Patient Testimonials

I had Dr. Gerlach repair both of my hands late last fall and I could not be happier with the results. I suffered for years and was having a hard time riding my motorcycle due to the numbness and pain. Dr. Gerlach was very down to earth and explained what my options were. He was very thorough and made me very comfortable in the decision to have the surgeries. He performed the right hand first and about a month and a half later my left. I am happy to report for the first time in years I am able to ride without the pain and numbness I had been experiencing and it is much more enjoyable as I do not need to use my cruise control as much. I have told my brother to go see him and would recommend him to anyone. Thank you very much.

I was a senior at Lake Superior State University playing division 1 college hockey for the school when, during a hockey game, I tore my ACL. The injury ended my season right away, being already halfway done with it. I still had an opportunity to play after college and needed to get back before camps started in the summer for exposure. My family doctor referred me to Dr. Andrea Saterbak with TCO with high remarks for her work. My first impressions during a pre-surgical meeting absolutely blew me away and I knew she would get me back. Dr. Saterbak and her team along with all of the TCO staff gave me all the tools and support to bounce back after the injury that ended my college career. Dr. Saterbak’s reputation is remarkable and I learned firsthand why. After sticking with her protocol and procedures, I am back to feeling where I was before my injury, if not better. I am able to make it to camps and tryouts to continue my hockey career. Dr. Saterbak and her team resemble exactly what it means to be professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate. Thank you to Dr. Saterbak and her team for helping me get back to playing the game I love.

Dr. Maura Hartigan was so kind, and gentle and loving and understanding and efficient and it was a wonderful visit, and so good to my Mom. We know the shot given takes time to benefit the patient and we are confident this will help mom, but we also are so thankful Dr. Hartigan gave us hope that if this did not work, we could return and maybe have some options. Thank you Dr. Hartigan and God bless you and the staff.

Zina and all of Mom’s children

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the staff at Twin Cities Orthopedics. On May 22, 2020, I tore a hamstring tendon while on a run. This injury resulted in me requiring surgery to reattach the tendon and the accompanying physical therapy. My experience with TCO has always been positive, from the staff at the front desk, to the doctors and their staff, to the physical therapists. On this occasion though, my experience with the clinic seemed to be even more positive in many ways, with several of the staff, one in particular that I would like to bring attention to, going “Above And Beyond” what I have come to expect.

The day after my injury I walked (was wheeled actually) into the urgent care at the Burnsville facility. I was seen very quickly, and the physicians assistant was thorough in assessing my injury and ordered an MRI for my leg. I went downstairs to the MRI imaging office and was warmly greeted there by Aga, who told me that due to it being the Saturday of Memorial day weekend, it would be nearly impossible to get the required pre-authorization for the MRI from my insurance company until Tuesday. She said she was going to make some phone calls as well as put in the request electronically and would contact me when she had more information. No more than 15 minutes later, she phoned me saying that no one was available at the insurance company, but she would continue to try and at the very least contact me Tuesday morning when she should have an approval and a time available for an MRI. I asked Aga if there was a way I could schedule an MRI prior to having authorization, if I paid for it myself and then received reimbursed from the insurance company once approved. She informed me that would be a possibility, but the availability of locations would be limited with that option. She said she would look into it. She phoned me about 10 minutes later and said nothing was available that day but something might open up for Sunday. The next morning she phoned me with a time available that afternoon at Edina. I was thrilled she was able to make that happen and get the process going. This only could have happened because of Aga’s determination to swiftly move forward with my care.

The staff conducting the MRI were very professional and went out of their way to see I was comfortable during my MRI, as there were very few ways I could position my body where I wasn’t in a high degree of pain. I also was pleasantly surprised to see Aga was working the desk at the MRI imaging office. She escorted my wife to the billing office to pay for the procedure. Afterwards she said she had been looking at available appointments with Dr. Holm, who I normally see at TCO, but that he didn’t have anything available on Tuesday. I told her I preferred Dr. Holm, but considering the pain I was in I wanted to have results as soon as possible and I would see a different Doctor if I had to to get in as early as possible. Aga, on her initiative, texted Dr. Holm’s patient coordinator Kelly to see if I could be fit in. Kelly responded immediately, on a Sunday afternoon, saying to come in at 1:00 PM on Tuesday. This coordination truly made me feel cared for and important.

On Tuesday Dr. Holm gave me the results of the MRI and as usual, thoroughly explained my options, as well as expected recovery times and recommendations for how I could most thoroughly return to my pre-injury status. On his recommendation I decided to have a surgical repair. He said it would be best to perform this surgery as soon as possible, and he turned me over to his patient coordinator Kelly. Kelly set me up with a surgery time in two days, and coordinated an immediate Covid 19 test, as well as a fitting for a leg brace so that I would have the brace available before my surgery. She was extremely efficient.

On Thursday I had the surgery. The entire surgery staff, from the admitting nurses, to the nurses in the surgery and recovery rooms, the anesthesiologist, the nurse anesthetist, and of course Dr. Holm, were all very professional and accommodating, as well as very thorough in explaining how my surgery would unfold that day. On my discharge my wife and I both were very thoroughly briefed on what medications I should be taking and how often, what activities I should and should not be doing, and other important general information. The following day I received a very nice follow up call from the nursing staff, and the following Monday, a follow up from Dr. Holm’s physicians assistant Aaron, as well as another phone call from Aga to tell me that my insurance company had indeed approved the MRI.

