Patient Testimonials

I’m a soccer player and I first tore my ACL in August 2016. I had surgery and two weeks later had a second surgery due to a rare situation where the endpoint of my graft moved. I spent 6 months in PT with Deb Kostecki and Kelly Soukup. I returned to playing soccer in June 2017 and couldn’t be happier. I finished my club season by winning the Midwest regional championship and earning a trip to the national championships with my team. My high school season started again in August 2017 and my club season began in late October. I tore my ACL for a second time on Superbowl Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. I also tore both of my meniscus at the same time. I had a 5 hour surgery on 2/21/18 where my ACL was reconstructed from my quad tendon, both meniscus were repaired and a cadaver tendon was placed along the side of my knee, like an internal splint. I started back in PT again a few days later with Kelly and Deb. I had so much scar tissue built up from my prior two surgeries that the nerves in my leg were affected and I couldn’t get my knee straight and had continual pain in my foot. My focus in PT was range of motion in my knee and recovery from the surgery. I struggled with both. In July 2018, I had the 4th surgery on my knee in 22 months. This time it was a soft tissue release and scar tissue was removed as well as the nerve in my leg being released from the scar tissue and internal stitches it had gotten stuck on. Immediately after the surgery, the pain in my foot was gone and my range of motion was improved. I’ve continued with PT since that point to work on range of motion and now strength. Since August 2017, I’ve had 4 surgeries on my left knee and been in PT for almost 2 years – 15 straight months with the last injury. While I’ve had to give up my dream of playing college and club soccer, my goal is to play one last season of high school soccer. My comeback story isn’t complete. I continue with PT once a week. I’m also participating in ACE Plus with Maggie Dewitz and training at Training HAUS to build strength in my leg. People think I’m crazy for wanting to play soccer again, but the entire team at TCO, my PT’s , Dr. Neil Johnson and the Training HAUS crew, including Kirk Olson and Scott Schriever, are helping me work for one last season of high school soccer so I can leave the game on my terms this time.

Our TCO comeback story is a family affair. TCO’s expert surgeons and caring and knowledgeable physical therapists helped three members of our active family through a difficult 2018-2019 orthopedic year.

In May 2018, after many injuries and pain from decades of activities: football, baseball, basketball, running, floor ball and mountain biking, Dr. Chris Coetzee surgically reconstructed dad, Paul’s ankle (age 58).

Also, in May 2018, daughter, Emma, age 24, tore her ACL playing for her club ultimate Frisbee team. Dr. Christie Heikes surgically repaired Emma’s left knee in June 2018. In January 2019, Emma hit a speed bump in her recovery when she returned to Dr. Heikes for a cyclops lesion in the same knee.

Not to be outdone, mom, Beth, age 56, had her ski and hockey season cut short with shoulder surgery at the end of February 2019 with Dr. Adam Bakker. (Dr. Andrea Saterbak also got Beth back into skiing and hockey after her third ACL surgery in 2016; Son, Joe, had hand surgery with a TCO doctor too.)

These injuries were challenging for our active family of four. Our quality time is centered around sports. Every day after supper, when the kids were younger, we would go in the backyard to play games. Most often we played 2v2 soccer or wiffle ball. When the kids grew older, most evenings were spent at an organized soccer, baseball, softball, floor ball, hockey, or downhill skiing event. We attend each other’s events and encourage each other to reach our athletic goals. Therefore, we were eager to start our comeback journey.

Our family’s comeback journey led us to TCO’s physical therapy group. There, Brooke Deshler’s positive and motivational spirit inspired Paul to work through a long period of significant pain and instability to where Paul recently walked nine miles on a beach in Florida and biked over two hours on a warm Minnesota spring day.

Physical therapist, Mike Slavics, has encouraged both Beth and Emma with his fully engaged spirit.

Beth is back to a normal schedule of biking, working and everyday tasks. Nicole Tezuka’s upbeat personality also encouraged Beth to improve her range of motion and shoulder strength and even shared an excellent protein power ball recipe!

Emma’s significant knee injury at times isolated her and took her away from her day to day social network of her team sports and friend’s activities. Mike Slavic understood that physical activity was a big part of Emma’s well-being and identity. Mike inspires mental toughness and encourages Emma to persevere, often reminding her she is still an athlete. Mike passionately and safely motivated Emma to greatly improve her strength and balance so that Emma is now ready for TCO’s ACE (return to sports) program. Soon, Emma will be able to return to club ultimate frisbee and rejoin her mother’s hockey team.

