Patient Reviews

“It was in 2010 after the loss of my youngest son that I finally made an appointment to see Dr. Marrs. At that appointment, Dr. Marrs, after examination and X-rays, explained to me that in my future I would be looking at hip replacement. He said that I would know when it was time. He was right as it was about two years later that I couldn't take the pain any longer as it had gotten steadily worse as time went by. Prior to the surgery, my husband and I attended a viewing of a video on hip replacement and what to expect which was very informative. The surgery went very smoothly. The first time that the nurses had me get up I was truly amazed that the actual hip pain was gone. There was the pain from the surgery, which didn't seem that bad, and I was thrilled that the mission had been accomplished—no more hip pain! My care given to me by Dr. Marrs, Black Hills Surgical Hospital ,and my physical therapist, Brett Lynass, was outstanding. It was a smart decision to make and I am thankful each and every day that I had it done. Thank you Dr. Marrs!!”

“My history with Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center began in October, 1999. I live in Hot Springs, SD. A horse kicked me and injured my foot. The local clinic referred me to BHOSC for treatment and my journey began. Soon after, I was having pain in my left hip and left knee and I saw Dr. Mark Harlow. My knee had already experienced considerable trauma and five surgeries since 1970. Dr. Harlow was AMAZING! He did everything in his power to prevent hip and knee replacements but they became necessary and the surgeries were completely successful in 2002 and 2006. I was even able to ride my horse again. In 2008 my right knee began to bother me. Dr. Marrs was able to postpone surgery with successful injections but I fell on that knee in 2009 and he replaced it successfully. In 2014 I fell and shattered my right humorous. Once again I was a BHOSC patient and received great care! I learned in May 2015 that I have rheumatoid arthritis which explains why I’ve had so many joint problems. I’m now 61 years old and have switched from a horse to a 4-wheeler. I love BHOSC!! Thanks for your help the past 16 years!!”

“I've had my share of trauma, and it finally caught up to me back in 2009. I herniated a disc in my neck –  oh the pain! I was able, at that time, to avoid surgery by utilizing some cortisone shots and physical therapy. I happily (and carefully) went about my life, and in 2012 had a motorcycle accident. Well – that trauma was the "straw that broke the camel's back" so to speak, my neck problems surfaced again. I had been told the first time if it happened again I would probably have to have surgery. Well, they were right. No amount of PT or cortisone shots was going to fix this. I ended up in Dr. Woodruff's office. I was terrified of surgery –  this is my spine they'd be messing with after all! Well, Dr. Woodruff took the time to thoroughly explain my options, how he would perform the procedure, and told me to take some time to think about it. I was totally comfortable with him, he listened to my questions and concerns, and answered them all. I decided to go ahead and have the fusion. I had two-level fusion involving C5, C6 and C7. Oh the relief!!! After the surgery, Dr. Woodruff stopped in my room to check on me. He asked me how my pain level was and I almost cried. I had gone from off the charts pain to a little tingling left in one of my fingers. That was in 2013. I am back to riding my Harley and able to do anything I want (though I still do it carefully). I highly recommend Dr. Woodruff, and the rest of the staff at Black Hills Ortho & Spine Center are awesome! I have always had great experiences up there and am forever grateful for the help I've received there!!”

“I'm impressed with Black Hills Spine. I like the way they treat their patients and I had a good experience with a not too easy surgery.  The first thing Dr. Woodruff did on my first visit was pull up his chair right next to me and we reviewed my MRI together. He explained the MRI so I could understand exactly what was going on in my neck.  Unfortunately  I had to have surgery as I had what is called Spinal Stenosis pretty bad.  Now let me tell you two other doctors talked to me about my neck but never explained what was really going on, I probably had about 5 or 6 visits to other doctors. So the money & time I spent was of no help to me at all. Surgery was done at Black Hills Surgical Spine Center and I have to tell you I had a  previous experience at another hospital that left me very afraid (let's just say I'm lucky to still be here after that experience). I had talked to Dr. Woodruff about my fears and he assured me he would take good care of me and I believed him. I could not have asked for better care at the Black HIlls Surgical Center, they took good care of me and the food was really good, imagine that—good hospital food!! Recovery was difficult and Dr. Woodruff was very strict about what I could do and could not do. When I saw the CD of the repairs Dr Woodruff did on my neck I was in awe, he did a amazing job on my neck, he had to rebuild the bones in neck and I do have screws, but this was just amazing what he actually had to do to repair the damage I had. It took 4 months recovery under strict guidelines from my doctor, but I did not want to take any chances of  things not healing right after all the work he did.   I also saw Dr. Fromm for my shoulder and he was the first doctor I saw at Black Hills Spine, he also encouraged me to get my neck taken care of and ordered the MRI for my neck. So my overall experience is these doctors have not lost sight of why they decided to become doctors—to help people!!!  I believe some of our bigger medical facilities have gotten so big that the patient is not their first concern. I trust these doctors with my life because I have found them to be very honest and caring. I encourage anyone needing medical help or surgery to give Black Hills Spine a try I think they will find a better experience than most!”

