Patient Testimonials

Dr. James Bircher is a tremendous orthopedic physician and I am greatly appreciative of his awesome treatment of my longtime knee pain. Dr. Bircher possesses a rare combination of great wisdom, compassion and kindness. Both my husband (hip replacement surgery) and I are patients of Dr. Bircher, further confirming our mutual confidence and trust in his medical expertise. Dr. Bircher is a truly outstanding orthopedic provider and his TCO team of Kari (PA) and Cassie (care coordinator) provide superb, enhanced patient support. My husband Bill has submitted his own patient testimonial regarding his successful hip replacement surgery by Dr. Bircher. Both my husband and I greatly thank and highly recommend Dr. James Bircher to anyone seeking excellent knee or hip orthopedic medical care.

Dr. Leafblad and his team were absolutely fantastic to work with before, during, and after my hip surgery. I received great communication throughout the whole process to make sure that everything ran smoothly. Dr. Leafblad really listened to my symptoms and concerns pre-op and we were able to come up with a plan efficiently. He answered all questions pre-op and post-op and I highly recommend him, his care is amazing!

I came to Dr. Nessler with a part of my fake hip (done elsewhere, not TCO) sticking through my femur. I was in sooooo much pain and scared to death. He was so reassuring and confident that he could fix it. He did just that. It has been one year since the surgery, and I have completely healed, and I am pain free! He did an amazing job, and I recommend him without ANY reservation. His physician’s assistant is also very impressive. She too is knowledgeable and so reassuring. I drive 2.5 hours to get to them but would not consider going anywhere else!!!

Dr. Anderson is a skilled professional, knowledgeable, considerate, thoughtful. He listened to my concerns and made suggestions for my care that is respectful of my work commitments and work-life balance. I highly recommend Dr. David Anderson.

Dr. Scott Anseth performed work on both my left knee and right hip. A year after my knee replacement, I was skiing, not slowly, in Colorado. He took the time to listen to concerns and objectives, and his team was very professional in moving me through the process. After my right hip surgery, I’m able to walk without a cane after 7 days.

Dr. James Bircher is a tremendous surgeon possessing a rare combination of exceptional talent, wisdom and compassion. I am truly grateful for Dr. Bircher and I would highly recommend Dr. Bircher and his ‘team’ to anyone seeking great orthopedic hip care.

My story begins almost three years ago. Having just moved to Minnesota from Wisconsin and suffering from severe right hip pain. After researching the biographies of TCO’s surgeons, I felt led to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bircher. During my initial appointment with
Dr. Bircher, two things occurred:
(1) I immediately realized that I had found the ‘right surgeon’ to replace my right hip
(2) I learned, incredibly, that I had to first lose almost 60 pounds before surgery could be safely accomplished

Almost two and one half years from that first appointment, I was scheduled for the replacement of my right hip having lost the required 60 pounds. On the day of surgery, prior to being wheeled into the operating room, Dr. Bircher met with me and asked if he could pray with my wife, our adult son & myself for God’s favor over the surgery – my response was – absolutely and so very much appreciated!

To my surprise, I learned that my severely deteriorated hip (according to Dr. Bircher, one of the worst that he had seen) was successfully replaced and that Dr. Bircher would be visiting with me shortly, and surgery was pronounced to be a ‘success’.  Three weeks after the surgery, I was able to go beyond my walking at home and begin walking around Lifetime Fitness’s walking track. And now February 24 2025, I still remain completely ‘pain free’ with ALL that I had to endure but a distant memory.

I take this moment to personally thank ALL involved in my hip replacement surgery:
Almighty God – for answering our prayers for a successful surgery (Psalm 77:11)
Dr. Bircher – for being the tremendous surgeon that he proved to be
PA Kari – who closed my incision to a point whereby it is now almost unnoticeable
Cassie – as the Care Coordinator who was always there to efficiently address the multitude of questions or needs relating to the surgery
Heather – my TCO physical therapist who did her very best to help me cope with all the pain I had to endure until the day of surgery.

My surgery experience with Dr. Owen O’Neill & his team has been exceptional. The surgery location was at Two Twelve Surgery Center in Chaska, everyone  there were professional and welcoming and go above and beyond expectations.  Once I was home I was going up and down stairs the first day, I didn’t need anything stronger than Tylenol for pain. Before hip surgery it took forever to go up and down stairs. Getting in and out of the car was extremely painful. I am back to my old self and pain free.

I would highly recommend Dr. O’Neill & his team to anyone needing hip surgery.

I previously had a posterior left hip replacement, the recovery was long and required lots of pain meds to manage. After I learned about the anterior approach, it sounded like a much better choice. It was incredible, I had so little pain, I needed almost no pain meds. In two weeks I was back to work part-time and did not need a walker or a cane. At five weeks, I was splitting wood and pulling a sled, no pain. I highly recommend the team at TCO and Dr. Zachary Arntson.

P.S. Do all the recommended bed exercises.

After dealing significant pain in my right hip, I was referred to Dr. Eric Busse by Dr. Chris Meyer. Dr. Busse spent a great deal of time showing me and explaining the issues that were causing my pain and limp. I recently had my surgery that I am sure will make a huge difference in my comfort and gait!  I have the most gratitude for Dr. Busse and his PA- Ashley Roerig.

 I had my hip replaced two months ago and everything is going good with the recovery. I am happy I had it done by Dr. Oneill! He and TCO where very good in their approach in my situation! This is the second hip surgery I’ve had, the first being 10 years ago where they did a resurfacing through the side, Dr. Oneill did it through the front and the healing from that approach was a much quicker recovery period than ten years ago. I’m happy he went with that approach! Highly recommend him as a doctor!