Patient Testimonials

I am not a professional athlete but I have always tried to be fit. I played softball, hockey, volleyball, ran, backpacked, fished every year in Alaska, and participated in Team and Boot Camp Fitness and Pilates. In 2008 I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. I had a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. After the basic treatments were complete I was prescribed several adjuvant medications. In my opinion, those medications damaged my joints and connective tissue and in 2012, I stopped all medication but the damage was done.

In 2013, I had a full right hip replacement. The procedure was completed by Dr. Conner and Shawn, in her compassionate and no nonsense manner, got me through the trauma. Within one week of the surgery I was back in the gym for Pilates and modified weight training. In 2015 I had a fusion of my neck. In 2017, Dr. Conner replaced my left knee. Based on information provided to me by TCO prior to knee surgery, I doubled up on my workouts and focused on strengthening my legs. When I left the hospital the day after surgery, I was walking and doing stairs and driving without and assistive devices like canes, walker, etc. Again, Shawn worked with me to work through this trauma and to avoid depression. In 2018, Dr. Cammack basically rebuilt the arch in my right foot and removed several bone spurs. This surgery was painful and took a long time to heal but Dr. Cammack, Lisa and Krisi worked with me to avoid deep depression and to get back in the gym. In about two months I was back to my full workouts albeit I am no longer able to run. In 2019, I ruptured my anterior tibialis which is a major tendon on top of my foot. I have no idea how or when it happened, but it did. When I learned from Dr. Cammack that I would again require surgery and a long healing process, I was exceedingly down. The post surgery recuperation has been very difficult because the hard cast on my lower leg causes claustrophobia and panic attacks. However, Lisa and Krisi have worked with me to look past the cast to take one day at a time.

It seems every time I get back to my usual fitness activities, I am stopped in my tracks by another joint or connective tissue mishap. I am 66 years old and have worked out and exercised all my life. Now it seems keeping active is a struggle due to muscular skeletal issues developed during the cancer treatments. However, TCO and its staff have helped me immensely. Although I cannot walk without a scooter yet, I am doing Pilates and modified weight training.

My story is not as exciting as the full recovery of an elite athlete but it is important to me. If it wasn’t for the staff at TCO, I would probably have given up ever being active again. They never give up on me so I feel I owe it to them to try my hardest.

I have been going to physical therapy at the Fridley TCO location for my shoulder after shoulder replacement surgery. I have gone to therapy 3 times so far. Steve was very patient and thorough in instructing me about the exercises. I’ve also worked with Dustin and he gave me pictures of my exercises so I can do them at home. They are excellent, wonderful therapists that I would highly recommend to anyone. I also visited TCO several years ago for my carpal tunnel surgery rehab and had a good experience there as well. I had suffered from shoulder pain for several years and had limited mobility. In the one month since I had the surgery, I’m nearly pain free and have enjoyed the use of my shoulder so much more in my daily life and activities. I would say my therapy and comeback has been a home run and a big hit!

I had been in a very long estate clean out for 5 years (very physical) and had worn my left knee and right shoulder, which had been repaired two times. I had a revision done April of 2018. Came back great by June with full use (I’m a very active race car driver and car builder). Had my right shoulder fully replaced in March 2019, and as of today, May 1st, I have 90% of my use back. My wife had her knee replaced in the middle of April 2019 and it was my turn to be nurse. She is already walking with a cane and well on her way to normal.

In the summer of 2017 I tore my right ACL playing kickball. I had never experienced an injury in my life that required surgery. I was scared, in pain and not knowing what recovery would have in store for me. The staff at TCO was amazing, my surgery and physical therapy went great. I was back playing kickball and volleyball the following season and never felt better. Unfortunately, in January of 2019, I was preparing for an out of state ski trip at Afton Alps. I took a turn on my skis and down I went. I had torn my ACL in the left leg. I remember the pain and also the frustration of having to go through another surgery and another recovery. Again, TCO delivered a great surgery experience. I began the recovery process, feeling pretty defeated. My physical therapist, Daniel, made my recovery fun. While challenging me to begin the repair process, we were able to talk about our mutual love for Game of Thrones and also of course the Minnesota Vikings. Daniel made sure that I felt comfortable and always took the time to try new things and come up with new ways to get my muscles strong again! I sincerely hope that this is the last time I will need to use TCO for surgery and recovery, but I am happy to spread the word about their excellent service and my positive experiences I have had over the years. Thanks TCO!

