Patient Testimonials

Wonderful experience! I was back walking my two miles after five and a half weeks. Dr. Joseph Nessler is a gifted surgeon!

Dr. Ryan Nielsen performed surgery on my daughter with special needs when other facilities were turning her away. She had a femur fracture, and he found anomalies in the other femur. Dr. Nielsen performed two surgeries on my daughter. He took additional time to explain what would happen in terms she could understand. He also took additional time to ensure all of my questions were understood as well. Dr. Nielsen went above and beyond to find out why she was having these problems with her femurs. I could not have asked for anyone better to care for her during such a traumatic time.

I had a wonderful experience. From the time I visited Dr. Jeff Mair before my surgery to my four-month check-up, I was very happy with my care.

I am seven weeks post-op after having a total hip replacement done by Dr. Owen O’Neill. I just got home from a high-intensity Zumba class and experienced absolutely no pain! I couldn’t say that before my surgery. I had my procedure done at the Orthopedic Institute. I felt like I was at the Ritz Carlston! Just a beautiful facility with wonderful and caring personnel. Plus, the food was delicious! I stayed one night and had maybe two to three days of pain, nothing severe. I walked without assistive devices by day four, even up and down stairs. I started out by walking maybe two or three blocks and can now walk around the lakes with no issues. I also take many classes at the Eden Prairie Community Center. I had very limited range of motion before surgery and that improves daily. My only question to myself is why did I wait so long? Dr. O’Neill and staff are wonderful and caring. I could not recommend them more highly. Kayla is just a sweetheart. I had the anterior approach, no PT afterwards, and a swift and quite painless recovery.

Dr. Jozef Murar was excellent. He repaired my shoulder injury, and the care was excellent. I would highly recommend him. It’s like a miracle. Katie also was awesome. Excellent care. Thank you.

Dr. William Engasser performed surgery on my right foot and did a great job!
I no longer have pain from arthritis and can go out and walk my dog without pain.
His staff is really great too. They all took good care of me. What a great doctor and staff!

Thank you!

From the first time I met Dr. Bircher and PA Kari I had trust in their expertise, their recommendations, and pre-surgical instructions. In addition, their bedside manner, both before and after surgery was superb, kind, attentive, and informative. This was such pleasant surprise since I’ve had the opposite previously. They told me exactly what I’d be going through post-surgery including a timeline for healing. The communication with Dr. Bircher, Kari, Cassie, and Stephanie was beyond excellent. They returned my calls, emails, and texts either within minutes, within the day, or by the next day. They also responded in the evenings and even on weekends. That surprised me and made me feel important. The physical therapy team of Michelle and Lisa demonstrated their knowledge and well proven techniques. Their bedside manner was also superb. Their patience and encouragement were exactly what I needed. Since the conclusion of my clinical PT I’ve continued to follow the exercise program they laid out for me. I attribute the level of my mobility to them. At this writing, I am three months post-surgery. My knee is doing well, and I am happy with the results. I am looking forward to further healing. I have an appointment with Dr. Bircher/Kari in one week and I’m curious to see what their reaction will be to my progress.  Finally, and it’s obvious by my comments cited above, I completely and totally recommend this fantastic team. In fact, a year from now I’m planning on having my other knee replaced. I have been in their expert hands, and I know I will be in the future.

I continually made excuses on why it wouldn’t make sense to have the robotic-assisted knee replacement done until I could retire. My quality of life had gotten worse to the point where I was having trouble with simple day to day activities. My family were constantly asking me to go get my knee fixed. They could tell I was in a lot of pain most of the time. I was struggling to sleep; I had no end in sight. Finally, I decided to go to TCO to have Dr. Bircher look at it. He recommended to have surgery because he felt he could help me have a better quality of life. He suggested the EXCEL Program, he felt it was a good fit for me because of my age 56. He was very honest, and said it wasn’t going to be easy, but if I worked hard and followed the plan, I should have good results. The day of the surgery I was extremely nervous, I started to doubt my decision to do it. Then walked in Dr. Bircher, smile on his face as usual. He went through everything that was going to happen, and what to expect going forward. Then to my surprise he asked if he could pray with me. The nervousness went away, I knew I was in good hands. When I awoke, I felt good. They brought me to my room at the Plymouth Orthopedic Surgery Center. This is where my recovery began, and Dr. Bircher checked on me a few times while I was there. He said if I need anything to let him know. The pain I had post-surgery was nothing compared to what I had been dealing with for years. I worked hard and followed the plan set for me, everyday seemed to get better and better. Now, here I am 4 months after surgery and I got my life back. I wish I would have had surgery years ago; I will never put anything like this off again. A huge Thank You goes out to Dr. Bircher and his incredible team at TCO.

Dr. Owen O’Neill performed a total hip replacement. I had a degenerative hip which was causing a great deal of pain. I was more than pleased with my pre-operative care, very informative and accessible. I had my surgery in a surgery center instead of in a hospital which decreased the possibility of infection, which was very comforting for me. Dr. O’Neill and his staff were very approachable and always ready to answer any questions. After having some difficulties, I was able to get an appointment to be seen in one day. In other healthcare situations, this is not an option. Dr. O’Neill’s team was very accommodating. My post-op difficulty turned out to be not a medical problem, but my visit certainly eased my mind,  which I greatly appreciated.

Dr. TJ Ridley is very knowledgeable and great with both kids and adults. He did a great job explaining what to expect and provided instructions that my son (17) could follow. At each appointment, he always allowed time for questions and listened intently. We will plan to see him again for the inevitable next injury!