Patient Testimonials

I had an amazing experience with the EXCEL Program. Steph, EXCEL RN Coordinator’s, initial phone call was caring and considerate. She arranged for an orientation to see the recovery suites with Leah Zimmerman, EXCEL Program Director, and we were so relieved and pleased. Leah was so gracious, open to answering every concern and question, and so delightfully reassuring. I also attended the pre-surgery education class. The class was so helpful and important to attend.

After my knee replacement surgery, I was taken to my room. Lauren and Caryn, my Registered Nurses, were delightful, joyful, and skilled in every way. They were personable and answered any question I had. I felt encouraged and amazed at how much I could do already, with expert coaching and support. It was such a pleasure and relief to see Dr. Scott Anseth after my procedure. He described what he did for my knee and that I should not be surprised by the bruising. I enjoyed how he demonstrated the importance of being able to straighten my leg and bend my knee when I am ready. I was so reassured that I made the right decision and that I was in the best hands for care.

My recovery continued at home with check-ins. Any “speed bump” I encountered was met with acceptance, compassion, and effective problem solving. The reception desk folks at physical therapy were always cheerful, helpful and respectful. Shoutout to all my therapists for those pre-operative exercises. Heidi, Sarah, and Jordan, were significant in my recovery.

I continue to feel so grateful for this opportunity to enhance my quality of life with a new knee. Every detail was covered every step of the way with a multitude of skills and talents, along with personal care and concern for me. Thank you, TCO!

I had a complete knee replacement on my left knee in December 2022. From the very first meeting I had Dr. Michael Nemanich, I knew I was in the right place and in good hands at TCO. He made me feel so confident about the surgery and reassured me that everything would come out perfectly as planned. The surgery was a complete success and my knee works so well. He was so professional, kind, caring and really listened to my concerns because I have other underlying health issues. He made me feel so excited about having my new knee. I couldn’t be more happy with the outcome. My knee works exactly like it did when I was younger and I can now get back to what I love doing because of him. Thank you, Dr. Nemanich for taking such great care of me. You are amazing at what you do. You will be doing my right leg in the next year or two, to work your magic again! I would also like to thank your office team and surgical team for doing such a fantastic job. They all made everything goes so smoothly and so easy for me.

Dr. Owen O’Neill came highly recommended and now I know why! On December 1, 2023 I went in to surgery with a very messed-up knee. I had huge bone spurs that started to limit my very active life at 69 years old. Surgery went very smoothly. Dr. O’Neill and his team were very attentive, caring and competent. The pain was manageable. I rented the ‘NICE’ cooling system, did my PT, and only needed the walker for one week. Then I used a cane for another week. I kept up with my exercises well and ‘graduated’ the program. I now have over 130 degree bend, which will just keep improving. I can do 6 flights of stairs without a problem. I swim, take nice long walks, and am just enjoying an active life again! I obviously I needed to do my part too, but clearly Dr. O’Neill is a very big part of this success. I am most grateful to him, as are my husband and family!

I tore my ACL in February of my junior year in high school. From the beginning, Dr. Mair put me at ease, reassuring me that I could come back from this injury. His vested interest and follow through during my recovery gave me the confidence to compete with myself at every physical therapy appointment. At just six months post-surgery, I returned to my senior soccer season (with Dr. Mair’s caution) and led my team to its first section championship game in over 20 years. I also was able to compete in my senior season of basketball, finishing where I left off before my injury by scoring my 1,000th career point. Thanks to Dr. Mair and his entire staff, I will continue my dream of playing collegiate soccer at SMSU in the fall and major in exercise science. Maybe one day I can be part of the TCO team!

I was referred to Dr. Bircher. He was very kind and a willing listener, as I was not an easy case! I dealt with multiple infections in the past. So he ran tests before he did anything, which I was very grateful for. Once we found out there was no infection, he did a metal removal from past surgery first.

