Patient Testimonials

I have struggled with lower back pain for years. Two months ago, I developed severe sciatica to the point I couldn’t walk and numbness in my left foot. I left the ER with pain medications but no real answers (an x-ray was done rather than an MRI). My children and I have all seen physicians at TCO for various orthopedic care, so I called right away and got an appointment in just a few days. Dr. Omar knew exactly was the problem was and ordered an MRI to confirm that I had a herniated disc at L5 which was causing nerve impingement, the pain and numbness form my left lower back and down my left leg. When I had no improvement with an epidural, surgery was the next step. Julie, Dr. Omar’s care coordinator, is wonderful! She worked with me and I was able to get my surgery scheduled in less than two weeks! The hospital staff were fantastic, and Dr. Omar was reassuring both before and after my surgery. He always took the time to make sure my questions were answered and follow up care is scheduled ahead of time, in order to eliminate wait times in my treatment and recovery. I highly recommend Dr. Omar and his staff!

When I started having shooting pains in my hip and leg, I wasn’t sure where to go. Started with my family doctor and ended up at TCO talking to Dr. Deal. I had an MRI, which showed a pinching of nerves in the lower back from bone spurs. Went through an outpatient surgery within their facility and was back home within half a day. What impressed me the most was this was diagnosed and taken care of within 6 weeks. Just a great facility, fantastic people, and no more pain. I appreciate the process that made it as simple as possible for me, and the professionalism shown by everyone that helped me. Five stars!

After living with chronic back pain for over 20 years, I finally decided to seek help. After meeting with Dr. Wanderman, I found out that my scoliosis had worsened over 25 years to a 55-degree curve and included two herniated disks. Normal daily tasks had become extremely painful and I was preparing myself to accept that living with this pain was something I was going to have to do. Dr. Wanderman changed my life. He is professional, he listens, gives honest feedback, and is an advocate for his patients. My case was major. It included consulting other medical professionals, two surgeries and seven days in the hospital. I am now six months post op and I have zero (I never thought I would say that) back pain. Thanks to Dr. Wanderman, I can enjoy the things I love; spending time with my family, gardening, traveling, hiking, biking and so much more. This Doctor deserves so much praise, he saved my life!

Dr. Michalik’s ablation procedure in my spinal lumbar was such a great success, and I can sleep at night for the first time in many, many years! I would recommend scheduling an appointment with Dr. Michalik for a consultation for the ablation procedure to anyone suffering from nerve pain.

Last Summer I ended up having several surgeries on my back to alleviate a double herniation at my S1/L5. I happen to have a tattoo right where the incisions had to go. Dr. Garry Banks is a MASTER surgeon. You can barely see the scar, he didn’t cut right thru the tattoo and he got the herniation out too. I show everyone and brag about him. 10/10 would recommend!!!

Dr. Hoel‘s diagnosis for a bulging disc, causing leg pain in both of my legs, was spot on. He recommended a minimally invasive surgery (decompression) of L4/L5. The surgery was great and my leg pain was completely gone in 2 weeks! He is the only surgeon in my 65 years that ever personally called me the day after to see how I was doing. I would highly recommend Dr. Hoel to anyone with back issues. He is great!

Dr. Comfort did an excellent job navigating the right course of action, involving a very difficult diagnosis of my back/hip issue. He determined a hip replacement was not the right course of action, which likely saved me a lot of pain and recovery time on what could have been an unnecessary operation.

I recently had a herniated disc (L3-L4) surgery at Twin Cities Orthopedics. I chose Dr. DuBois as my surgeon and the reason I chose him was because of his experience, education, and knowledge of lower back injuries. I found him to be a no-nonsense type of guy who took the time to explain the procedure, the outcome he expected, and what I needed to do to achieve a rapid recovery. I also found his support staff to be professional, kind, and friendly. If you are unfortunate enough to need lower back surgery, due not hesitate to contact Dr. DuBois. You will not be disappointed. Thank You Dr. DuBois – keep your drives straight and your putts short.

I have had lower back pain for years. I learned to live with my pain, using treatments that helped me cope. I have had several epidurals which gave me some relief from the pain, along with a variety of medications. In 2021, my back pain was the worst it has ever been. I love to garden, but found myself avoiding tasks I enjoyed to prevent flare-ups. Simple tasks like cutting the grass would be followed by two or three days of intense pain. I was miserable.

I made an appointment with Dr. Wanderman last fall. When I met him, he said that he was going to fix my back problems with surgery. Last April, my urologist informed me that the prostate cancer I had managed to fight off in 2018 had returned. Dr. Wanderman assured me that after the surgery I would live out my remaining years pain-free. I had my surgery in November 2021. It’s only been a couple months and I am happy to share that I no longer feel that miserable back pain which limited my life activities for so long. I am still on the road to recovery, but I am looking forward to getting back into my garden and yard this spring – pain free.

In December 2021, Dr. Hoel performed major back surgery to relieve severe stenosis and to fuse L3 L4. The pain I was experiencing before the surgery was very substantial, not only in my lower back, but also down the front and back of both legs. I had difficulty doing anything and everything and was pretty much confined to my favorite chair. After surgery it was like a miracle. Over a period of about 2 weeks, all of my back and leg pain were gone. I could walk, sleep and do virtually any task pain free! Dr. Hoel accomplished everything he set out to do and more. And he did this in a very caring way, always taking the time to explain and answer my questions . I couldn’t be more satisfied than I am with my entire experience with Dr. Hoel and would very highly recommend him to anyone needing spinal care.