Our family is still on our comeback journey. We often do our physical therapy together or go on walks to stay active. We are gearing up for family hikes this summer.
We owe our Comeback Journey to TCO’s Drs. Coetzee, Saterbak, Heikes, Bakker and physical therapists Brooke Deshler, Mike Slavic’s and Nicole Tezuka.

Being 45, I have had my share of surgeries. I was born with left hip dysplasia in 1973. When I was a little over a year old, I had surgery to fix the ball and socket. I was very active growing up, lettering in 3 sports and played fastpitch softball during the summer for many years. Orthopedically I was doing great until 2010 when I tore my labrum in my left hip. Dr. Neil Johnson sent me to a specialist at the U of M. After repairing my labrum and replacing the hip a year later, I thought I was doing good. I was an avid golfer and was playing great.

In October of 2014, I was rear ended by a distracted driver, causing the herniation of vertebrae in my neck. Dr. Deal repaired my neck in April of 2015 and I was back on the golf course in August that summer. Not too long after this surgery, I started having right hip issues and Dr. Chris Larson found that I had a torn labrum. He highly recommended I go to see PT Meredith Butulis. She would help me get better without surgery! After my previous experience with my left hip, I was not sold. However, I began working with Meredith and found her to be amazing. She was a great listener and was always so positive and encouraging. After working with her, I have been able to push surgery off and still have not had to do anything about it.

In 2017, while golfing, I stepped in a hole in front of green, and stretched/tore ligaments in left ankle. After visiting with two TCO doctors, therapy was ordered and I immediately went to Meredith. After little improvements in my ankle, she sent me to see Dr. Chris Coetzee. He surgically repaired the ligament. He was also fantastic. When PT was ordered, I said I wanted to work with Meredith. Dr. Coetzee looked at me and said, “Fantastic. She is the best PT in the Twin Cities.” I told him I agreed.

Meredith has helped me in so many ways get back to participating in sports again at a high level. I have a fantastic relationship with her which gives me comfort when I have a question after treatment has been completed. I know I can email her and she gets back to me in a very reasonable time frame.

My story at TCO is extensive over the past 7-8 years. Every doctor, therapist and nurse have been wonderful to work with. I always felt like I was at the center of their attention when I was in one of the offices. I highly recommend to anyone who has an orthopedic issue or concern, to go to TCO.

Oh, where to begin? I have received wonderful care from various providers at Twin Cities Orthopedics but the one who stands out the most is Dr. Allan Hunt. He has been my surgeon/doctor for the past 16 years. Playing sports always came natural for me, especially softball. However, playing ball ended up taking a toll on my body even up to my 40’s. But to find out playing ball actually saved my life down the road. I’ve had over 25 orthopedic surgeries from shoulders and hips to ankles and knees. Of course over the years, when you have all these surgeries, your body and your mental state sometimes and you become depressed, which I ended up being. I, of course, started to pack on the weight and started to get depressed. Many personal things had happened in my life after losing both my parents, a divorce, and I was later diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder (diagnosed at 41). Even in my appointments with Dr. Hunt, my weight was never brought up even though I knew I needed to take charge of my life. Pushing close to 310, I knew I needed to take charge, so I started to work out and watch what I was eating. I was already having my 3rd knee surgery and of course it was progressively getting worse. As the weight was coming off, the knee just didn’t want to budge. After losing 170 pounds and 160 inches, even after all that I did my knee just gave out on me. I remember calling Kendra and telling her, “It’s time to schedule surgery for my TKA”, and she said “Okay, let’s schedule that appointment with Dr. Hunt.”

I saw him in July of 2018, the plan was to wait until I was 50, I was 45. I remember, he came in after looking at the X-rays and he looked at me and I looked at him and we both knew it was time. I scheduled my surgery for December. I wanted to get strong for this surgery, so I became diligent with the exercises and was working out more and getting my muscles strong. December 17th came and I was ready for this bionic knee. Surgery was done and Dr. Hunt said everything was great. I was working with the physical therapist at Aurora and I was doing such a great job that I graduated to using a cane when I went home the next day. When I started physical therapy at TCO, my physical therapist, was a little confused when he saw me he was like where is your walker and I told him, I graduated to a cane and I was told I didn’t need a walker. He smiled. Then we did my Hx & Px and then we went over to the bike and gave me a little pep talk and told me don’t get discouraged if you can’t do a full rotation on the bike. I get on the bike and I started to peddle away on the bike. He asked me when I had surgery and I told him Monday and it was Wednesday. He told me that he has been a physical therapist for almost 10 years and he has never had a patient be able to do a full rotation on the bike, where it can sometimes take 2 weeks to a month for some patients. Man that felt good to hear this. I had been working so hard to accomplish to get strong and get my quads even stronger. I had a total of 15 PT sessions, and was discharged before having my second post-op appointment with Dr. Hunt. In all of my surgeries, this has never happened. My ROM was near perfect, I got it to 141/0. I kept working at it and never gave up. I still workout and I still do my exercises, and I have to be that example for others especially dealing with having Ehlers Danlos. I may have a mild condition, but I don’t let it define me, I keep a positive attitude. In all these years, Dr. Hunt has played a huge impact, he has always been a huge advocate for me, he has been my support system, an encourager, and most importantly, a friend, and I am forever grateful for him.

