Patient Testimonials

I would love the chance to see Dr. Steven Meisterling again and thank him for giving me my life back! The first time I went to see him in St. Croix Falls, I could barely walk into the clinic because my knee hurt so bad and it was affecting my hip too so that was sore. He showed me the x-rays of my knee and how little cartilage I had left. I was advised to first try wearing a neoprene brace on my knee which made an amazing difference for a while.

By the time of my operation, I was very bow-legged and limping very badly. All of the staff that I had dealt with were extremely helpful. I felt very comfortable going into the operation; the pre-op nurse and anesthesiologist were very comforting. My recovery was smooth with no problems and the staff checked in on me frequently. I loved my physical therapist, Dan Stark, during my recovery process as well – he was very helpful and such a nice guy.

My whole experience with the EXCEL Program at TCO was great. I would definitely recommend TCO to anyone and will not hesitate to go back if I ever need any similar procedures.

Surgery with Dr. Meyer has removed the daily pain I had in my knees. I find myself running up and down the stairs now and have even returned to rollerblading!

I have never been more impressed with a doctor and their organization, as I have been with Dr. Szalapski, his staff and the PT staff in Eden Prairie. From the moment I first met him, I was given cause to have complete confidence in him, his Care Coordinator Jessica and his PA Kathryn. They were always timely, friendly, caring and professional, and always gave me all the time needed to answer questions and offer advice. The PT staff with Nathaniel, and then strength training with Ian and Ryan in Eden Prairie was fantastic. The location was very complete, had all the necessary equipment and all the staff there knew exactly what I needed and wanted to achieve. I have had 13 surgeries in my life on almost every part of my body, and have never experienced the complete satisfaction from every part of this wonderful organization.

I have had lots of therapy in my day, but I have NEVER had someone like Angie. She has gone so far beyond what is normal for a therapist to do in my care. She has been so proactive in learning what my body specifically needs to get back to better than I was before my injury. She has fought for me and has even come in on her days off when it’s all that would work for my schedule. It speaks to how amazing she is as a person, but also how much she cares for her patients. I would recommend her to everyone!!

After the shoulder tear I was not able to do many of my normal activities. After the repair I followed the recovery plan to the tee. With the excellent therapy I received, I consider the surgery a complete success. Thank you Dr. Meyer!!

I am a very active 69 year old that had been struggling with a bum left knee for 3 or 4 years. I play senior softball and bowl. Another doc told me I needed a full knee replacement 3 years ago. Dr. Owen O’Neill indicated the inside of my knee was gone but the outside was in good shape so he suggested a partial knee replacement. I really liked the idea of only replacing the bad parts and leaving the good parts in place. I got the feeling that it might take a bit more artistry and time to fit a partial replacement in, thus, some surgeons might avoid them. He gave me my partial knee replacement on Jan 3, 2018 and I started bowling and playing softball in March. I am going to participate in the senior world softball tournament in Vegas next week AND I bowled my first perfect 300 game on my new sturdy knee 2 days ago. I highly recommend Dr. O’Neill.

If you are looking for the best possible experience in having a knee replacement, go no further than Dr. Szalapski. He is an excellent surgeon with great bedside manners. His staff, Katheryn Wilson, PA-C and Jessica are of the same caliber.  Thank you, Mike S.

I was surprised six years ago when I started having trouble with my left knee. By the end, it would swell to twice it’s normal size, and I was extremely limited in my activities and in a great deal of pain. A friend had two knee replacements had recommended Dr. Szalapski. I had my first knee replacement in October 2012. The outcome was excellent. This spring, my right knee went downhill extremely quickly, as with my first knee. It would become very swollen, walking and standing was very painful, and it kept me up at night. I had my second knee replaced in July of this year. I had another successful recovery, and the outcome again was excellent. This time, I think having already been through the experience, my recovery has been easier and quicker. With both surgeries, physical therapy is required. Both times I was very religious about both going to PT and following through with the exercises. This is part of the whole patient experience which has made my recovery outcome excellent. PT has changed some of the exercises and routines, which has helped strengthen my knee and leg. I have people who tell me not to take pain pills after surgery. I have both times, feeling it is necessary to do the required exercises to regain total use of my knee. Part of the care, is to make sure use of the pain medication is limited in a time frame while recovering. It was not hard for me either time to discontinue use, this time faster than the first time.  Circumstances this time required me to be much more active during recovery. While hard, it turned out to be a gift. The whole staff who support Dr. Szalapski are all outstanding, all being supportive, encouraging and great. It is hard work to recover total movement. I sincerely feel the whole team gave me all the tools to recover. I could not have done it without them!

I had surgery with Dr. Crowe a couple years ago. I meant to leave my story then but forgot. Dr. Crowe fused my L3L4L5 and I was very happy with him and the work he did for me. He has a great team with him and I would recommend Dr. Crowe and his team to anyone who wants the best surgeon helping them. He really cared about me and my situation. Thank you Dr. Crowe!

My left knee replacement with Dr. Meyer truly changed my life. My knee pain disappeared and I can do things that I couldn’t do before the operation.