Patient Testimonials

When living in Florida, I play tennis daily. I was “diving” for a drop shot from the base line and went down HARD on my left knee. Of course, I kept playing and didn’t realize I had hurt it so badly until I tried to hit a backhand, and the next morning, falling into the wall. I was DEVASTATED. As a retired lady, tennis is my life. It may sound ridiculous, but it is! I play here in MN and in Florida on “green clay” har-tru courts, and I like to play every day. I went to an emergency ortho in Florida and the MRI showed a full PCL tear. I started researching and found ONE surgeon in the country with expertise in PCL tears. After reading several of his published articles I saw a little note indicating he was moving to TCO a month after my injury! I was thrilled. I have been following Dr. LaPrade since then. Because he knew my only goal was to get back on the tennis court, after some meniscus repair, I was put into a brace that HE INVENTED specifically for the PCL tear. Four months later I was playing daily WITH the brace. Thank you Dr. LaPrade!

I am so OVER THE MOON happy with my knee surgery! I’m 5 weeks post-op and I’m doing great!! Dr. Lewis and Libby Witchger, his physician assistant, are so great to work with! They prepared me for this surgery by having me go to pre-op physical therapy and that was a GREAT DECISION! Dr. Lewis is a great surgeon and my results are crazy good! I would highly recommend Dr. Lewis and TCO! I couldn’t be happier!! Thank you, Dr. Lewis, for giving me my life back!

Dr. Lewis is the absolute best as far as I am concerned. I could not walk without a lot of pain in my knee. After Dr. Lewis did my knee replacement, I have no pain at all. I’m 79 years old. My surgery, physical therapy, and after care was the best. I trust Dr. Lewis and his whole team completely.

We had an incredible experience with Dr. Ockuly. My daughter had a rare and freak injury at the age of 11 that required surgery. Dr. Ockuly and his team were amazing at keeping us informed on the timeline and what the surgery required, as well as the necessary aftercare. It is an emotional experience having your child go through surgery. I could not have asked for a better experience or more talented surgeon. Though I hope we never face this path again, I would not hesitate for a moment to work with Dr. Ockuly again. My daughter is healing and WALKING again thanks to him and his team. I could never thank him enough!

I highly recommend anyone considering knee replacement surgery to see Dr. Jason Barry. He was excellent from start to finish. I am extremely happy with the results (no pain and excellent movement). I only wish that I had used TCO and Dr. Jason Barry for my first knee replacement, what a difference! Highly recommend!

Over the course of the past two and a half years I’ve been fortunate to have Dr. Arntson as my orthopedic surgeon. My first encounter was by chance after an accident left me needing wrist surgery. When I required a full knee replacement the following year, I did not have to think twice in considering which doctor I would choose.

Both surgeries were significant to me as a woman in her early 50s. I had many concerns regarding my recovery, mobility and quality of life. I was thoroughly impressed with the professionalism, care and compassion in which these concerns were addressed. Dr. Arntson showed me that he is a physician that takes the time to work with his patients to provide thorough, high quality feedback.

After each x-ray and ultrasound, he clearly and concisely discussed what he saw and what he felt would be the best next steps regarding my health. He was also patient in answering my questions. I never felt rushed, or that I was taking up too much time needing clarification. In addition, during my pre, mid and post-surgery periods, I received the highest quality of care by Dr. Arntson and his staff. The best way for me to express this is to say that Dr. Arntson strikes the right balance between surgical and soft skills.

The process of working with Dr. Arntson and his team at Twin Cities Orthopedics was extremely streamlined and efficient. Appointments ran on time, phone calls were returned promptly, medications were refilled when needed and concerns were addressed without hesitation. I always felt valued and that my health and recovery mattered.

I believe Dr. Arntson’s character traits are outstanding additions to the Twin Cities Orthopedics team. He gets to know his patients; he remembers you and your specific health concerns while getting to know you as a person. These qualities created trust, built clear, strong lines of communication and created a relational partnership during my medical journeys.

