Patient Testimonials

After racing with intense pain in my left knee, I visited TCO’s Eden Prairie Urgent Care to gain clarity on what I was experiencing. We took some imaging, and I ended up at TCO once a week with physical therapist Dylan Scott to treat a hamstring strain and tendonitis in my left knee.

In early September, I still had lingering pain, so we took an MRI scan of my knee, discovering a tear in my lateral meniscus. It felt like every goal was being scribbled off my list as I looked at the scans on the computer. When I saw Dylan at physical therapy the next day, he took the time to sit down to answer every question I had. He assured me that no matter what happened with surgery, I would be well taken care of at TCO.

In November, Dr. Chris LaPrade performed a meniscectomy on my left knee to clean up the tear. Leading up to surgery, both Dylan and Dr. LaPrade worked very hard to make sure I felt as informed as possible, and we developed recovery plans far in advance. The day after surgery, I was already back at the Eden Prairie clinic working on walking and my range of motion.

Throughout recovery, Dylan worked to get me back on the water as soon as possible. I looked forward to every session with him because he knows my competitive brain and my wacky biomechanics better than I know them myself. After being discharged from physical therapy, adding ACE to my summer schedule was a no-brainer because it provided me an opportunity to keep working hard and getting stronger with TCO.

Exactly seven months after undergoing surgery, I was on the racecourse for the US Rowing Youth National Championships, and I know that I would not have achieved this opportunity without the unwavering support of TCO through the ups and downs.

I tore my meniscus while traveling abroad last spring. When I arrived home, I made an appointment to see Dr. Ockuly at Twin Cities Orthopedics since he had successfully repaired a quad tendon rupture on the same knee a few years prior. I had the meniscus root repair done in May and proceeded to go through physical therapy during my recovery. Now, I am back to being able to run and bike. I cannot say enough good things about the care I received from Dr. Ockuly, Dani, and the therapists at the TCO Stillwater location.

Dr. Kelly repaired my rotator cuff a few years ago and recently replaced one of my knee joints. Both surgeries went flawlessly. I will be forever thankful for his meticulous professionalism, kind bedside manner, and sunny disposition.

I am pleased that I chose Dr. James Bircher to do both of my knee replacements. I had my right knee replaced a little over a year ago and my left knee replaced three months ago. Both surgeries were outstanding and the recovery times were amazing. Dr. Bircher and his entire team were very personable and informative. I recommend Dr. Bircher to anyone who needs knee replacement surgery.

I have been putting off my knee replacement since 2020, when I was first diagnosed. I had heard nothing but good things about Twin Cities Orthopedic. The list of doctors was a bit overwhelming, so I looked at testimonials and found that Dr. Bircher’s name came up often. Dr. Bircher and his staff were more than helpful. Everything went well with no surprises. After two months, I am back to doing everything I was doing before the surgery including swimming! Thank you to Dr. Bircher and his team for everything!

Dr. Michael R Johnson is a 10 plus in all ways. From my first appointment until now, eight weeks after my surgery, it has gone like clockwork. He is very upfront with what to expect, thorough in explaining the procedure, and crystal clear on what to expect during recovery. If I need my other knee done or either hip, he will definitely be the surgeon that I go to.

After over a decade of arthritis on the inside of my knee, the pain was becoming unbearable. Dr. Bircher and his team performed a partial knee replacement, and I was back in my feet and on the road to recovery in no time. I just past three months post-op and the pain I had endured for years is completely gone. I am still feeling better every day. I am grateful I chose Dr. Bircher for my procedure.

I had a full knee replacement in August. After two previous scopes, I was out of cartilage and experiencing a lot of pain. I met with Dr. Schmiesing to discuss my situation. It was an obvious next choice to have the surgery. Dr. Schmiesing gave me the option to have him do the surgery or opt for a robotic placement of the knee for 100% accuracy. I chose to go with him doing most of the surgery with robotic assistance. It turned out great! It has been a slow and painful recovery, but I was dedicated to working with the physical therapy staff to hit my range of motion goal. I hit the goal and continue to make sure I am continuing my strengthening and stretching. It has been producing encouraging results. I am not sure yet if I will return to playing pickleball, but I am back to kickboxing, weightlifting, and cardio daily. Thank you to Dr. Schmiesing and his team for being the best in the business!

The right total knee replacement that Dr. Lewis performed was phenomenal. The results I achieved after six weeks are amazing. The physical therapy post-op has been very crucial to my own personal success. However, I also went through pre-op physical therapy which also helped my recovery a ton.

I have been a patient at Twin Cities Orthopedics for 30+ years. I had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Jason Barry and Rebecca Munson in March 2023. Dr. Barry has treated me for bilateral rotator cuff pain and bilateral knee issues. In March 2024, I underwent my first reverse right total shoulder replacement. In April 2025, I had the same procedure done on my left shoulder. Now, I just had my right total knee replacement in Sept 2025.

I was very apprehensive of having my right knee replacement because I had my left total knee replaced in 2019 by a different surgeon. I continue to have nothing but pain from that surgery. I don’t know what the difference between the two knee replacements are, but I am so happy with the outcome of my right knee replacement. I have the utmost faith and confidence in Dr. Barry and his team. To say they care about their patients is an understatement. I am a retired nurse, and their team has some of the best, most competent physician/PA staff I know. I also would like to mention that Seth Engberg and Jared Hansen at TCO Blaine Physical Therapy made a huge difference in my positive recovery. Thank you to the whole team for improving my quality of life!