“Wonderful, makes you know he cares about your treatment.”
“ The care I recieved in the hospital after my total knee was excellant all the nurses were so kind and understanding! I had the best care you can get while I was there and Dr. Nelson was also very kind and professional. If I ever have to get the other knee replaced I would go back to Heartland Orthopedic's again.”
“Dr. Nelson always took the time to listen to my concerns and was always professional and courteous. He did a great job with my knee replacement. Pre-op appointments, the day of surgery, and post-op followups went as expected and I couldn't be more pleased with my new knee!”
“Dr. Nelson is great. He wants to solve my joint problem and I feel confident in his service.”
“I'm so glad I chose to see Dr. Nelson. He is amazing and he is so kind. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Dr. Nelson!”
“ I fractured my left patella and severed anterior ligaments in the process. Dr Eric put me back together again. During all my follow-up appt's I received excellent, personalized care---I NEVER felt like just a number. I was very happy with the care I received from Dr Eric.”
“ Knowledgable, clear, engaging. Options for knee pain. Cortizone shots in both knees. It worked! Immediate and lasting relief .”
“I did not like the idea of getting a new knee. I had heard of too many bad experiences. My knee started to bow out and Dr. Nelson said it was time! The meetings before surgery and the exercises to help build up the knee made me feel better about the whole procedure. The surgery by Dr. Nelson and the rehab after went so smoothly that I was doing everything that I always did within two months. I'm 100% back and better than ever! I play tennis, pickleball, bike, golf and walk 3 to 4 miles with no trouble what so ever. My doctor, nurses and rehab personnel did a phenomenal job!”
“I was a professional ballet dancer when I was 18 years old, and I unfortunately developed a chronic injury that first year dancing professionally. I was devastated that I had to "retire" at the young age of 18, when I trained 11 years to get there. Not only was I unable to dance, my life long dream, but I couldn't run, sit on my heels, walk up hills, or even walk at a fast pace. I saw 7 different doctors before coming to Heartland Orthopedic, and they all did their best, but were unable to discover what the root of my pain was. I had a few tests ran on me when I first came to Heartland before finally running a test that gave evidence to me having chronic exertional compartment syndrome in both of my lower legs. Dr. Eric Nelson performed a double fasciotomy in both of my legs to attempt to eliminate this pain from my life. In my new profession, I need to be able to be active, so it was extremely important that it be fixed. At the time of the surgery, I was still a student just a few months away from graduation and needing to pass these physical tests. Even though my recovery was slower than most with this type of surgery, it was a success! I am happy to say that just a couple weeks ago I graduated, and I didn't just slip by with my physical testing, I excelled. I could not have done this without the incredible help from Dr. Nelson. I am proud to say that 5 months after my surgery, I can now run an 8 minute mile and it's getting better everyday. I never thought that my pain would ever go away, but because of Dr. Nelson, I can finally pursue my new career. I recommend him to everyone I talk to because he literally turned my life around. Thank you to everyone at Heartland; you guys are my saving grace.”
“Dr. Nelson has repaired numerous arthritic joints for me. I have always found him to be professional, competent and caring. He suggests surgery as the last resort and actively tries to find non-evasive solutions. I have had very little pain from his procedures and his "seamstress" abilities have left me with minimal scarring. He is a great addition to the heartland facility and I have, and will continue to recommend him to others. ps. The entire staff of heartland, from the doctors, therapists, hospital staff etc have been outstanding.”
“Having moved to Alexandria 6 years ago, I have become Dr. Eric Nelson's "poster child". Arthritis has taken its toll and he has replaced a knee, a hip, and a shoulder for me. He will do the other shoulder the end of April. I have found Dr. Nelson and the orthopedic staff to be friendly, competent, and caring...take it from me... I should know!!! Dr. Nelson looks for other methods of relief before surgery. He encourages one to seek alternate methods if one can find relief. He uses surgery as the method of last resort. I have encouraged others to see Dr. Nelson. Heartland clinic is a major economic development boon to Alexandria. Keep up the good work!!”
“On December 3, 2015 I fell just outside my door at home. I damaged my left rotator cuff which required surgery. Dr. Nelson showed great concern over my problem. He kept my daughter informed about the surgery and after the surgery was completed. He also showed compassion during my one-month check-up with him.”
“Great experience, excellent Doctor. Will have services if needed any time here. Everyone from front desk to all staff great job.”
“I had X-rays on both of my thumbs and they both showed extreme rheumatism. He gave me cortisone shots in both thumbs and they have been doing really well! Thanks to Dr. Nelson!”
“My wife and I are both patients of Dr. Nelson and his staff. They are very good with their cares for both of us and are friendly and caring. We appreciate their knowledge and expertise. They are friendly and truly seem to care about you personally. Lynn has has a knee replacement and I have an ongoing issue with a knee that gets injections regularly as we move forward toward replacement someday. Lynn also suffered a broken leg this past summer, and they cared for her through that experience.”
“I felt totally confident and safe with my doctor that he was doing what was best for me. Everyone treated me with respect and kindness and gave me the best care I could of ever wanted.”
“From the first meeting with Dr. Nelson and into postsurgery, we have been impressed with the entire process. All appointments were completed in a timely fashion. Preoperative instructions from the manual to the meeting were informative and very helpful. The check in was seamless. Postoperative was handled efficiently and with care. Hats off to the entire staff for creating an almost pleasant experience. My recovery has gone according to the book, due in large part to my wife. She is a physical therapist. That's the good news. The bad news is that she is a physical therapist! But we managed to get through the tough parts with little yelling, and we are still together. I would recommend your organization.”
