Patient Testimonials

Despite an accident after the surgery, my experience with my procedure has been good. I had a fall coming home from the hospital the day after my surgery and ended up breaking a few stitches. I went back to TCO Urgent Care where I was taken care of by Dr. Vanden Berge. He recommended that I check back into the hospital that night so he could perform surgery the next morning. Dr. Vanden Berge gave me a few encouraging words before my second surgery, which made my wife and I feel reassured. He said, “things happen and we will fix it up”, which he did.

At first, I was disappointed since I feel like my accident slowed my rehab by a week. However, despite the fall, my recovery is going very well. The pain typically happens at night and after my physical therapy exercises which I was told to expect. The fall was the only bad part of my experience. A big thank you to him and the many people at TCO who had to perform surgery on me again.

I was in a severe motorcycle accident in October 2025. I broke my ankle completely backwards and completely crushed my foot, amongst many other injuries. With the top half of my foot broken completely through and moved over one toe spot, Dr. Traynor did all the fine tuning that reconnected the network on the top of my foot. I have been able to move, walk, and feel all my toes again. He is a big reason that I will be able to ride again this coming spring.

I broke my ankle on February 14th, 2025 (yes, it was on Valentine’s Day!). I fell down the stairs and completely cracked my ankle! I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to walk the same again. I am only 26 years old and have my whole life ahead of me. Dr. Traynor made this experience the best it could have possibly been. He was patient with all my questions, and he addressed all my concerns to the full extent!

It is now almost a year later. After two surgeries and choosing to have the hardware removed, I feel confident that I can walk as good as I did before the accident. I absolutely recommend Dr. Traynor! He made my experience at Twin Cities Orthopedics an amazing one.

I had fallen and shattered my wrist. The care I received from Dr. Shashank Dwivedi and his staff was exceptional. He is very knowledgeable, friendly, and always took time to answer all my questions and concerns. I would highly recommend him.

I had my first surgery performed by Dr. Saterbak when I was 21 after a downhill skiing mishap. The second surgery on my right knee was done almost two years later, when I decided wakeboarding with one repaired ACL was a good idea because that knee was braced. My surgery recoveries went well. I listened while in recovery and followed the directions of my amazing physical therapist. I am writing this because, 20 years after surgery, I run a 5k almost every day. I have not missed a day of working out in over three years. I don’t attribute all my success to Dr. Saterbak, but I know I would not be moving around with my two children the same way had I not found her all those years ago. Thank you to Dr. Saterbak and all of the TCO staff who helped make my journey a success!

When I got hurt a couple of weeks before playoffs, it felt like the entire season flashed in front of me. I went down during a game, landed hard, and immediately felt this sharp, sweeping pain through my shoulder. I knew right away something was wrong. I left the game, and the worst thought hit me: this might be it, and it’s my senior year.

What made it harder was that my grandparents had flown in from Arkansas, my aunts were there from out of state too, my brother was home from college, and within the first ten minutes of the game, I was on the sideline. It was disappointing, but honestly, it was scary too.

We went straight to the ER that night for an X-ray to rule out anything broken. Nothing showed up structurally, which was a relief, but the prognosis still didn’t look good. A follow-up the next day at TCO Urgent Care revealed I had a long road ahead of me and still the potential of my season ending. My mom ended up connecting with someone on Monday at TCO who really understood how important the situation felt. She helped us get an appointment with a TCO shoulder specialist, Dr. Christopher Honstad, the very next day.

That appointment was the first time I felt real hope. Dr. Honstad was calm, straightforward, and understood both the emotional weight and the athletic pressure I was under. He said I needed to start physical therapy as soon as possible, and within 45 minutes, I was meeting the PT who would guide my entire comeback.

Physical Therapist Cody Suchla made a huge difference. He listened, understood what I wanted, and trusted my sense of what I could tolerate. One of the first things I told him was that we were going to win state. He laughed, but every week after that he kept asking how the games went, how the team was doing, and how I was feeling. He was relatable, creative, and made the whole process something I actually looked forward to.

