Patient Testimonials

It is with gratitude that I write this testimonial for Dr. Hoel, his PA-C, Christina Erdmann and his care coordinator, Julie Patricelli. In January 2023, Dr. Hoel performed my cervical fusion which was necessitated by my myelomalacia. This condition caused me to lose my balance and drop things. Almost immediately after the surgery, I noted a reduction in my symptoms, which was a bonus since the goal of the surgery was simply to stop the progression of my condition. Not only were the surgical results excellent and the recovery very tolerable, but also my interaction with Dr. Hoel, Christina and Julie could not have been better. All three of them responded to my many questions promptly and with patience.

My spinal surgery with Dr. Omar has been a very positive experience. He explains the process well, is conscientious and caring. I am glad he was referred to me.

I had severe pain in my back. I visited Twin Cities Orthopedics and was lucky to get a timely appointment with Dr. Omar. He was attentive, kind and caring. His diagnosis was to the point. Not too long after our meeting, he performed surgery on my back and I could not be happier. I am thankful to Dr. Omar and TCO for my health the wonderful surgery.

I wanted to thank Dr. Maura Hartigan for the care she provided me. She helped with the ongoing pain in my back, neck and head due to arthritis that has taken over my body the last several years. I had this same treatment done 3 years ago by another spine specialist. It 100% helped me for 3 years with severe back, neck, and arm pain. Dr. Maura Hartigan was very kind, caring, and did a great job helping me transfer my file to her from another specialist. Dr. Hartigan and her team were kind and caring. She explained the narrowing going on in my back that was not talked about from my last specialist. I’m so thankful I was referred to Dr. Hartigan. I’m so grateful to her and her team for such great care and helping with my ongoing pain.

After a 2.5 year reoccurrence of a herniated lumbar disc, I found myself with pain so intense in my right leg. I couldn’t stand up and put equal weight on both legs until I spent an hour trying to walk around my dining room table while holding onto the chairs. After that “warm up” exercise, I could then walk cautiously throughout the rest of the day. By evening, all I could do was go to bed early and start the entire process over again the next day. After more than a month of this cycle, I met with Dr. Hoel and he outlined some possible options like physical therapy, cortisone shot, or a micro discectomy. He reviewed each alternative and let me make my own decision. I was reluctant to proceed with surgery of any kind even though this procedure was less invasive than others and he had performed hundreds of these in 2022 with a high rate of success. He left me confident that the surgical option was the right step for me. Immediately after the actual surgery, I felt near total relief in my right leg. Although the days and weeks that have followed have come with some morning leg pain, by the 7th week post-surgery, I was nearly 100% pain free.

I certainly attribute my successful outcome to Dr. Hoel’s experience and skill, as well as his support staff, Christine and Julie. Any time I would call into his office, his staff returned my call promptly and offered advice to my immediate questions. On my last appointment with Dr. Hoel (7 weeks post-surgery), he expressed confidence that I should feel total relief with a little more healing time and offered specialized physical therapy if I wished to pursue that. Furthermore, he indicated that I should not experience a reoccurrence of this herniation again and that left me with more ease than at any time during the entire process. From this entire experience I have come to believe this area of medicine requires astute science, but also some degree of art as well. As a result, I couldn’t recommend more highly Dr. Hoel and his support team to anyone with spine/nerve issues.

I feel like a new person! I started experiencing pain in my hip, which led to tingles and numbness down my left leg. The pain was often so severe I could hardly walk, use stairs, sit or stand for more than a minute or two. It turns out I had a herniated disc. Dr. Omar was the only surgeon I met with, and I was immediately impressed by his energy, knowledge on the issue, and what it would take to fix it. My surgery went very well with zero issues, and I experienced immediate relief. I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Omar and his team, including his assistant Julia who was very responsive and helpful with scheduling and insurance questions.

Dr. Banks was excellent when our 14 year old daughter had to have spinal fusion and decompression. He made sure she was taken care of and did an awesome job. We are very grateful for him and now our daughter wants to be a doctor herself. Thanks Dr. Banks!

Dr. Erik Wetter performed emergency surgery for me in early August 2022. Surgery included; open treatment left femoral neck fracture with prosthetic replacement, a left anterior THA, closed treatment of left sacrum and pubic rami fractures without manipulation, and an ORIF left humerus proximal shaft.

On September 7th I had the first post-surgical appointment. Dr. Wetter was very encouraging in directing me in stretching my left humerus and shoulder to prevent a frozen shoulder. These exercises continued with OT and PT inpatient and outpatient care. The second follow up appointment with Dr. Wetter was in October. It showed additional healing, 75% with the humerus, and 80% with the pelvic area. I have been discharged from Dr. Wetter’s care after excellent, inspirational and encouraging care of my injuries and Surgeries. I truly appreciate Dr. Erik Wetter’s skillful care!

Dr. Eggers has provided wonderful care. He is compassionate, caring, easy to talk with and informative on treatment options and next steps.

I had 3 years of extreme discomfort, loss of strength, and pain in my left shoulder and arm areas. Finally at the age of 63, I went to TCO through a referral from my primary doctor. Prior to that, I saw two other specialists who recommended physical therapy, which helped reduce the pain until another injury brought it all back.

After reviewing my MRI, Dr. Hoel immediately came to the conclusion that a fusion of my C4-C6 vertebrae was needed to relieve the nerve pain and loss of strength that had been occurring. Dr. Hoel explained the process to me and set precise expectations, which were 100% accurate after my surgery. After 2 weeks, my nerve pain was completely gone. Now 6 weeks after surgery, my strength has returned to 75% and I can do anything I want to including golfing, running and weightlifting. This was the best medical experience I’ve ever been through. It’s truly unbelievable.