April 20th, 2018, coming down a roof access ladder, my foot slipped; I fall 18-20 feet onto a hard-concrete floor, barely missing a scissor lift. I completely crush my tibia bone above my ankle. It is believed my right leg is now about two inches shorter than the left from the impact. I am told I have a pilon fracture in my right leg, broken tibia in the right leg and crushed heel on the left. I also have torn up most of the cartilage; in other words, my legs are a mess!

Because we are now many, many miles from home at the time of the accident, we start the calls to find a doctor closer to home. Luckily, my mom has a friend that has been seeing an orthopedic doctor at Twin Cities Orthopedics. We are referred to Dr. Bryan Den Hartog. Even while he is on vacation with his family, he reviews pictures of my scans and is willing and able to take my case! I have one more surgery in St. Cloud (where the accident happened) to put a plate and screws on my fibula and start learning how to transfer from location to location using a board and without using my legs. I need to learn how to use a wheelchair, how to get in and out of a car, how to put on my clothes and do the simplest of tasks we all take for granted every day.

Over the next couple of weeks, I have surgery to start “fixing” me up! Surgery #3, I have my fixator removed and more plates and screws put in. Bone fragments and pieces of cartilage are removed. Bone grafts are done. I have screws put into my left heel to fuse it together. I spend another four days in the hospital, I can leave for home to start the new way of doing things while I heal.

During this healing process, I was completely wheel chair bound. Many modifications needed to be made at home so I could get around and attempt to do things on my own. Unfortunately, my incision is not healing properly and I have surgery #4 to pull my skin together on my shin so it can heal; I am also back in a cast.

July 23rd, 2019 is the first time since the accident, I can start to put any weight on my legs. Being able to stand upright for the first time in three months was the best! I still cannot walk, but I can now use my left leg to help me get around a little easier in the wheelchair.

July 30th, I start physical therapy and can stand up for short periods of time! I even take a couple steps this day, but I am still in the wheelchair, as I cannot put my whole body weight on my feet quite yet.

August 17th, I start walking down the hallway at physical therapy – things are starting to move better. At the end of August, I have small set back as a screw has started to work its way out; surgery #5 is scheduled. Luckily, this only delays physical therapy for about a week and I am back at it.

Beginning of September, I am walking around in physical therapy quite a bit. By the end of September, five long months later, I no longer need the wheelchair to get around and have graduated to using the walker! Being able to walk out of the physical therapy door was the best. From that point on, I work to get stronger and work on my walking. It is still somewhat painful, and I am limping, but no more wheelchair. Within a month or so, I am no longer using the walker either. Freedom at last!

In February 2019, the hardware in my leg is starting to bother me so I have another surgery #6 to remove the plate on my fibula and screws in my left heel. We venture to Eagan during a blizzard, but we get there and have my surgery. Recovery from this surgery was a slow and painful process and I am back to using the walker or crutches to help keep me stable as I walk for a couple of weeks. At my follow-up appointment though, things look great so I do not need to come back until May; longest in between appointments since my accident.

Things will never be the same for me, but from where I started April 20th, 2018 to today, is huge. We knew the outcome was ok/good for me to walk again, but you will never know for sure until you get there. I will need additional surgeries on my right leg that could be as extensive as a complete ankle replacement, but from having completely shattered bones and not being able to walk to where I am today, I will take it. I am so grateful for Dr. Den Hartog and Lindsey Ortlip for all they have done and will continue to do for me. Because of the two of them, I am walking today, even if it is with a limp. The hundreds of miles and hours in the car driving to the cities for appointments and surgeries have all been worth it. Thank you to Dr. Den Hartog, Lindsey and the numerous other TCO staff for helping me and my family through this. But, most importantly, THANK YOU for allowing me the chance to walk once again. I have a step daughter and a daughter on the way in June. Because of you, I will be able to WALK them down the aisle some day.