“I had constant pain in both my shoulders. I was referred to Heartland Orthopedic Specialists for shoulder replacement surgery. Dr. Nelson was my surgeon. Now, I don't have any pain and they feel great. I'm back to work now and don't have any problems. I would recommend Heartland Orthopedic Specialists and Dr. Nelson to anyone who has shoulder pain. It was a great experience for me. Everybody at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists is very nice and friendly. I would do it again. Thanks Heartland Orthopedic Specialists and Dr. Nelson.”
“"Everything went smooth and I'm home recuperating. It gets better every day. It's going as good as the right shoulder I had done in July. I'm very satisfied. Good job all around. Thanks." -- Larry B. ”
“"I was having carpal tunnel issues. Dr. Nelson took great care of me through the entire process. He fixed me up and I was good as new within minutes after my surgery. Three days after my surgery, I started using my hand and began to regain strength right away. I was glad I didn't have to wait forever to use my hand again. I didn't have to take any time off of work. It’s been a little over a month and my hand feels amazing. The strength is getting better each day." -- Ashley N.”
“"When I was 14 years old my parents, bought me my first dirt bike motorcycle. Not too much longer, my little brother got one too. From there it was always a competition to one up each other. Soon we were jumping over the driveway doing little stunts like no handers and no footers. Then it got to a point where we could no longer do anything better, so we built a small wooden ramp in the basement from scrap wood dad had lying around. We put it out on the hill in the front yard; soon we were jumping 35+ ft distance and about 5ft high. We progressed from watching movies and playing video games. About a year later, we hit the same point and could not progress. So we decided to build a bigger ramp like in the games and movies. Once we started using that, we progressed even faster with the tricks. By then, we were doing superman seat grabs, heart attacks, and other variations at this point. I was about 17 yrs old and my brother was 14yrs old. We found out we could only jump about 45ft distance and 13ft high. So we searched around to get a bigger jump to do more stunts. In Detroit Lakes, MN, we found a pair of bothers just like us. We rode with them at their house and asked them to make us a bigger ramp like they had.
One weekend while riding at their house, I got over confident and that’s where the injuries started. My first bad accident, I over jumped the jump, having too much speed, landing in the flats and shattering my right wrist, fracturing my left and rupturing my liver. I spent four days in the ICU at Detroit Lakes Hospital. I was lucky my liver was not torn really bad to where it required surgery, but my right wrist was not so lucky. I had a plate and 4 screws put in. Six weeks later, my brother and I were back out jumping and riding. At this point, we had got our new ramp. The ramp was made out of steel, was 8ft tall, 4ft wide, and 17ft long. We were jumping 75ft distance and 25ft high. Before long, we were doing most of the tricks we had seen on TV and played in the games.
We went to a freestyle dirt bike show in the Twin Cities called Haydays. Not long after watching the event, my brother and I approached the coordinator. We told him that we can do what they are doing but better and would like to do it. He said we cannot at this event but he is having an event in two weeks at Hill city, MN near to Grand Rapids. At this point I was 18 and my brother was 15. At the event, we impressed him so much; he wanted us to start doing them for him every few weeks. For the next few years, we did the Haydays event and several others. From there, we caught the attention of others, were sponsored, and received a trip to practice at a professional riders house in Redmond, OR. While we were there, we learned a lot of things received several other sponsorships, signed a contract with a filmmaker, and signed a contract with a clothing outfitter named Slednecks. We went all over the state doing events and even made a trip to New Hampshire for an event. At this point in time, I had been in a few accidents and broke few minor bones. From there, we decided to slow down and not travel as much. We only did the events in Minnesota and now only a few a year. That brings us to 2011. I am 24. I was at the event Haydays. Two weeks before my wedding, I crashed doing a trick called Kiss of Death. This is where you do a handstand on the motorcycle while it’s in the air. The wind caught me and pushed the bike sideways and I missed the bike when I came down and hit the ground.
About a week later, the day before my wedding, I was helping my mother-in-law haul straw in the barn. When I stepped wrong, I felt a sharp pain and heard a snap in my left knee. The next time I saw my doctor, I told him about what had happened. He did a few exams and asked me to see Dr. Eric Nelson. He told me that I could of tore my ACL or Anterior Cruciate Ligament in my knee. Well, Dr. Nelson told me that I had completely torn my ACL. So I got married and spent my honeymoon with a torn ACL. After that, I talked with the doctor and decided that my best option was to have surgery to fix it. I had surgery on Nov. 29th, 2011. The next six months, I spent doing therapy and seeing the doctor. After seeing Brandon and Scott at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists for many months, they cleared me and said I am good to go back to normal life. With the list of nine broken bones, a torn ACL, and ripped liver, I have decided to stop doing all the events and big jumps. I bought a motorcycle for on the road. Now my wife and I enjoy riding together. Its now 2013, I’m 26, and I look back on my time at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists and am very happy with my results. I hope I never have to go back but if I do have to, I’m glad that you’re not to far off and know how to fix me. Thanks!" -- Jordan T.”
“"Today, Dr. Nelson did an arthroscopy on my left knee. Everything went as planned and everyone from the staff at Heartland Orthopedics to everyone today for the surgery at the hospital was friendly, knowledgeable, and caring. This was my 4th surgery, and I have always received excellent care and appreciate everything that has been done for me through all of these surgeries. And of course, to Dr. Nelson a big thank you and GO HUSKIES!" --Vicki M.”
