Patient Testimonials

When I got hit in the head at school last fall, at first, I didn’t know how bad it really was. The next few days I had bad headaches, felt irritable, had trouble focusing, felt dizzy, and was very tired. My mom suspected I had a concussion. She knew I needed someone who specialized in sports concussions, so she took me to Twin Cities Orthopedics and I started physical therapy with Carly Mattson.

I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but she was very kind and explained what she was going to do before she did it. She did tons of testing and was able to figure out how to help me with my focus. She gave me specific exercises that I could easily do at school or at home. She was always understanding when I couldn’t do some of the exercises because I was tired or dizzy. She was very considerate about what I was going through and never made me feel bad if I was having an off day.

After seeing Carly every week for about six weeks, I made enough progress to be discharged from PT and return to gymnastics. Going from practicing 18 hours a week at the gym to suddenly feeling like I couldn’t even get through the school day was devastating. There were days I wanted to quit, but I couldn’t imagine not doing the sport I love. Carly did an amazing job coaching me through my home exercise program. She was encouraging and always reminded me that I would ultimately be stronger than I was before. And she was right!

After using the return to gymnastics protocol Carly provided, I got back to training. Less than a month later, my hard work and patience paid off. I was able to compete all four events at a meet in Kansas City, Missouri where I placed 2nd in the All -Around and my team placed 1st!

I am so grateful for Carly and everything she did to help me heal from my concussion. A month earlier, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to start my season, but she made that possible. She helped me to be patient, and to stay positive through this very tough injury. I am so thankful we found Carly and have already recommended her to a teammate of mine. I would recommend her and TCO to anyone who experiences a concussion and wants to get back to the sport they love. A big thank you to Carly and TCO!

I broke my arm in 2010 during a massive snowstorm. Dr. Neil Johnson came to the emergency room and scheduled me for surgery the next morning. The repair involved a plate and 11 screws. After 9 months, the hardware needed to be removed due to a metal allergy, which he was able to access quickly. Dr. Johnson and his team were outstanding during the entire process! Due of his incredible knowledge and surgical expertise, my arm is back to being 100%!

My son injured his thumb playing football. We were able to be seen for the initial appointment and had the surgery done a few days later. Everything was very efficient and my son received exceptional care. I would recommend Dr. Fischer for anyone in need of a hand surgeon.

Dr. Meyer‘s TCO Team is truly amazing! My experience was phenomenal from my first visit, when I came in with a fractured wrist in several places and a torn tendon, to my last physical therapy appointment. Every single person did their very best to care for me. TCO also has a great Physical Therapy center. Josh Albarado at TCO Hudson helped me with a lot of hand therapy stretching exercises. With tons of hard work, I have now regained almost perfect movement in 4 1/2 months. I am grateful to be able to fly fish once again.

My experience with my original procedure was good. Unfortunately, I had an accidental fall at home the day after my surgery and ended up breaking a few stitches. I went back to TCO Urgent Care where I was quickly 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 felt like my fall would slow my rehab. However, that was not the case, and my recovery is going very well. The pain typically happens at night and after my physical therapy exercises which I was told to expect. Falling at home was the only bad part of my recovery experience. I want to give a big thank you to Dr. Vanden Berge and the many people at TCO who had to perform surgery on me twice. I am very pleased with my care from him and his team.

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.