Although my comeback story is not complete, I would not be as far as I am today without my surgeon, Dr. David Anderson, and especially my physical therapist and “best friend”, Luke Cash. I am in the 9th inning of my recovery and am confident that I will end the game stronger than when I started.

My setback began the Sunday evening of August 5th, 2018, the night before club softball tryouts. My friends and I decided to play a game of 3 on 3 basketball in the Eagan league. While playing, I went up for a lay-up and came down and heard a “POP”. I fell down in pain, not knowing the journey I would endure. Later, I found out that I tore my ACL in my right knee. Devastating for a very athletic 13 year old girl, my journey ahead was going to last for 6 to 9 months or longer, and I was not sure if I could do it.

The day I heard I had torn my ACL was the toughest day of my life. However, within an hour of the news, all of my best friends hopped on their bikes and were at my house to just sit with me, watch movies and to just be there, as they knew how hard this was for me. I knew I needed surgery and I was scared, disappointed and sad. The next 10 days were filled with love and support from my family and friends and a lot of doctors appointments in between. The night before surgery I was very nervous and scared, not sure of what lay ahead of me.

On the day of surgery, I woke up early and got ready to head to TCO in Eagan, the day of the Vikings Training Camp scrimmage vs the Jaguars. Once there, I was brought into a room and they prepared me for surgery. I was comforted by the wonderful nurse who took such good care of me, reminding me that everything was going to be alright. Dr. Anderson came in and explained what was going to happen during surgery and then the next thing I remember was the nurse giving me water and my parents and big brother coming into see me.

Two days later I started my long comeback when I started physical therapy. When I met my physical therapist, Luke Cash, he introduced himself as my new “best friend”. I thought that was a little weird, but little did I know that he was right. He has become one of my best friends, big brother, biggest supporter, as well as my worst critic, but in a good way.

At first, physical therapy was boring, as all I was able to do was try to lift my leg and work on my range of motion. But as the weeks passed, I was able to do more and more. The day I was finally able to ditch my immobilizer was a great day, but the day I was able to walk out of TCO Eagan on my own without the crutches was spectacular. I even asked my mom if we could run them over with our truck, as I was so excited to be done with them and I never want to see them again!

As the months passed and many more therapy sessions under my belt, I slowly continued to improve and was able to start doing more and more. The day Luke tossed me a basketball and I was able to start to dribble and the day I went over to the Training HAUS and was able to start shooting, made my slow comeback start to feel a lot more bearable. I was finally starting to do a few small sports and activities, making me feel more like myself. Shortly after I got a basketball back in my hand I got the best news so far – Dr. Anderson told me that I could finally start to swing a bat. I was so excited to tell all my closest friends that I could finally start to slowly participate in the sport I love.

My comeback hit a slow setback when I had my first TRAC testing at 6 months post-surgery. I knew going into the testing that my quads were not equal in strength but finding out they were only about 51% to the other left me angry and discouraged. After having a long heart to heart with Luke regarding how far I had come and getting our game plan of how we were going to build strength in my right quad, I was ready for the next 3 months and more and more determined to work hard and lean into my weakness and be as prepared as I could for the next TRAC testing.

I have been so lucky to have the best physical therapist, Luke, who not only has been there to help me heal physically, but has been there to help me heal mentally. He has helped me every step of the way, encouraging me, pushing me by helping me set goals and helping me not get discouraged when things didn’t go as I had hoped. Luke is such a good motivator, he knows just what to say at the right time to make me feel better and more willing to keep pushing harder and harder every day. Because of Luke and my great experience at TCO Eagan, I now want to be a physical therapist, so that I can help young athletes that were in the same situation as I, like Luke helped me, and aid them in creating their own comeback story.

This setback really allowed me to show my determination and courage while at physical therapy and at home. I made sure to do whatever they said. That meant that I did my exercises as many times as I could and then did five more. It was and still is tough to stay determined and have the courage to stick with it even if times get tough. The first couple weeks after surgery were the most difficult, because I could not move and had crutches. Once I started physical therapy, that gave me a goal to work towards, but it was very slow and I was not seeing the progress I expected to see. Before, everything always came easy to me whether it was basketball, softball or school. This was much harder and I was not sure I could do it. It was here that I needed to dig even deeper and work even harder, even when I was not seeing progress. The support of family and friends made all the difference for me to keep pushing and encouraging me. Now, at my 8-month point, I am 85% healed and seeing great progress with my PT and back playing limited sports; I can see the end of the road towards full recovery and now it makes me want to work even harder to get back to playing with my teams again!