I struggled with gradually worsening sciatic pain over the last 10 years. It progressed to the point that a sharp, stabbing pain in my right gluteus, radiating down all the way to my right ankle, plagued me whenever I was bearing weight. Slowly, I was losing my ability to live my life. I retired from a nearly 30 year career in nursing because I could no longer do the work. Then, our family dog had to be given to my daughter because I could not walk him to the park, only a block away. I could no longer maintain my beloved flowerbeds. Cleaning the house became an impossible chore. Eventually, I could not even tolerate standing long enough to cook a meal. No amount of physical therapy or chiropractic measures seemed to be able to stem the tide. Pain was confining me to either my couch or my bed.

The final straw was a long-planned vacation to Ireland. My husband had to push me around Dublin in a wheelchair. At 53 years young, I could not accept living this way.

In my quest to end this downward spiral, I met Dr. Christian DuBois at TCO, who recognized the degeneration that had occurred in my spine. He performed a 2-level spinal fusion with replacement of the L4/L5 and L5/S1 discs in December of 2018. I was warned that pain relief would not be immediate and my recovery would be long. But when I first stood up after surgery, although sore from the surgical incision, my sciatic pain was gone. Because of how much better I felt, I progressed very quickly through my post-surgery physical therapy, which was also done with TCO.

I have a life again now. Already I’m able to do far more than I ever could a year ago. But my journey is not over! I will continue with TCO for my upcoming knee replacements this year, as there is nobody else with whom I would rather write the rest of my Comeback story.

This journey began in fifth grade when I dislocated my left knee during a basketball game. It started with just one dislocation and a little bit of pain. I thought it would eventually go away, but by the end of the sixth grade basketball season the pain and multiple dislocations became the norm for me. In the fall, my knee became extremely swollen and painful, to the point it affected my ability to play both volleyball and basketball. So, we decided to see Dr. Jeff Mair at Twin Cities Orthopedics. Dr. Mair ordered an MRI due to the swelling and mandatory time off from sports. The results came back that I had a crack on the back of my patella and the cartilage on the back of my knee cap was coming off because of all the dislocations. At this point, I was not ready to quit playing sports, so we agreed to try a patella stabilizing brace along with lots of icing and pain relievers. By December, the pain and swelling had gotten so bad that it was affecting my everyday life, along with my ability to excel at sports. Upon our next visit with Dr. Mair, he delivered the news that I was going to need surgery and unable to play basketball for a minimum of 12 weeks and will have to miss the softball season.

On January 31st, 2019, I underwent a left knee arthroscopy, chondroplasty of the lateral femoral trochlea, removal of multiple cartilaginous loose joint bodies, lateral retinacular release, excision lateral patellar bony ossicle, open medial patellar-femoral ligament repair, and patellar and lateral femoral trochlear antegrade drilling/microfracture/marrow stimulation. Following the surgery, I was put in a straight leg immobilizer for six weeks with no bending at all. Surgery went very well, before we knew it I was up walking and shooting hoops.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE my surgery I had participated in a Knight of Columbus Minnesota Council free throw contest. I won the event, which then allowed the winners to move on to the District competition. The District competition was TWO WEEKS AFTER my surgery. I did not want to participate because I didn’t know how to shoot without bending my leg and I was embarrassed on how it looked when I shot. My mom convinced me to go, and I ended up winning the event that would then send me to the regional competition. The regional competition was FOUR WEEKS AFTER my surgery, as it drew near I was feeling less and less confident because I knew my competition there was going to be the hardest yet. I shot and made 21 out of 25 free throws! That put me in first place, I won the regions and I was on my way to state. I shot the last two competitions with a straight leg immobilizer on. The state competition was held 8 WEEKS AFTER my initial surgery. By the time the State competition came I was walking again in a patella stabilizing brace and started therapy three times a week. I had two weeks of therapy in before the State competition arrived. Everyone believed in me and had no doubts that I could pull off the win. I had many doubts in myself because it had been so long since I had shot normally with just my patella stabilizing brace on. I got in the gym the morning of the competition as soon as I started shooting I could feel the excitement and the nerves of everyone around me. While we were warming up my nerves and doubts disappeared I knew that I could do anything because I had been working so hard to get to where I was at. I was the eleventh shooter out of twelve. The top girl so far had made 19 out of 25 which I knew I could beat, I got up to the line and BOOM! I was on fire I missed one here and there but I was counting in my head and I knew I had made eighteen but that’s when I lost track of how many I had shot. I shot another one to put me at nineteen the tying score of the girl before. It was my last shot, we tied. That meant we had to go to a tiebreaker out of five. She made 1 out of 5. I made 4 out of 5. I was the MINNESOTA STATE CHAMPION!

