any signs of bleeding, drainage or infection. I am three months post-surgery and that hip feels great. I can’t wait to get the other hip done in a few months. Dr. Bircher’s staff is great. I wouldn’t consider seeing anyone else. I had my surgery done at North Memorial Hospital and spent one night on site. The staff there were outstanding too.

Our 96-year-old mother was living life in chronic hip pain. She endured several years with multiple cortisone injections until they became ineffective. The hip joint pain was becoming unbearable. Her quality of life was poor at best, dealing with constant pain. Other orthopedic doctors stated she was too old for hip replacement and offered other alternatives that provided no relief. She couldn’t walk or sleep comfortably and often just sat in a recliner. The family had to rely on the wheel chair more often when going outside the home.

We finally met with Dr. Bircher, who was referred to us by moms primary Doctor. He listened to the family’s concerns, goals, and mom’s quality of life. He took into consideration her entire health history and not just the number of her age! After basic pre-op testing, he saw no reason we couldn’t do a total hip replacement. While we all had our reservations for hip replacement surgery, especially since mom only had her tonsils removed at a very young age and no other surgery in her 96 years!

Surgery day came and while they were prepping her, she asked for a hospital chaplain. The chaplain got called away and could not visit beforehand and asked Dr. Bircher to say a prayer. Guess what, he did! He held hands with mom and our family and lead the prayer for his hands to guide him in a successful surgery.

Our mother’s surgery went perfect and she was up walking and feeling better the same night after surgery. Even at 96, she recovered quickly and is back in her home. She is walking free of pain, mainly with a walker for safety, but she often sneaks quick distances without any assistance. We never thought we’d see her walk without in excruciating pain again.

We highly recommend Dr. Bircher for his amazing surgical skills, communication, kindness, empathy, bedside manner. He’s an all-around a great man! Thank you, Dr. Bircher and your amazing support team!

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.

I recently had surgery to replace my right hip with my provider Dr. Vorlicky and I wanted to express my appreciation for helping me with this procedure. This is the first hip surgery I’ve had and I didn’t have tremendous pain like with my knee. Thank you to Dr. Vorlicky and his team. You are phenomenal surgeons and I’m so thankful for your help in getting me back to normal. I hope anyone who reads this will consider Dr. Vorlicky and his team.

Prior to getting my hips replaced, I was quite restricted as to what I could do. I have always been very active and I’ve run 120 marathons, having completed the last one in 2019. I went in for some PT, for what we thought was piriformis syndrome, but the stretches/exercises were not helping me with the pain I was experiencing in the piriformis muscle area. I stopped riding a regular bike since I couldn’t get on and off easily, due to an extremely limited range of motion. Running wasn’t working for me and even walking became difficult to do without experiencing pain. I finally told my primary doctor things weren’t better even after I had really worked on my PT exercises. My doctor gave me a referral to go to Twin Cities Orthopedics to see if a doctor there could help further.

I had my first appointment with Dr. Bircher and the first thing they did was send me down the hall for X-rays. Dr. Bircher came in and asked me to describe the issues I was having. After listening to me, he shared the X-rays that had been taken of my hips. Prior to this, worn out hips were not even on my radar. I had just assumed it was tight muscles. Dr. Bircher showed me the X-rays and explained what was going on. He explained that my left hip was a little worse than the right, but I was bone on bone in both hips. He talked about various options (total hip replacement, resurfacing, delaying replacement) available to me. While it was a bit overwhelming, he talked me through my options and his recommendations. I went home and came back a week later with my wife and after we talked through options again. We decided to go ahead with a total hip replacement on the left side and then reassess the right side after that.

Dr. Bircher instilled me a great feeling of confidence in the upcoming surgery. The left hip replacement went very smoothly and within one week, I was out walking 2-3 miles in the neighborhood with a cane. After just a few more days I didn’t even need the cane. After 6 weeks I went in and we looked at X-rays of the new hip. We also discussed whether to move forward with the right hip. X-rays again showed bone on bone on the right side. I wasn’t experiencing the pain on the right like I had on the left, so Dr. Bircher said I could wait 3-9 months to see how things develop. He also pointed out the right hip isn’t going to get better, so it’s just a matter of how long to wait. He didn’t pressure me at all to go forward with replacing the right hip, but I was convinced it was the right thing for me to do.

