Patient Testimonials

In May of 2020, our six year old son, Finn, fell and injured his arm while playing at our neighbor’s house. It was obvious that something was wrong as it appeared to our untrained eye that he dislocated his elbow. We rushed him over to the ER at M Health Ridges where he was diagnosed with a break above the elbow that would require surgery and two pins. It was obviously a traumatic experience for him and us, which was exacerbated by the fact that only one parent was allowed to be with him due to COVID protocols.

Finn’s mom was introduced to Dr. Edward Szalapski, who was on call that evening. His calming presence and confidence was reassuring – that he could fix the problem and get Finn back to being a normal, active boy. The surgery happened that evening and Finn was home the same night. The follow up care from Dr. Szalapski and his associates at TCO Edina-Crosstown was fantastic. They walked us through what to expect as Finn’s recovery progressed. Most importantly, they put Finn’s mind at ease every step of the way, from putting on the hard cast, to removing the pins and then getting back to regular activities. Today, Finn’s arm is doing great. He was back to playing baseball by August of 2020, as well as swimming, soccer and wrestling with his brother. Thanks TCO and Dr. Szalapski!

I had chronic elbow bursitis and put off surgery for four years. In March 2021, I finally had enough of the pain and went to see Dr. Hartigan and his team, Aaron Hulsebus PA-C and Marie McCarthy (Care Coordinator). I could not be happier! The surgery went far better than I expected and the recovery was fantastic. Marie kept everything on track and made the process so easy. Dr. Hartigan and Aaron are incredibly caring, friendly, and they truly care about a relationship with their patients. It was the BEST procedural and emotional experience I ever had with a physician by far.

On February 17th, I fell and injured my arm. I had surgery on February 23rd. I am extremely pleased with my results thus far. The pain has been reduced to minimal, my range of motion is better than expected, the repair looks fantastic and the scar is hairline. I could not be more pleased and am very thankful that Dr. Bakker was available to fix me up!

Last year while playing golf, I had a sharp pain in my right arm. I was advised that I had a strain of my triceps above my right elbow and that I should let it heal over the winter. As an avid golfer, I was extremely frustrated this spring when the pain came back on my first round of golf. Thinking that my golf season was over, I wanted to find an orthopedist that would be able to get me back on the course. I was given Dr. Norberg‘s name from a good friend, who said he is the go-to doc for golfers. During my first appointment, Dr. Norberg let me know I had a bone spur that was causing the pain and I needed surgery. Two weeks after surgery I was hitting balls and, within the first month, I was able to play 18 holes. Thanks Dr. Norberg for saving my golf season.

Last year at gymnastics practice, I dislocated my elbow and tore all of the ligaments in it. It was the third day of practice for my freshman year of gymnastics. I was unable to participate in any of the season. I tried going to physical therapy for three months but it wasn’t helping and the stability of my elbow wasn’t there. I found out that I could have surgery to repair the ligaments but the recovery time was 10-14 months long. I really wanted to avoid being out for that long, so I decided to try therapy for another month. It still wasn’t helping. In March, I decided to have Tommy John surgery.

Dr. Meletiou performed my surgery and I went back to therapy for eight months after. My therapist, Jacob Wendt was very helpful and was my favorite therapist that I had. The total recovery time was 13 months. I was able to get all of my old gymnastics skill back within the year and mid way through sophomore gymnastics season I was able to compete again. Thank you TCO!