Patient Testimonials

I had an ankle injury many years ago that wasn’t properly healed. In the spring of 2018, I re-injured it. I was fortunate to see Dr. McGarvey. He examined my ankle and tried an alternate to surgery with a cortisone shot. This helped quite a bit to get me through the pain for a while, but soon it was apparent that surgery was needed. I was walking with a limp and pain. I was going to schedule the surgery but that didn’t happen due to a family crisis. I explained my situation to the staff and they were very understanding and I left with another cortisone shot in the interim. By early spring of 2019, I couldn’t handle the pain and immobility, so I went back to TCO to schedule surgery. Everyone there remembered what happened to me and was extremely caring.

I had my surgery in the beginning of March. Dr. McGarvey did and excellent job! I am now 8 weeks after my surgery and receiving physical therapy. I am walking in tennis shoes, pain free and only using 1 crutch for safety! I go back to TCO on June 5th for my final check up and will personally thank him again, along with his assistant Rhodora Roxas, and his nurse Laura!

I’m a 75 year-old (previously active) female and needed a full knee replacement, which Dr. Anseth performed in September of 2018. Thanks to his skill and the wonderful physical therapy I received at TCO, I was able to fly to the mountains of central Mexico on 2/1, and successfully and without pain, walk 3-4 miles per day for six weeks, up and down the foothills on consistently uneven and sometimes treacherous surfaces.

I had the other knee replaced elsewhere some years before, unsuccessfully, so was very apprehensive to do this second knee. Dr. Anseth’s excellent listening skills, reassurance about anesthesia, a phone call to me the night prior to surgery and his deep and up-to-date knowledge in this field, moved me forward with confidence. I am very grateful to have a different and very positive outcome.

In August 2018, I was at gymnastics practice and tried doing a vault. I fell and hurt my back. The pain kept getting worse and I finally went to TCO. They did a MRI and said I had a stress fracture in my left pars L5. I was put into a brace and eventually 2 more. I was not healing, my leg was going numb and becoming weak. I couldn’t sit or stand long without being in a lot of pain. It was well into my gymnastics competition season and I was not sure if I would be able to do gymnastics ever again. Since I wasn’t going to need surgery, I was referred to my PT, Kristina. She was so great and helpful! We took things slow, she was so patient with me! After months of PT, I was finally allowed to try handstands! It took 8 months to get me back to the gym! Unfortunately, I missed the entire competition season. I am back to training and excited to start competing next season!! Thanks to TCO and Kristina Withers for giving me back the confidence and strength to continue the sport I fell in love with 8 years ago!

I just started my sophomore year of high school and it was going so great. I played on the varsity football team and I got to play with my older brother, which I have never done. Three games into the season, I tore my ACL and meniscus. I was absolutely devastated. It was so difficult to watch my teammates have fun and win games, while I watched on the side lines filling up water. I was at an all time low, until I started going to TCO in Blaine. This was the one time I could push myself and feel like an athlete again. Yes, I was still on crutches for a month, but that didn’t stop me from setting minor goals. TCO was the only place I could push my goals and try to get back to sports.

A few months have past and I watched the whole high school hockey season in the stand. As everyone else was playing games, I was so close to getting back. In six months, I tested my knee to play hockey and I was cleared! I have never felt so much happiness and relief. I can finally return to the sport I love. TCO doctors and my physical therapist, Sam Arnold, helped me push myself to return and I can’t thank them enough. Most players who come back to sport with an ACL tear are around twelve months, and I did it in six. The next week after being cleared, I flew to Michigan to play in the national championship with my best friends. I was playing at the highest level of hockey for my age, when I just tore my ACL and meniscus six months ago. This was a dream come true. Thank you TCO – you helped me feel complete again.

After suffering for over 20 years with lots of pain in my left shoulder, I had a fall. That, of course, finally pushed me to have surgery that I had been putting off. Dr. Hunt was recommended to me, and am I glad! He explained everything to me in words I could understand. Then I had the reverse shoulder surgery. My goodness, that pain was worse than my 36 hour delivery of my 10.3 lb baby girl (with no pain meds)! But well worth it, as I am pain-free now. And my PT, what a sweetie. He answered all my many questions without rolling his eyes!

Hi Jay,

I hope you and your family are doing well.

I wanted to take a minute to once again tell you that because of all your efforts and dedication to helping me walk and have my independence back, I am now back in the workforce! I’ve known for some time that I wanted to work part time in a position where I could interact with people and have some outside connection to the world. This week, that dream came true. The position is ideal for me, working only 10 hours a week, early morning hours. Both Bill and I didn’t know if my leg would present and issues about hiring and qualifications to do the position. It did not, much to my surprise.

Jay, without your help, expertise and encouragement, I would have never reached this level of independence. It is people like yourself and Kyle that I want to thank for continuing to live my life according to my needs. This past winter, I helped Bill with shoveling and even ran the small snow blower. It is not certain on those early days in therapy if I even knew that would be possible.

Bill/I sold our home of 35 years that we built and moved a year ago March to another home only a few miles away. The home we lived in previously was a 2 story and I had a huge landscaped flower garden that was difficult to keep up after losing my leg. Our new home is only 7 years old, with bedrooms, etc. on one level and in an equally great neighborhood as we lived previously. When looking for a new home, we had a list of priorities, namely a flat driveway, few stairs, etc. It has been one year of completing small and major projects in the house and was time that I was ready to look for outside work.

