I am 62 years old and have been dealing with knee pain for many years. I tore my ACL 38 years ago, and had three torn meniscus tears, bone on bone arthritis, and floating bone fragments in my left knee. I never had any surgeries to fix these issues in the past. After the last meniscus tears, and an MRI, I went in to see Dr. Saterbak. She was recommended to me from a few different people that I play Senior Softball with. When she reviewed my MRI, she told me, “Let’s not try to fix this one, let’s just give you a new knee”. Our first visit was great, as she shared what she was seeing and what the procedure would be like. I had all the confidence in the world in her. All the pre-surgery information was incredible! This included a 60-page document that covered pre-surgery, during surgery, and post-surgery information and recommendations. It was fantastic!
She recommended using the EXCEL program. What a great suggestion that was! Everything is all included in one program from pre-surgery, post-surgery, and physical therapy. The stay at the Omni Hotel was top notch! Better than any hospital stay could possibly be for recovery. The staff was fantastic. The accommodations were beautiful. Everything was just as I needed it to be.
Now let’s talk about how the procedure went and how my recovery has gone. The procedure was great, with little to no pain in my knee from day one. There was a lot of swelling and bruising as that was to be expected, but I think most of that came from the tourniquet used in the procedure. I already had a measured 90° bend and 0° straightness during the first night at the Omni with the TCO staff. I did a lot of walking that night too and everything felt great. I used a walker only that first night and then moved to a cane which only lasted for another couple days. The PT at TCO Vadnais Heights has gone great. Every trip to see them has had improved results and my expectations have been exceeded throughout the entire process. I am now at five weeks post-surgery, my PT is nearly done. My last measurement was 127° Bend and -3° and straightness.
Everything has gone better than I could have ever expected! Why did I wait so long to see someone? I would highly recommend Dr. Saterbak and her team if anyone is considering or needing a knee replacement. On a scale of one to ten, I would have to give them an eleven or higher. Thank you to TCO and Dr. Saterbak’s team for providing such outstanding medical service and care. This was as good of an experience as I could get!
