Patient Testimonials

Having on and off left hand/wrist pain for a while, I just brushed it off to my occasional aches and pains I get from having Lupus (an autoimmune disorder). It had gotten so bad, I had sucked it up and went to TCO Urgent Care. They were amazing at helping. They did xrays and sent me to physical therapy but, like everything else in my life, they found nothing. A good month passed, the pain got worse and then got better. But one day it was so bad I was in tears. I messaged Jenna, his care coordinator, to see when I could get into see Dr. Bakker next, she got me in right away. He assessed me and relooked at my images but knew something was not right.

Had an MRI a few days later and then received a call from Dr. Bakker himself. I ended up seeing him for follow up appointment, where he informed me that I, in fact, had some rare issue with my scaphoid bone and the loss or the stop of blood flow, possibly due to Lupus. we went over all possible issues and outcomes. I tried to get him to amputate (jokingly) because I was in so much pain. He assured me that we could do something but was very doubtful it would work. He scheduled surgery at the new Edina Orthopedic Surgery Center and the team was wonderful. Dr. Bakker had informed me and my family that he was unsure that the bone graph would take because of how hard (dead) the bone was. But he had hope! I am 3 months post-op and have little to no pain and blood flow back to the bone. Jenna had to put up with many questions and tears from me, yet she always was so kind and helpful. And Dr. Bakker, well he is pretty amazing. Even though he wouldn’t amputate (haha), he put up with me and my weird issue and gave me hope. I could not thank them enough!

My son, James, broke several bones in his hand and arm when he crashed at high speed during a BMX race in February of 2018. The doctors wanted to do surgery on him there, but I knew I would rather take him to Twin Cities Orthopedic back home. Immediately upon returning from Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was seen at TCO. Surgery was scheduled and the physician meticulously repaired multiple fractures in James’ hand and arm. Following pin removal and physical therapy with your offices, James was back on his bike to win at his first national competition back from his injuries! James continued with a successful season and finished the year with a ranking of 7th in the nation of 16 year old expert boys. He continues to ride and compete. The smile says it all. Thank you, TCO!

I would recommend Dr. O‘Keefe and Nathan to my friends and family. Dr. O’Keefe and Nathan were very informative on how the surgery was needed, my right thumb didn’t respond to the shots anymore. Surgery went well and PT has gone really well. They have been complemented by other surgical results. Little or no pain. Do what the Dr. says and the results are great!

Dr. Bakker is knowledgeable, patient, caring, positive, and encouraging. I fractured my wrist in three places and was terrified to even think about surgery. From the very first appointment I had with Dr. Bakker I felt at ease and encouraged that the process would be okay. He recommended for me to have surgery and get a plate and screws in my wrist. Once he thoroughly explained the procedure and the recovery time I immediately felt confident moving forward. He very much advises what is best for you and your health, he does not push or pressure you to make a decision.

His team is amazing, I cannot rave about them enough. From start to finish they made me feel like I could have surgery all over again and be completely comfortable. They have great personalities and are always positive, they will not move forward with anything until they explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Once the surgery was completed, I got a call the date after not only from the care nurse but also from Dr. Bakker himself which is very impressive and made me feel even more taken care of. They also did a great job at helping me get set up with therapy appointments immediately following. I am so thankful I got Dr. Bakker and that he was encouraging throughout it all. I would recommend him and his team to anyone!

Extremely pleased, this was my second carpal tunnel surgery first done by another provider. Dr. Bakker did this one and I cannot say enough nice things about this experience. Dr Bakker is very personable and caring. Thank you.

I only have positive comments to say about Dr. Bakker. He’s an expert in his profession. His skill and advice on rehab were spot on. I was very fortunate to have found him to help me gain back my quality of life. I would “go beyond” highly recommending him to anyone who needs care in the area of his expertise. Thank you Dr. Bakker for getting me to where I am.

Dr. Arntson replaced my left hip joint 5 months ago with very good results. Before the surgery I had a lot of pain and trouble walking more than 100 yards. I trusted him so much that I had him perform surgery on my right wrist for carpal tunnel 6 weeks ago. Both surgeries were successful. He is a caring professional in and out of the surgery suite. He is also a sharp dresser when not in scrubs.

I was in a car accident this past May that put me in the emergency room. I was found to have a broken scaphoid bone in my left hand (of course my dominant hand). The first opinion was “immediate surgery.” I sought a second opinion from Dr. Gesensway; he examined my x-rays and CT scan of my hand very carefully and discovered that the bones in my hand had auto-fused. Because the bones had auto-fused, the scaphoid was stabilized and could heal with assistance of a new ultra-sound device that would trigger blood flow to the bone to accelerate healing without surgery. I chose to use the device as instructed and IT WAS SUCCESSFUL. The bone has healed without surgery!

Dr. Laura Koch is the best in the business! She repaired my finger and my hand is fully functioning! No rehab or therapy was necessary, thank you Dr. Laura!

Dr. Bakker was fantastic! I would highly recommend him. An honest, straight forward, matter of fact doctor and an excellent surgeon.