Patient Testimonials

I broke my ankle in December 2025 and saw Dr. Chen just a few days later. I then was scheduled for an ankle fixation with hardware. Throughout the consultation, surgery, and post-operative appointments, Dr. Chen has been an incredibly compassionate, thoughtful, and knowledgeable partner in my recovery. She spent time answering my questions, ensuring I understood next steps and timelines, and emphasized the ever-important doctor/patient partnership that is so important to a healthy orthopedic surgery recovery. Dr. Chen and her team are awesome, and I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone facing a similar situation!

I would like to recognize Susan Anderson at the TCO Eagan clinic for the extraordinary care she provides. I have been seeing Susan for nearly a year, and during that time she has made a tremendous difference in my ability to manage complex medical conditions and function in my daily life. Susan specializes in lymphedema care, which is how I originally began seeing her. She has helped me tremendously through hand therapy.

Managing complex conditions like mine requires a provider who is both knowledgeable and compassionate, and Susan embodies both in a way I have rarely experienced. What makes Susan truly exceptional is the dedication she brings to helping her patients. She has taken the time to learn about complex connective tissue conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome so she can better support patients like me. Her willingness to understand the full picture of what her patients are experiencing is something that truly sets her apart.

She has helped me navigate insurance to obtain a lymphedema pump and guided me toward the right places to obtain properly fitted compression garments. She consistently helps me think through practical solutions that improve my ability to function day to day. Susan doesn’t simply treat symptoms during appointments. She advocates for her patients and genuinely wants to see them improve. She has even taken time outside of appointments to research ideas and think through solutions that may help support my mobility and comfort.

Living with complex medical conditions can be overwhelming. Susan creates an environment where you feel heard, supported, and hopeful. Susan is the kind of provider every patient hopes to find but rarely does. Because of Susan’s dedication and care, I have been able to navigate a complicated medical situation with more confidence, support, and practical tools to improve my quality of life. Providers like Susan are rare. She is not only an outstanding occupational therapist and hand therapist—she is an extraordinary human being who makes a meaningful difference in the lives of the people she cares for.

Dr. Mittelsteadt and his team provided me with excellent care before, during, and after my foot surgery. The skill and communication made me feel heard and confident in the process. I am very grateful for their expertise.

I was in a severe motorcycle accident in October 2025. I broke my ankle completely backwards and completely crushed my foot, amongst many other injuries. With the top half of my foot broken completely through and moved over one toe spot, Dr. Traynor did all the fine tuning that reconnected the network on the top of my foot. I have been able to move, walk, and feel all my toes again. He is a big reason that I will be able to ride again this coming spring.

I broke my ankle on February 14th, 2025 (yes, it was on Valentine’s Day!). I fell down the stairs and completely cracked my ankle! I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to walk the same again. I am only 26 years old and have my whole life ahead of me. Dr. Traynor made this experience the best it could have possibly been. He was patient with all my questions, and he addressed all my concerns to the full extent!

It is now almost a year later. After two surgeries and choosing to have the hardware removed, I feel confident that I can walk as good as I did before the accident. I absolutely recommend Dr. Traynor! He made my experience at Twin Cities Orthopedics an amazing one.

I broke my ankle in 1977. After years of pain and mobility issues, Dr. Traynor’s knowledge and skill have set me on the road to recovery with a total ankle replacement. Since the procedure, my pain and mobility have improved significantly, and I continue to improve with physical therapy. I am currently more mobile than I have been in years with very little pain. Thank you to Dr. Traynor and your great staff at TCO!

I sprained my ankle several times over the past few years, but last summer it reached a point where it would roll even when I was just walking. It happened so often that I couldn’t trust it anymore. That’s when I finally decided to get it checked out.

I went to TCO, and after meeting with Dr. Jeffrey Seybold and reviewing my options, we decided surgery was the best path forward. Prior to surgery, he helped me manage the injury so I could finish my AAU season. I still wanted to play, and he understood how important that was to me. He gave me a cortisone shot to get through the summer and helped plan the timing of the surgery so it would fall between my AAU and high school season. I felt like he understood my goals, especially my hope of playing in college. Having a doctor who takes your sport seriously and respects your path makes a huge difference.

After surgery, I started physical therapy with Philip Punnoose at Training HAUS–Shakopee. He was focused, knowledgeable, and really invested in helping me get back to basketball. He made PT something I enjoyed going to. His bedside manner was great, but what stood out the most was how much he believed I could come back stronger.

As the swelling went down and I began return-to-play work, Philip tailored everything to basketball movements. We didn’t just do basic exercises. We worked on the cuts, jumps, and directional changes I would need on the court. The day before I was cleared, he even played a little one-on-one with me (you can probably guess who won).

Now, I’m back to playing full time with no pain and no restrictions. It feels good to trust my ankle again. This summer I will be heading to Texas to play for Houston Christian University, which has been a goal of mine for a long time. After everything that happened, I am grateful to be on the court and excited for what comes next.

Dr. Carlson did a great job working with me both during pre-op and post-op. The procedure was easier and the recovery was faster than I thought they would be. I had physical therapy with Mike Stay and Catherine Slaymaker at TCO Plymouth. Just under six weeks out, I am done with PT and getting back to my normal routine. The services I have gotten from Twin Cities Orthopedics have always been outstanding. Besides my recent knee replacement, they have done two shoulder replacements and an ankle replacement for me. I highly recommend Dr. Carlson and the entire care staff at TCO. They will be doing my future joint replacements.

I have had 23 surgeries in my life and Dr. Seybold is the best surgeon of them all. Ten months ago, I had a surgery on my right foot and toe that went wrong by another surgeon at another clinic. I ended up in the emergency room, and they referred me to Dr. Seybold. They said he was the best and he truly is!

From the first visit, he was patient, kind, and empathetic to my pain. He spent a long time with me going over the issues from my first surgery. He didn’t judge me. He believed in my pain and discomfort as it was excruciating to deal with. He came up with a game plan, and I have had two surgeries to correct the first surgery from a different surgeon.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Dr. Seybold. I wish he worked on all parts of the body, because I don’t ever want another surgeon. Thank you to Dr. Seybold, Valerie, and the rest of his team. You have made a bad situation so much better!

I’ve dealt with foot problems my whole life. As a kid, as a teenager, even when I joined the Army, it never went away. I then hurt my right foot during training, and after that, I spent years seeing different doctors who couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I had surgeries, plates, bone scans, therapy, you name it. Nothing worked. Eventually, I was told there was nothing more they could do. I just had to live with it.

For nearly 20 years, I couldn’t walk 50 feet without pain. Then one morning, I heard a TCO commercial on the radio. Chris Hawkey was talking about his own experience, and something about it stuck with me. I decided to call. From the moment I walked into the clinic, I knew it was different. Everyone was respectful, helpful, and kind. When I met with Dr. Scott Holthusen, he looked at my X-rays, examined my feet, and said, ‘We can fix this.’ No one had ever said that to me before. He explained everything clearly and laid out a plan.

When surgery day came, the whole TCO team made me feel at ease. The nurses were incredible. When I woke up from surgery, I started crying because for the first time in more than 20 years, I wasn’t in pain. My recovery took time. I started physical therapy with Jenn Bradley, and she was amazing. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Eventually, we began aquatic therapy, and it helped me take those first steps again. Slowly but surely, I began to see progress.

A few months later, I was walking. A few months after that, I was hiking again, something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager. I can now mow my lawn, shovel my driveway, and live without thinking about pain every day. TCO didn’t just fix my foot. They gave me back my life. Every person I met there treated me like family, and that made all the difference.