Patient Testimonials

I am not usually one to write a testimonial. However in this case, the care, professionalism, knowledge, and empathy I received from Dr. Bjerke and his staff was truly and utterly amazing! I suffered a knee injury while playing pickleball and saw a physician at an orthopedic clinic that was not TCO. I was told after a review of my MRI, that my knee was “bone on bone” and I needed a full replacement. I am in my late 40’s and have been active my entire life. I was completely shocked by this diagnosis. Upon reiterating this information to a few close friends, I was told by one to reach out to Dr. Anseth at TCO for a second opinion. I did so and to say I was impressed and relieved is an understatement. Dr. Anseth was truly amazing and assured me he would not give up until we figured out the reason for the knee pain I was dealing with.

We started with a cortisone injection and I felt great, unfortunately it was short lived as my knee “gave out” again a few weeks later while walking. I went to TCO Edina Urgent Care and a second MRI was performed. Dr. Anseth called me personally and told me the MRI showed a root tear in my meniscus and that this was a specialized tear and he wanted me to see Dr. Bjerke as soon as possible for further treatment. I immediately made an appointment to see Dr. Bjerke and I can honestly say it was the best decision ever! Dr. Bjerke thoroughly explained the tear, along with his recommendation for surgery.

Dr. Bjerke performed the surgery in June 2021 and I was non-weight bearing for 6 weeks (6 very long weeks but it was well worth it in the end). From the time I first met with Dr. Bjerke, through surgery, and all of my follow up appointments, he has ALWAYS been completely transparent. He was clear about the process, the time frame, the importance of putting in the work with physical therapy, as well as following the PT exercises on my own.

I am 6 months post-surgery and my knee feels amazing! My physical therapists, Dustin S. and Katie G., at TCO Vadnais Heights are the BEST! I could not have done this without them. Their professionalism, encouragement, and positivity was second to none and I am forever grateful to them. With every single encounter I had at TCO, I was treated with the utmost professionalism and genuine compassion – from Dr. Anseth and his care team, to the TCO Urgent Care team, to Dr. Bjerke and his amazing care team, to every single professional on the day of my surgery at TCO, and Dustin S. and Katie G. at TCO Vadnais Heights PT. I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Bjerke (and Dr. Anseth) as well as their amazing care teams/surgical teams/and physical therapist teams!

Thanks to Brian Ishola and the Training HAUS team, I have experienced the best of the best treatment during my ACL recovery. They have been with me every step of the way. My family and I feel lucky to have access to their many services. My customized workout plan pushes me and makes me feel confident about my return to lacrosse and volleyball!

I would like to thank Christian, Nicole, and the staff that have worked with me through my ACL recovery at Twin Cities Orthopedics. It has been a little more than nine months since my surgery, and I am excited to say that I can start light practices ahead of schedule for soccer. I could not have done this without their help and the ACE strength program. They have helped me gain strength back in my right leg and have gotten me through this recovery better than anyone else could have. They kept me motivated and pushed me to my full potential throughout my whole recovery, physically and mentally. I feel much more confident returning back to my sport (soccer) being a part of the ACE strength program with Christian and Nicole as my physical therapists.

I could not be happier or have enough good things to say about the care, concern, and time that Dr. Hunt provided leading up to my surgery and afterwards. The entire EXCEL Program experience was top notch from beginning to end. The entire team was fantastic every step of the way. The best part is that I have a whole new knee and physical therapy is going great. I would highly recommend Dr. Hunt, his team, and the entire EXCEL Program. They make it effortless with everything packaged together!

I am a retired general surgeon and have known Dr. Hunt for 25 years. We practiced together at his previous organization and when my knee needed replacement, there was no question who I would see. Not only is he an expert surgeon, he is a caring, down to earth man who never takes his role in the patient-doctor relationship for granted. My surgery went smoothly and I am completely recovered. I can’t recommend him enough.

Sending a huge thank you to Dr. Knowlan for an amazing visit. I was ahead of schedule and was seen to moments after arriving. The staff were friendly and kind. Dr. Knowlan showed up and certainly had reviewed my chart because he asked about previous injuries before addressing today’s concerns. Regarding my current issues, Dr. Knowlan provided a diagnosis, cause of pain and reviewed imaging with me. He provided 3 possible treatment options and long term prognosis. I wish all of my doctors would provide this level of care! It was an excellent experience and would highly recommend Dr. Knowlan. He is a hometown guy! Thank you!

The knee that underwent surgery does not give me any problems. I was only home from work for one month and was able to begin driving then even though it was my right knee. Dr. Kelly and team cared about me and my PT team was great.

I had knee pain which limited my quality of life so I chose to have knee replacement surgery. Even though it has only been 5 weeks, I have good range of motion and I am going up and down stairs. My surgical and physical therapy experience has been excellent. Dr. Kelly and Lindsay were wonderful as well as the entire staff. I am sure this is going to greatly improve my quality of life.

It’s been one year since my total knee replacements. I had my first one repaired on Oct 23, 2020 and the other one on Dec 3, 2020, exactly 6 weeks apart. I cannot say enough about the care that I received from Dr. Barry, the EXCEL Program nursing team, my physical therapist, Chris Kuhn, and Rebecca Munson, PA. The kindness shown to me during this time was amazing!

On my first visit with Dr. Barry, I expressed to him how important it was for me to get back to normal life, which included kickboxing. He thought that was possible to attain with hard work. With the direction of Chris and a list of at home physical therapy, I went back to kickboxing in March of 2021 and it feels amazing. I could not have done this without the help of this wonderful team! For the first time in a very long time, I have straight legs and almost pain free!!! Thank you everyone!!!

I arrived at Dr. Andrew Arthur’s TCO office in the Spring of 2019 to be seen for severe pain in my left knee and the inability to walk for more than 10 minutes. I was diagnosed with multiple stress fractures and badly damaged knee cartilage. I knew my sporting future did not look bright. Dr. Arthur recommended paste graft cartilage regeneration for my knee. He carefully explained why this was an ideal option and my best hope to get back to triathlon competition.  I knew I was in excellent hands and agreed to follow his lead. Dr. Arthur reported that the procedure went better than we expected. The next step in the process included dedicating myself to physical therapy.

I closely followed every recommendation I was given for recovery and rehabilitation. Dr. Arthur and his team were profoundly helpful and supportive throughout my recovery, with consistent contact and multiple office checkups.  Two years post-surgery, I am pain free and racing again.  I recently finished Ironman Wisconsin, placing 6th out of 199 in my age group and 103^rd out of 1,746 overall.  Considering what my life was like before surgery and physical therapy, this is truly miraculous. Thank you for helping make my dream come true, Dr. Arthur and Twin Cities Orthopedics!