I am early in my recovery, but considering the good results I have had in the past with Dr. Holm, along with what appears to be very professional therapy so far with my physical therapist Jonathan, I am quite confident I will make a full recovery. Getting through this whole process from my injury on Friday to surgery the following Thursday would not have been possible without Aga, Kelly, and Dr. Holm. I was so appreciative to get the recovery process going as soon as possible. I don’t normally write letters expressing my pleasure with services, as I expect professional service as a matter of course, but because of my experience in this case, specifically with Aga, who went way beyond what I would ever expect, I wanted to express my full gratitude.

Thank You Sincerely,
David E.

September 2019 I aggravated my lower lumbar region of my spine. The injury caused severe nerve pain in my lower right leg and foot drop. The MRI discovered significant stenosis at L3-4 and L4-5. The option I chose was L3-4 and L4-5 decompression and fusion.

An interbody fusion was also performed at L4-5. Dr. Deal and his team did an excellent job relieving my symptoms. I an now 6 months post-op and am recovering ahead of my expectations.

I have fought this back pain getting progressively worse for 3 1/2 years to the point where I just about couldn’t walk. Now after surgery performed by Dr. DuBois, the pain is for the most part gone its unbelievable! I can go up and down stairs without holding on, sit for long periods of time and walk as far as I want. Thank you TCO.

We thought we understood concussions. They seem pretty common in athletes—almost a rite of passage. You get hit in the head, have a headache for a few days, rest, and resume play. No big deal. Wow, were we wrong!

Abby’s concussion affected absolutely every corner of her life. For five months, school, friendships, family, free time, sleep, nutrition, exercise and volleyball were impacted. This invisible injury took her life on detour we wish on no one. She couldn’t make it through a full day of school. Her friends and teammates didn’t understand so her relationships suffered. She couldn’t sleep but was exhausted by everything. Her headaches and confusion made it difficult to function. Volleyball, of course, came to a slamming halt. This concussion was evil. It was isolating. It was long. It was consuming. And, as a parent, helping your child navigate through a head injury was like traveling in the dark without a map. We didn’t know what to do to help Abby recover. There were days we weren’t sure IF she would recover.
It was clear we needed help. Fast.

We got that amazing help and expertise from Chris Ashton, the Concussion Program Coordinator at TCO. He, along with Dr. David Olson, and physical therapists Mike Steiner and Jake Wendt worked together to put a recovery program together to help Abby heal. Chris started by carefully assessing Abby to determine the type of concussion she had, taught us about the complexities of concussions and put together a comprehensive program to help Abby move forward. He patiently answered absolutely every question we had that first day and throughout the entire recovery process. Every email and every phone call were met with Chris’ calm, confident advice. He rode every “roller coaster moment” with us and was a positive beacon for us throughout Abby’s treatment.  Chris coordinated vestibular and ocular therapy with Mike and Jake at TCO’s Physical Therapy locations in both Eagan and Woodbury. Mike and Jake share an expertise in concussion recovery that is hard to find elsewhere. This was not your average-joe physical therapy. They put together a program to help Abby’s eyes work together again to improve her balance, headaches, and fatigue. Although the exercises were definitely not fun, Abby enjoyed working with both therapists. They made her smile while encouraging hard work and pushing her brain to heal.

Fast forward five months. Abby was just cleared to play volleyball again. School has improved, she’s sleeping well, and she’s able to spend time with friends. She got her life back. Thank you, Chris, Dr. Olson, Mike, and Jake for giving us a road map to recovery! Thank you for standing with us—especially on the bad days. Thank you for sharing your amazing expertise to give Abby the opportunity to continue pursuing her dreams. You. Are. Awesome.

From all the visits leading up to surgery, Dr. Koch listened and treated me with options that avoided surgery. Unfortunately, my symptoms and pain had other plans. She is so compassionate and listens. I never felt rushed or just another patient. Her team is amazing and the whole TCO experience has been awesome! Still going through my healing but know I have tremendous support to the end.

I had a torn ligament in my left shoulder that was causing me a lot of pain. I was losing strength in my arm and couldn’t sleep due to the constant pain. I was worried the injury would require surgery. I began physical therapy with Mike Stay. Mike identified my physical limitations and started me on physical therapy that increased my strength and range of motion. He knew how far to proceed with stretching and strengthening exercises so that I could work through the pain and regain the strength in my shoulder and arm. It took a few visits but everything Mike had me practice worked very well. I regained my full strength and range of motion. The exercises Mike had me do are something I can continue to do to improve my strength and endurance. I very much appreciate what he helped me work through and I would highly recommend him to people in need of physical therapy to get their lives back to normal.

Thank you Dr. Smith!!! My bad spinal stenosis you said was causing tingling and numbness, unable to tilt my head back, sent me off to have a cervical epidural and saving surgery as a last resort. All I can say is this epidural procedure fixed me, 5 days later and I feel 100% awesome, no nerve pinching, no numbness in fingers and hands. I even road my motorcycle 300 miles on Sunday with no incident. Thank you thank you thank you!