The therapy itself wasn’t easy. I had significant pain, and we progressed slowly, but it was steady. Rehab bike work, strength training, stretching, pushing through certain movements and holding back on others. A week before I was supposed to return, Cody had another staff member build a custom shoulder brace for me. It ended up being exactly what allowed me to get back out there.

Four weeks after the injury, I returned for our game against Zimmerman. I wasn’t 100%, but I was back. Then, we went on a run and won Orono’s first-ever football state championship! Those last few weeks of the season are memories I’ll remember forever. After everything that happened, getting to finish my senior year on the field with my teammates meant everything. A bonus was having the honor to accept the Most Valuable Teammate award following the championship win.

Looking back, I’m so grateful for the care I received and for the caring people who made sure I had a chance to finish what I started. TCO helped give me my season back.

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.

A little over a year ago, I suffered a freak accident where I lost part of my index finger. I had an emergency surgery to re-attach it. I was not in my hometown, and I was told to check-in with a surgeon when I got back. This is where I met Dr. Fischer. After examination and an X-ray, it was clear that the re-attachment did not take. I was then scheduled for amputation surgery.

I have never experienced anything like this in my life. I am an artist and the thought of losing part of my finger on my dominant hand terrified me. On the day of the surgery, I felt very anxious and scared. Dr. Fischer was very kind. He truly spent the time to talk to me and reassure me. Once I was wheeled into the surgical room, his whole team was there for me. They joked with me, made me feel comfortable, and they cared for me to help ease my stress. I think I even laughed a few times! It has been a journey since that day, and I still can’t thank them enough for all the care and support they provided. Thank you, Dr. Fischer and team!

It was supposed to be nothing more than a quick ride to the store, but a small crack in the sidewalk changed everything. I went down, and just like that, plans for basketball, boating and endless outdoor fun were put on hold.

I broke my radius and dislocated my ulna, which led to a long night in the emergency room. They coordinated with Twin Cities Orthopedics and shared my case with Dr. Amy Moeller, who had treated me earlier that spring for a basketball-related thumb injury. By the next morning, Dr. Moeller’s team had reached out, and surgery was scheduled for the following day.

What followed was not just recovery. It was a mental and physical grind.

1,630 hours watching practices from the sidelines. 5,000 right-hand-only shots. 540 minutes of one-on-one, controlled basketball training. 350 minutes of right-hand-only ball handling. 12 physical therapy appointments.

After 97 mentally and physically exhausting days, I was finally given the green light to play basketball again, fully, freely and without restrictions. There were days I asked, ‘Why me? Will I ever get back?’ With the incredible support of the staff at TCO and everyone around me, I kept pushing.

All of that work paid off. In my first game back, I scored 14 points. That moment did not happen alone. It was made possible by the incredible care from Dr. Moeller and her team, the TCO hand therapy staff, and an unwavering network of family, trainers, coaches, teammates and friends.

What started as a simple summer outing became a powerful reminder of resilience, faith, and just how much heart it takes to fight your way back to the court.

I wanted to take a moment to share the exceptional care and professionalism I have received under the attentive care of Dan Silverberg. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs referred me to orthopedic care through the Office of Community Care because of my combat injuries that include my back, neck, stomach, shoulders, wrist, ankles, etc. My primary care doctor at the VA told me that I needed to try different modalities of care including orthopedics. Within ten visits at TCO, the severe pain I would normally experience has subsided. The large diastasis and associated bulge I would normally see has significantly reduced, and the pain I normally experience has lessened. While my disabilities are lifelong and I will never be completely healed, Dan has significantly helped me and I am very grateful.

I also work at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs where I was appointed by the president to lead finance and support to all of our clinics, hospitals, and veteran benefit programs. I have come across many skilled and committed professionals who dedicate their lives to helping people. I would put Dan Silverberg at the top of this list. If there are opportunities to train other physical therapists, I think he would be a fantastic choice to help Twin Cities Orthopedics lead from a place of excellence, experience, knowledge, and the art involved in this practice. Thank you for positively changing my life and allowing me to live a more full, enjoyable, and pain-free existence.