During this journey, I learned that you have to be determined to be able to achieve your goals. Also you have to have a lot of courage because it’s not easy for an athletic 13 year old to stop playing sports. I believe that when people break barriers they use determination and courage. Even though my journey is not over, I will continue to have courage and to be determined and will continue to dream of big goals for myself. This injury was really crushing, but I am beginning to see that it may have given me the best gift of perseverance and knowing what I really want and how to work hard for it every day.

Below are comments from Paige’s MN Sting Softball Club Coaches:
(From Head Coach Steve Snedeker)
I think one of the amazing aspects of Paige’s recovery back for her club fastpitch team was her attitude. Right from the beginning she was like “no problem”. I will be back soon. Being 13 years old, a six month recovery normally would seem like a very long time, but not to Paige. Paige made almost every practice and games and even traveled with us in the Fall 2018 to Arizona. She kept the scorebook for the team, played some catch with upper body throws and called pitches from the dugout. She was team manager and very much bonded with her team. I know she will be in the starting lineup coming this June, when are season starts. It was quite amazing that she could heal like this in these few months, as in previous years and experiences with other athletes it took a year or more. We were very impressed with her attitude and great work ethic.

(From Asst Coach Bob McGarry)
I met Paige for the first time the weekend before softball tryouts. I had seen her play and knew what a great player she was but was struck that day by her maturity, intelligence and inquisitiveness. The meeting included 4 of her teammates and all of their parents. However, Paige had some of the best questions and it was clear she knew what she was looking for in a program. The morning of tryouts, I got a call from her father Jake letting me know that she had been injured the night before in basketball game and was uncertain if she would be able to fully participate in tryouts. He said they might be a little late as they were going to get it checked out at TCO Eagan as a precaution. Well, as we all know now, it was much more serious than had been previously hoped. However, we didn’t think twice about offering Paige a position on the team because of the positive attitude she displayed when she showed up on crutches very shortly after her diagnosis and her determination to get back on the field for the Summer 2019 season. Her positive attitude has been a constant throughout the Fall 2018 season and the Winter workouts. She has been at every event that didn’t conflict with a TCO doctor’s appointment and not once has she complained about her predicament or been anything but an exemplary teammate. During the early weeks there wasn’t much that she could do so she helped her teammates learn their defensive responsibilities and even called pitches during games, as she is a catcher. As she was cleared to more activities, she would catch infield for the coaches or sit on a bucket and load the tees for teammates to warm up hitting. There were times where we couldn’t work her into the plans, but she would show up and leave with the same smile on her face regardless.

It wasn’t until the latter part of our winter training where Paige was finally able to participate in some of the workout activities. Sometimes she could participate in a team drill but most times Paige had to work alone or just with a coach but she approached every scenario with the same determination to improve herself and beat this injury. In late April, I had the pleasure to see the beginning of the fruits of all of her hard work last week when she crushed a 3-run home run over the varsity field fence in a school ball game. As I watched her slowly jog around the bases, I could see her face light up and feel that all the pain and hard work she has been through is leading to her even larger comeback in softball and in her life. There is no doubt in my mind that Paige will come out of this a stronger player and person and I am so glad that she chose our team and allowed us to be her coach. I can’t wait to see her play softball this summer!

Below are comments from Paige’s Rosemount Varsity Basketball Coach, Chris Orr:
Paige is mature beyond her years. For any 8th grader, having to endure a serious injury can be very difficult. It was heart breaking to hear that Paige had torn her ACL. I had just met with her to talk about goals for the upcoming season (Basketball) and the next thing I heard from her is that she tore her ACL. As a coach, I ask all my players to create their own legacy and write their own story during their time in our High School program. For Paige, the story hasn’t started out as planned, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a powerful beginning to her story. Even though she was only an 8thgrader, Paige is one of the most competitive and hardworking girls we have in our program. These characteristics did not leave Paige this year, even though she was unable to participate on the court. Her competitiveness and work ethic showed in her rehab. She has been determined ever since it happened to get back on the court/field as soon as possible and stronger than ever.

Paige is also very committed. It would’ve been easy for Paige to step away from basketball this season as she knew there was no way possible that she was going to play. That’s not Paige though. She approached me asking if she could be one of our manager’s so she could use this season as a learning period and still help the team and our program out. As her rehab progressed, Paige not only continued her managerial duties, but she also began to participate on the court. By the end of the season she was able to join the team in some non-contact shooting and ball handling drills. She sent a powerful message to all of those in our program, Paige is committed, Paige is competitive, Paige is hard working and Paige will be back!

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!