Then he went ahead with the right knee replacement in July of 2023. In December of 2023 I had my left knee done. Dr. Bircher and his team were great! They called me at home multiple times to check in with me about healing and pain management. He was always quick to return calls and answered all of my questions or concerns.

He was also willing to give me a referral to a spine doctor who I have been going to now as well. If I do need more surgery down the road I will be going back with Dr. Bircher and his group. I would definitely recommend him and his team!

I had a phenomenal experience working with Dr. Ridley and his team from start to finish. From the beginning, I felt that Dr. Ridley truly cared for me as his patient. He walked me through the procedure that he recommended, but I never felt pressured. I’m so thankful I took his advice to move forward with surgery. I no longer have pain in my left knee, which bothered me for the past couple years. At 7 weeks post-surgery, I’m back to my long walks and Peloton workouts with no soreness the next day.

Dr. Mittelsteadt and his staff were amazing. I tell everybody about him and TCO. I could not imagine having a better experience. If I ever have to have surgery again I’m going back to TCO! I stayed at the EXCEL Care Suites for a night. Recovering was really nice and the nurses were amazing there too. Thank you so much to TCO for a great experience on something I was regretting. It was not bad at all.

During the month of July 2015, I had a full knee replacement on my right knee. My recovery time was 90 days before I could walk without a wooden pole. However, in order to remodel the first level of our single-family home in November 2015, I still had to maintain a daily intake of pain medication to perform manual work seven days per week. This intake continued until December 2015.

I was introduced to Dr. Bircher at your new TCO Plymouth location and I had a full left knee replacement in February 2024. Physical therapy was performed at TCO Maple Grove. Something was very different this time and the healing process was entirely different. That same month, I ceased taking pain medication and Tylenol. There was obviously a much faster recovery time than my 2015 procedure.

The question is, “what changed to cause such a difference in recovery?” I don’t think the actual replacement procedure, nor the replacement devises have changed much in eight years. There is only one major factor that could alter the healing time as much as it did, and that would be the knowledge and skill of Dr. Bircher. In addition, Dr. Bircher has great bedside manner.

In summary, I would like to mention and give credit to the two PT’s that pushed me and guided me through the post-op recovery process. Elsie Olsen and Therese Owen have great personalities and skills. They worked hard and encouraged me to complete the recovery process properly and in a short time frame. Both of them are very pleasant to be around!

I am just 3-months out from my second Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery with Dr. Owen O’Neill and his team. This surgery was as successful as my first TKR two years ago with Dr. O’Neill and his team. I again can attest that everything about Dr. Owen O’Neill, his team, TCO and the EXCEL Program were top notch. From pre-surgical prep, through surgery, post-op, PT-rehab, and personal training sessions I remain extremely impressed with TCO.

After my surgery it was critical to go through 6-weeks of great TCO physical therapy sessions and then four TCO personal training sessions over the next month to focus on sports specific training for agility, strength and speed in my racquetball sport. Within 2+ months after surgery I started getting back to a competitive level on the r-ball court as an “A-level” player. And I am getting stronger each week due to the proper surgery skills and technology, coupled with the effective post-op rehab and training. I am very grateful for an excellent surgical experience, outcome and results in getting back to the quality of physical life I desired.

I will continue strongly recommending Dr. O’Neill to my friends and fellow athletes. If you want peace of mind for your orthopedic medical matters then Dr. O’Neill and TCO are your clear choice.

Dr. Ridley performed knee surgery on my high-school aged daughter and has been thorough in every sense along the way. This was my daughter’s third knee surgery (the first two by other surgeons), so we had many questions, and it made things a bit more complicated. We live in the Duluth area but working with Dr. Ridley has been nothing but positive and absolutely worth the extra travel. He is a clear communicator, and prompt for all appointment times, answers questions well, and we couldn’t be happier with the surgery results. We really feel he is an incredibly attentive physician. Thank you, Dr. Ridley, for such a positive experience!