When I got back to therapy the next day we kept pushing to get my leg better. We did forty five minutes of work at therapy and then I went home and did more. The progress was going extremely fast and before we knew it, I was doing leg press, biking, and squats. With two more weeks of hard work, I started jumping and running. I am at the point now where I can practice and hopefully start playing the first weekend of May. I am almost 12 weeks out now and I can’t wait to get back on the court. I have had the greatest care team ever. This would not all of been possible without Dr. Mair and especially my physical therapist, Cathy Carrabre. Cathy pushed me every session to work hard, believe in myself, and be confident that I will be a better person and athlete at the end of this journey.

My muscles screamed with excruciating pain as I crested the top of Summit Avenue. Only a couple miles of the Twin Cities Marathon stood between a Boston qualifier time and me. At mile 25.8, the official clock caught my gaze and my heart lept with excitement as I started crying tears of joy. I couldn’t believe it! I was going to qualify for the Boston Marathon! Suddenly, a pain pierced the side of my right knee with less than a mile to go. I just needed to finish. I drowned out the pain, passed the Cathedral and gave all I had left. I did it! I crossed the finish line! I was elated when I saw that I had not only obtained my personal record, but I had qualified for the Boston Marathon by twenty-three minutes!

Three days later I was back running. Just an easy six miles on a gorgeous fall day. I started out and smiled to myself. I was finally training for the marathon I had dreamt about for my whole life. In April of 2019, I would toe the start line in Boston! All of a sudden, an excruciating pain burned my right knee and I fell to the ground. When I got up, the pain sliced the right side of my knee with every step. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t run! The vision I imagined of myself standing at the Boston Marathon with a finisher medal around my neck was now ripped away from me. How would I ever run the Boston Marathon if I couldn’t even walk home? My life long dream was gone.

My confidence was shattered. My dream was out of reach and I was disappointed in myself for causing such a loss. A flame of hope was rekindled when I was introduced to Lisa Matheson in January 2019. She was a physical therapist at Twin Cities Orthopedics that came highly recommended to me by my sisters. They told me that she worked with runners and would know exactly how to help.

I limped into Twin Cities Orthopedics and practically fell over as Lisa asked me to do a one legged squat on my right leg. Three and a half months of physical therapy, graston bruises, a laundry list of daily strengthening exercises and grit were the things she asked me for that day. My right IT band was injured and my hip and gluteal muscles were extremely weak. I held on to the confidence in her voice as she said, “Don’t worry. We will do the best that we can to help you accomplish your dream. I believe in you.” I came back week after week and never missed a single day of completing my physical therapy exercises. Tears of despair filled my eyes as I reported my weekly workout experience to Lisa. Staying optimistic about my dream was hard. My training was very different from any other training cycle I had experienced. I did not run hills, I did not do interval workouts and I was unable to complete most of my running workouts. Run until you feel pain, and then finish your workout on the elliptical. Do your exercises every day. I followed all her instructions.

