Patient Testimonials

I have been going to the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) since 1964 when my father took me on my first trip to this magical, wonderful place. Since then I have made 25-30 trips back to the BWCA, recently with my sons and nephews. To say that it has a special place in my heart is a gross understatement. 2 years ago I came off the last portage in near tears, suffering from arthritic pain. Since then, Dr. Owen O’Neill, Dr. Ed Kelly and their expert staffs have replaced 2 shoulders, 2 hips and 1 knee. The attached photo was taken earlier this year and shows me and my team ( including my youngest son and nephew ) over looking “our unnamed lake” in the BWCA. We traveled over 10 miles to get there, crossing 3 lakes, 4 portages and 3 rivers. My sincere thanks to Dr. Kelly, Dr. O’Neill and their expert staffs for giving me this important piece of my life back! I strongly recommend them both and encourage you to schedule a visit if you are in pain like I was!

Dr. Lervick is fantastic. I went from having a completely immobile shoulder, due to large bone spurs developing from a yoga injury, to having a completely mobile shoulder. Upon entering the surgery, I experienced a lot of pain, but after the procedure, I never experienced shoulder pain again. I took one week of prescribed pain killers which worked really well. After that week, my shoulder had healed so much that I didn’t even need an aspirin. There was no pain whatsoever! I lost about 5% of the strength of that shoulder, but it has full mobility, and I am able to do yoga again.

16 weeks post surgery and I was able to return to playing volleyball. I wish the rest of my limbs felt as good as my repaired shoulder! Thanks to Dr. Hunt‘s team and physical therapy team for a near painless and quick recovery!

Dr. Arthur, just want to say a big Thank You for putting my collar bone back together. I was back to work in just 2 days and it feels better than ever. Great job to you and your staff.  I will be recommending you to all my active, outdoor, risk-taking friends. 

Dr. Norberg assessed my situation after being “doored” while riding 22 mph on my road bike. He recommended surgery to repair the injury. I completed physical therapy over a 6-9 month period and achieved a range of motion between 80-90%. Three years later my range of motion is near 100% and I have no pain whatsoever. I highly recommend Dr. Frank Norberg.

First off – top notch. I was recommended to Dr. Conner by my personal physician and that referral didn’t disappoint. The whole staff at TCO was impeccable and humorous…a key for helping all people relax and be normal. Dr. Conner was calm, informative and descriptive on what needed to be done. I was assured the process was easy and that it would be painful…honesty is another great trait to have. Great job TCO and thank you Dr. Conner for extending a lot of who you are into what you do – it shows. Thank you.

Dr. Lervick came highly recommended to me when I broke my clavicle in a bike race. His name is well-known in the local cycling community as the “go-to” doctor for broken clavicles (a common cycling injury). The most impressive aspect of Dr. Lervick is how well he understands athletes. From the size and materials of the metal plate in my shoulder, to his empathy toward my training and race goals, he always treated me like an elite athlete. He was open and honest with me on the risks associated with each week of my recovery while understanding my desire to get back to racing as soon as possible. With his help, I was able to maintain my training load through my recovery period and was back on the podium with little time lost.

This letter is to verify my feelings about my recent complete shoulder replacement operation which you did for me on July 16, 2014. I must tell you that this has to be one of the finest pieces of work you have ever done on a shoulder replacement!! I would give you an A++ as a grade for the work you have done on my shoulder!! As of 2 days ago – 2 weeks from my operation – I can do so very much with my right hand, and arm that it is hard to believe. I can dress myself completely, tie my own shoes, button my clothes, eat meals, (can’t cut meat yet), shower, shave, wash my hair with both hands. I have very little pain from my shoulder area, and can only take Tylenol Extra Strength tablets, as I am allergic to Morphine and all its derivatives, which are the generally accepted pain relief tablets. All in all, Dr. Gulli, as I say again, I am so very pleased with the results of this operation on my shoulder, and want to commend you on such a fine piece of work, and Thank You for doing this great a job on me!!

I met Dr. O’Neill in 2008 when I was having such a difficult time with my knees. The lack of mobility and the pain made simple daily activities impossible. A total ‘knee replacement’ returned me to an active lifestyle. In 2010 I had ‘rotator cuff repair’, and in April of 2014 I had a ‘direct anterior hip replacement.’ The surgical skills of Dr. O’Neill and the aftercare of his team were outstanding. I can be more active now than I was 10 years ago. I would highly recommend him as an orthopedic surgeon.

Bruce N., who works for Eagle Valley Bank in St. Croix Falls, scheduled himself for rotator cuff surgery last August to repair a substantial ¾ inch tear. “I love to golf and hunt,” he explained, “so surgery had to be between seasons ––after golf and before deer hunting!” Bruce made a point to note that he did give up bird hunting to rehab his shoulder! He declined a post-surgery hospital stay and only had severe pain for a day or two. “Because I’d been through this surgery before, I knew what to expect,” he said. “I took Thursday and Friday off and planned to be at work on Monday, which I was.”

The first two-three weeks were the most difficult since Bruce is right-handed. “Friends told me to be prepared and they were right, but it was still a struggle. Try eating, shaving, brushing your teeth, and so on left-handed,” he said. “It was challenging! Overall, though, I had a great experience with the Medical Center, Dr. Steven Meisterling, and all who took care of me!”