3 months after total replacement of the left hip, Dr. Bircher replaced the right hip. Recovery went smoothly and I’m now 3 months post-surgery on the second hip. I’m walking 3-6 miles almost every day pain free! My range of motion is vastly improved. I’m looking forward to being able to zip around more with the grandkids this next summer instead of watching from the sidelines. I look forward to walking and fishing the shores of the river for hours at a time, instead of fishing until I’m too sore to continue.

I can’t begin to express my complete satisfaction with the results of my two hip replacements. I was so very impressed not only with Dr. Bircher’s skill as a surgeon, but just as importantly the trust I had in him throughout the process. From the very beginning he took the time to explain everything and never was in a hurry to get to the next patient when I was meeting with him. He gained my trust with his demeanor, openness, and interest in my situation. That eliminated any apprehension I might have with the upcoming procedures. I would highly recommend Dr. James Bircher for anyone considering joint replacement surgery. He is the BEST!

Everyone’s journey to total hip replacement surgery is unique but has a common element, which is the pain. For my left hip, the deciding moment was when an easy family hike in late fall 2020 became almost impossible for me to finish. I was astonished that the occasional twinge of pain was suddenly so intense, I had to come to a complete stop and call out to family for help. That’s when I knew. The choice of surgeons was easy. My RN husband has a positive medical relationship with Dr. Owen O’Neill, since he operated on my husband’s knee many years ago. I liked Dr. O’Neill immediately. He vibrates with warm confidence. He is direct into honest. He lets you know what he expects from you and what you can expect from him.

I was worried about recovery. I thought it would be long and painful, although Dr. O’Neill said I would be back to work in 10 days and driving in 7 days. His prediction was entirely accurate. Dr. O’Neill was honest about the future of my right hip. He told me I would “know” when it was time, but that future surgery was inevitable. He was right. A Halloween event in October of 2023 was the moment of truth. I was looking forward to my second surgery, which happened on December 1, 2023. I was home on December 2nd.

With Dr. O’Neill’s minimally invasive direct anterior technique I had just modest discomfort and I appreciated the great care I received at the Two Twelve Surgery Center in Chaska. The new facility is amazing. It’s spacious, safe, and there are plenty of hallways for walking. Also, the BLT I ordered for my first meal was delicious. You are so well treated that you want to stay longer but Dr. O’Neill believes that the quicker you are home, the quicker you can recover.

You need to start doing things for yourself ASAP. That is the mantra from TCO. Walking is your physical therapy. Believe it and believe in TCO.

I am a 73 year-old, active female who loves to snow ski, hike, wake surf, dance, and walk. Two years ago, I had a skiing accident out west that resulted in a horrific ankle sprain, but much to the surprise of my orthopedic care givers, there was no blown out knee and no broken leg. Thank god for my strong bones. I wore a boot during healing, but the docs didn’t prescribe physical therapy (PT), explaining that “most people don’t do it anyhow.” Then last year I had another skiing accident, where I was bucked off a ski lift at a local Minnesota hill, resulting in a severe hip contusion, but again, no broken bones. This time, I was prescribed PT, and I asked that they include my ankle in the RX for my hip. The first thing that saved me was meeting Beth Pesta, DPT. She and her team helped me recover from my hip injury and helped strengthen my ankle. The workouts were great at the clinic, and they gave me a detailed program for at home. As I completed PT, Beth recommended trainer Laurey Heinrich, CPT. I signed up and began training with Laurey last June. I was afraid that when she saw me, all that she would see was an overweight grey-haired old grandma, but it wasn’t long before she realized the activities I wanted to continue to do for years to come, and she started pushing me to gain strength. I have seen Laurey twice a week since June, and the results are showing! She has worked my entire body including flexibility and balance, and has made me stronger all over. In early August, I finally attempted to wake surf. I was unsure that I’d be able to get up, but I POPPED out of the water and enjoyed several great rides before the season was over. I continued to train to hike, starting with a mile, but eventually going for longer and longer hikes. And then ski season loomed. I had no interest in skiing until the ground was at least covered, and man made snow isn’t the best, but when I did start, I skied with more strength and vigor than I had even before my injuries. I was strong. I was more flexible than I had been, and my joints didn’t hurt. This PT and particularly the strength training has given me more years of being active, just how I’d always planned and hoped to age.