I can’t thank Dr. Arntson and his team enough for the support they gave me to heal, feel strong and have a better quality of life.

During the fall of 2021, I tore my ACL and meniscus playing football. I was worried about the process ahead of me. Luckily TCO was partnered with my school to take care of situations like mine. My surgeon, Dr. Ryan Hess, was astronomical when it came to taking the steps needed to have a healthy recovery. He made me feel at home with all the staff and physical therapy that went along with the process. He made it clear that it was going to be tough but gave me confidence during the whole process. As a three-sport athlete of hockey, baseball and football, I was concerned that I would struggle to get back to the same level I left off at. Dr. Hess and the TCO family instilled that if I did what they said, that I would be even better than before. This became more than true for me. After 9 months of therapy and recovery, I got go to play baseball again. I learned that trusting the doctors at TCO would make me even better as I went on to make All-Section and the All-State tournament team. For this, I cannot thank Dr. Hess and Twin Cities Orthopedics enough!

Thank you for making this procedure so much easier than I had anticipated. Every stage of my surgery and recovery was professional and I would recommend Dr. Meyer and his team without any hesitation!

I was quite worried about having my knee replacement surgery for a few reasons: We only have an upstairs bathroom, we farm, and I worried about being able to get in and out of equipment, pain after surgery, and the list goes on. I discussed the bathroom issue with both Dr. Mair and Cody, his physician assistant, prior to surgery and was assured I’d be taught how to manage the stairs prior to going home after surgery. I was taught how to do stairs, one at a time at first, and it wasn’t difficult. I had a discussion with Dr. Mair prior to my surgery about pain management and I was pleasantly surprised. As far as getting in and out of farm equipment, I was using a skid loader (anyone who has used one knows they aren’t the easiest to get in and out of) three months after surgery with no issues. I just cannot say enough great things about how my knee replacement surgery and aftercare went, and there were so many people that helped me be successful. First, Dr. Mair and his team at TCO and the surgery center told me what to expect (no sugar-coating), performed the surgery, and gave me FABULOUS after-care! Then the work really began at TCO Therapy and Sports Performance in Waconia where I did all my physical therapy. WOW, WOW, WOW – they are so great! The atmosphere there is one of the most positive I have every experienced. Even the therapists you aren’t working closely with are helpful. My physical therapists helped me get started with my therapy and showed me what I needed to do to get great results. My favorite part is that even though I came in with a walker (necessary for a short time following surgery), they treated me like a whole person, not invalid. Maybe that’s not vital for everyone, but I noticed it right away and it made a huge difference in how my mind dealt with this. My physical therapy package also included ten sessions of “on my own therapy”, with specific exercises that I did at the therapy center, and a program called Total Joint. I would describe this as transitioning from post-surgery to real life. They helped me so much and I took advantage of everything included with my therapy package. I cannot say enough how important physical therapy and home exercises are. I don’t think anyone should be “pushed” into receiving a joint replacement because it’s a very personal decision and you need to be ready, but I am so glad I had mine done! Be prepared to work HARD, even before you leave the hospital or surgery center, and then EVEN HARDER as you begin your out-patient therapy and exercises at home. It pays off! A little extra benefit I had, which I believe is a result of my knee replacement, is that my cholesterol lowered by almost 100 points! I haven’t been able to go for walks for several years and it was to a point where a statin was being recommended, which I didn’t want to use a statin. I couldn’t start walking outside until a couple months after surgery, because it was icy, but I started ASAP, and am really enjoying that again!

Dr. Hartigan saw me for both knees and shoulder. He was impressive and had such a great way of communicating and putting me at ease. He helped me with an exercise program that brought my knees back to being able to hike and exercise again. He also ordered an injection for my shoulder that I haven’t had any further issue with. Thank you Dr. Hartigan for getting me back on my game!