The treacherous, snowy sidewalks forced me to run all training runs on the treadmill. Seventeen miles was on my plan for the upcoming long run. Just seventeen. I’ve done that many times before. I no sooner had gotten to mile 9 when a sharp needle pain pierced my right knee. I cried out in pain and limped off the treadmill. My eyes filled with tears. I was only two months away and this pain had become the new normal. Why couldn’t my body just get better so I could get back to the training I needed to do for Boston? Would I run the marathon at all? As I rode the bike at PT to prepare for the graston, Lisa honestly was the reason my spirits were lifted. Every time she pointed out all the positives and helped me recognize the immense amount of growth I had made. She also kept my goal in mind and remained confident that I would make it to the start line healthy. Her confidence and kindness kept me determined and gritty. A month before the marathon, I was overjoyed to tell her that I had completed a 23 mile run on hills with zero pain in my IT band. She was right. I was going to make it to the start line healthy.

The weekend finally arrived! My cousin, my husband and I anxiously awaited our start amongst the excitement in the Athletes Village. I was in Hopkinton, Massachusetts! This was really happening! They called my wave. My husband squeezed my hand and said, “This is it!” 30,000 runners surrounded me as we approached the start line. Tears of joy and disbelief filled my eyes and a wave of excitement pulsed through my body as I finally toed the line for the Boston Marathon. The moment of my dreams had arrived. I was really going to do this. The hours of physical therapy and my determination had all brought me to this moment!

Bang! The gun shot rung through the air and we were off! Millions of people lined the streets as we said goodbye to Hopkinton and started our victory run to Boston. The first five kilometers sent us plummeting down three hundred feet of elevation. I gazed around and smiled as the cheers of the crowds carried me from town to town. The Newton Hills and the Heartbreak Hill were next. My quads and calves were in excruciating pain as I climbed three hundred feet of elevation in four miles. I can and I will finish the Boston Marathon! This mantra asked everything from my body and mind with every stride toward Boylston Street. This is it. Just a right on Hereford Street and the final stretch on Boylston was all that stood between my dream and me. I was overwhelmed with joy as I turned onto Boylston Street. There it is! There is the finish line! I had done it! Lisa was right!

I completed the Boston Marathon on April 15th 2019 with zero pain in my IT band. I persevered through 13.1 miles of downhill running and 13.1 miles of uphill climbing with ZERO pain in my IT band. I also finished with an eight minute and thirty second mile average, which shattered my expectations. As I crossed the finish line, all I felt was gratitude. I thanked God for Lisa Matheson and Twin Cities Orthopedics. I was so grateful for everything she had done to not only help my IT band recover in time to accomplish my lifelong dream, but for all she did to help me believe in myself as well. Thank you, Lisa, for being there. Thank you for believing in me, and thank you for helping me believe in myself.

In 2005 I was in a bad car accident. I had 40 crushed bones in my right ankle. Dr. Knowlan put everything back together and for 8 years I walked with a brace and a cane. He saved my ankle! Then I got arthritis. It was very painful and Dr. Knowlan suggested ankle replacement. So, in 2013, Dr. Dahl did the replacement and when I was able to put weight on it, the pain was gone and now I got my life back! Except for the scars, no one would know I had an ankle replacement……..no cane and no brace!

I have never considered myself a runner but I have always loved to be active. I was a dancer for sixteen years, competing at the national level, and loved the athleticism and artistry of the sport. While I’m past my prime dancing years, I’ve found ways to stay active – teaching kindergarten, taking walks with my husband, strength training, and, most recently, running. I decided my New Year’s resolution would be to get out of my comfort zone and train to run my first half-marathon in 2019. I registered for the Lake Minnetonka Half-Marathon and immediately began researching training plans and nutrition tips. I hit the ground running (pun intended) on January 1, fully determined to complete my training program and prove to myself that I can be a runner. I crushed my first month of training. My distances were getting longer, my body felt strong, and my stamina was increasing. I felt unstoppable and more eager than ever for race day.