I just want you to know that there are many days, when I reflect back the help your provided to me in therapy and will always be grateful. I hope that your patients know how fortunate they are to be connected with you.

Spring is coming …finally and hope that you and your family will enjoy it!

Looking forward to seeing you when I visit Kyle.

Thanks Jay,

Patty

We saw Dr. Cole because my daughter Riley (15), was experiencing acute pain in her left foot. She plays high school basketball and had a sharp, persistent pain that would not go away. Dr. Cole ordered x-rays because he suspected a stress fracture but they came back non-conclusive. He then suggested we do an MRI because he was suspicious the x-rays were not telling the whole story. We did the MRI and sure enough, there it was. I feel Dr. Cole went above and beyond to help diagnose Riley’s foot pain. I think most doctors would have said the x-ray didn’t show anything and been done. Dr. Cole explained his thoughts the entire way through the process. I felt like we were making informed decisions based on him taking the time to make sure we were educated.  He was a very thoughtful, kind and effective doctor for us.

Not only is he a great doctor but he is a great guy! Riley is interested in becoming a doctor and during our time with Dr. Cole had asked him a few questions about his educational history and experiences. Dr. Cole took extra time to share his thoughts and feelings on how he became a doctor and some of his background. Riley left his office that day excited about her future as a doctor – amazed that he took the time to discuss his life with her. I just can’t say enough about how Dr. Cole took care of us. He took the time to really understand her background, which I think was instrumental to his diagnosis. He was a great doctor and a great role model for our daughter. Thanks, Dr. Cole!!

I experienced a herniated disc at L4-L5 that caused extreme pain in my lower back and down my right leg. The MRI revealed a significant disc protrusion irritating the nerves going down my leg. Dr. Deal performed a micro-discectomy to remove the protrusion, resulting in immediate pain relief. Several weeks of physical therapy following surgery has re-strengthened the muscles that atrophied in my right leg during the period prior to surgery. I could not be more pleased with the treatment by Dr. Deal and his excellent team.

I have nothing but incredible things to say about my Physical Therapist, Kaci Platz. I was assigned to Kaci after my surgery for a torn shoulder labrum, that was repaired by Dr. Jason Barry (another incredible TCO team member). My shoulder had been in pain for the better part of 6 years prior to my surgery. During those years, I had been seen by other doctors and even received physical therapy and cortisone shots to “help” with the pain. One doctor went so far as telling me that I would probably have this pain permanently and would be receiving cortisone shots on a “regular basis”. My job as a UPS driver requires lots of movement and bouncing around in a vehicle, that was nearly impossible to deal with over my 458 nightly miles to Iowa and back to Minneapolis. My injury also caused me to stop playing guitar and drums. the slightest motions made it impossible to hold a drumstick or strum any guitar.

In December of 2018, I had enough of the endless pain that was impairing my sleep, work, and everyday life. I was referred to TCO by my personal physician at Fairview. Upon my meetings with Dr. Barry, I knew things were gonna be different. He did tests and asked questions no one else had before. After an MRI confirmed what we suspected, we scheduled an orthoscopic repair in January 2019. The surgery went very well and healing was slow. Being in an immobilizing sling was hard to get used to.

I met with Kaci and was impressed with her questions and how gentle she was at our initial visit. As most people would be, I was very guarded of my shoulder and wanted nothing to do with anyone moving or manipulating my healing shoulder/arm. Kaci was good about gaining trust and manipulated my shoulder with the lightest but necessary movements. Over the following weeks, I looked forward to physical therapy sessions, as I found pain relief following each meeting and gained strength through the assigned exercises. Through those exercises, and great advice given by Kaci, I am excited to say that I am on track to return to work nearly a month earlier than expected (pending Dr. Barry’s examination and approval).

As of this writing, I am pain-free and excited to return to work without daily struggles with excruciating pain and numbness. I hope to shortly start playing catch with my kids who are both in softball and baseball. I can play guitar again with NO issues!!!!!

I truly wish I had come to TCO earlier and avoided the pain and countless sleepless nights/days. I have recommended Twin Cities Orthopedics to anyone who has issues with pain and will have nothing but great things to say about my treatment and recovery. Many THANKS to the TCO team for their help with my recovery.

In December of 2018, I finished skiing with my family and as I was walking to my car. I had to hop across a ditch and bent my knee hard in the process. As I stood up I realized my knee did not feel right. I scheduled an appointment and did a consultation with a surgeon from a different orthopedic practice. After asking around for the best knee surgeon, it was suggested to meet Dr. Corey Wulf. He was able to meet with me the next day and we scheduled surgery. This was the second bucket handle meniscus tear I have had in my left knee (the first one was 6 years ago).

The surgery went great and I was able to start physical therapy 2 days after surgery. When I met Paul Breyen, he was very friendly and listened well. He developed a PT plan for me and we were able to progress very quickly. I had a personal goal to be able to ski the first weekend of February on a ski trip to Montana with friends. Even though Paul suggested against pushing my knee too quickly, he helped develop a plan that strengthened my leg and knee. I was able push the exercises and was successful in skiing that weekend!

Paul helped me to meet my goals and has even developed a plan for me to train for the MS150 (150 mile bike ride) in June and my first ever half Ironman in July! I did all of my PT at the new facility in Eagan and the Training Haus. That facility is best in class and also, just plain awesome! Thanks TCO for helping me with my Comeback Story!