One afternoon I was on the bike for a cross-training day when I felt a quick pain in my right hip. It didn’t feel unbearable at the time so I continued on the bike, thinking that I’d put my body through sixteen years of dance with no major injuries, so there was no way a bike session would cause a problem. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The next day it hurt to walk so I forced myself to have a rest day. The following day I couldn’t make it down the hallway with my kindergarten class without pain. I couldn’t sit with my students on the floor. I couldn’t stand for more than a couple minutes to teach a lesson. I thought my hip just needed more time, so I took more rest days and developed a limp to ease the pain when I walked. Fast forward a month and I was still struggling with every day tasks. I couldn’t even get dressed without pain. I finally caved and went to Twin Cities Orthopedics Urgent Care. My story was heard, x-rays were taken, and a diagnosis of labral tear was given. The possibility of surgery sounded terrifying, so I was relieved when the orthopedic surgeon said my injury could most likely be treated with physical therapy.

I walked into my first physical therapy session feeling more nervous than I expected but ready for guidance. Nicole was the perfect match for me. Not only did she put my nerves at ease but she has an athletic background and understood my desire to get back to running. That first session “hurt so good,” as they say, and I left with a goal to walk without limping for the next week. It was perfect that I have twenty-one kindergartners to help me on this journey: “Mrs. C., you’re leaning to the side again!” They kept me accountable and, with a lot of conscientious effort, I started walking “normally” again. My next several physical therapy sessions were all about helping my muscles learn how to operate correctly again. I found that I was excited to go to PT every week because I liked getting new exercises; I could feel they were making a difference. Eventually I was walking with no pain. I could squat next to my students’ tables to help them and get back up again. I could get in and out of my car. I could walk up and down stairs instead of crawling. I could climb on the counter to reach the top shelf of the cupboard. I was no longer restricted.

Eventually I received the news I’d been waiting for – I could try running again! My first run was slow and not very far, but I did it. Best of all, I experienced minimal pain and was able to run again the very next day. My hip hasn’t had enough time to condition for the Lake Minnetonka Half-Marathon but my goal is still attainable. I’ve transferred to the Halloween Half-Marathon and started a new training program. My distances have slowly been increasing, and while I’m often frustrated that my times still aren’t what they once were, I’m thankful I can not only run but do everyday tasks without pain. My kindergartners no longer ask me why I “sound like a grandma” when I get up from a chair. I know this wouldn’t be the case without Nicole and my time at PT.

I’m once again a runner, more eager than ever to cross that finish line on race day. This new race will be the perfect way to celebrate my recovery and 30th birthday, and I couldn’t ask for more!

In April 2015, while on a tour of Northern Ireland with my daughter, I slipped while struggling to disembark from a tall jeep, in the driving rain of Belfast. When I fell five feet from the jeep’s metal stairs and tumbled to the ground, crooked left foot first, I knew it was bad because my daughter Julia implored me not to look. The angle of my foot was unnatural, the pain was excruciating, and the rain had turned to sleet as I waited for the ambulance to rescue me from the parking lot of the Titanic Experience (foreshadowing?). I spent 11 days in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, undergoing both an ex-fix and an internal fixation surgery for my trimalleolar fracture. A week later, I was flown home on a Medi-Vac plane with a suitcase full of blood thinners, in a cast up to my knee. After the cast, boot, and much PT—along with periodic shots of cortisone—I walked pretty well until last winter, when the cortisone stopped working. I hobbled into Dr. Chris Coetzee’s office in early February 2019, a brace on my left ankle and a cane in my hand, afraid I was facing the mobility-limiting ankle fixation that two other orthopedic surgeons had suggested. To my great relief and delight, Dr. Coetzee offered me instead an ankle replacement surgery a month later. Two days ago (April 23), I tossed aside my scooter, boot, and crutches, and I am now once again walking down the street where I live: Main Street, which runs alongside the Mississippi River. I predict I will be crossing the iconic Stone Arch Bridge by Memorial Day. Thanks to the magical team of Dr. Chris Coetzee, Larry Nilsson, P.A., and Lisa Long, scheduler extraordinaire.