“Although Dr. Den Hartog is no longer with Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center, I want to relay my experience to all patients of the Center. Early in the summer of 2015, I learned that Dr. Den Hartog was going to move to Iowa after many years in practice at BHOSC. On a couple of occasions, we had discussed the fusion or replacement of my right ankle. Numerous ankle sprains during many years of high school, college, and independent league basketball left some pretty severe cartilage damage and bone spurs. Walking was painful and the ankle was continuously swollen. I consulted with another ankle specialist in Colorado and he confirmed the prognosis and said that he could do the surgery but assured me that I was in good hands at BHOSC.  I elected the replacement surgery to be done in Rapid City. On August 7, 2015, Dr. Den Hartog replaced the ankle during a surgery that only took 1 1/2 hours. He told me that full recovery could take from six months to one year. During the first 2 weeks I was on crutches and for 2 or 3 weeks after that I was in a walking cast. Following the surgery, I took pain medication only once. Considering all that my leg had gone through, there was very little pain—ever. I found that rehab was helpful in regaining range of motion and flexibility. I would recommend it. Strength returns very slowly and even after one year I still don't have a lot of strength in the ankle. I will say, however, that the pain of everyday activity is almost totally gone. That was the main objective when we started this process. Dr. Den Hartog said it was a realistic goal. I can walk for miles if I need to. I'm certain I will be able to ski "pain-free" this winter. I still notice slight improvement each week even though it has been one year since the surgery. There is some minor stiffness when I resume activity after a good hard workout of walking or hiking but I'm pretty sure that has just as much to do with the other bones and joints of my body, which are 61 years young, and not just my ankle. I wanted to send Dr. Den Hartog a picture of myself on top of Harney Peak on the one year anniversary of my surgery but I just haven't taken the hike yet. It may be some time in the next few weeks. BHOSC has a great reputation and I hope everyone can have as good an experience as I had.”

“When I turned 70, I noticed a pain in my hip which quickly escalated to where I could not climb chairs and began using a cane. I was referred to the Black Hills Orthopedic and spine clinic and Dr. Duchene. He carefully examined me and explained my treatment options very clearly. I decided on a hip replacement in spite of numerous horror stories I heard from others who had gone through the procedure at other places. After the procedure was done, I experienced the pain one necessarily undergoes in a surgical procedure, but it was far less than I expected. I was referred then to a very competent therapist in Spearfish, but I was walking without a cane after about two days and rode my bike the ten blocks to my therapy sessions. Because my memory is poor, I have to examine my scar in order to tell people which hip was replaced. The procedure was literally that successful. Comparing my recovery to that of friends who have been treated by others, I am convinced that there is no better surgeon for hip replacement than Dr. Duchene, though there are many with names less difficult to spell and pronounce.”

“I had rotator cuff repair last year in October. I had heard all the horror stories about the pain involved, but was unable to do the one thing in my life I am most passionate about:  gardening.  Dr Giuseffi was my surgeon, and the procedure, while not painless, it was with minimal pain.  It did take about 5 months for strength to return to the shoulder but I was able to sleep every night after surgery where before that I woke up repeatedly from pain nightly.  This year I am back to unloading pick-up loads of compost and shredded bark, hoeing, raking,  digging and of course harvesting the flowers and vegetables I have grown.  Last spring I built 3 new raised beds, hammering away.  Dr. Giuseffi did a fantastic job, has a wonderful bedside manner and is a genuinely nice guy.  My experience at Black Hills Orthopedics was wonderful, from the first minute at the reception desk to the nurses, surgery planners and billing.  BH Ortho sets the bar high in providing patient care and is an example of excellence.  I appreciate your help getting me back to my passion.”

“I am pleased with the entire process of Black Hills Ortho.  I enjoyed all presurgery information, care, instructions and information.  The after-care was great! I was put in a room with an after surgery snack! My husband was allowed to eat as well.  I couldn't get over how nice the staff was.”

“Do not recall who I saw that refered me to physical therapy with Mr. Miller. I tore my tendon and Mr Miller worked with me getting back mobile so I could return to work at the Rapid City Fire Department. Mr. Miller was very helpful and gave me exercises that I still do which helps keep my ankle from swelling thus allowing me to be mobile to keep up with my kids.”

“I needed a total knee replacement a couple of years ago. I was having a hard time finding a doctor who would do the surgery because I was two years away from turning fifty. The doctors I went to wanted me to wait until I was at least 50. The problem with this was I couldn't put any weight on that leg and was having difficulty walking. My quality of life suffered and I was miserable. When I explained my situation to Dr. Papendick he immediately agreed to do the surgery! Thank God he did, and my knee is doing awesome thanks to my wonderful doctor. I highly recommend Dr, Papendick to anyone who needs surgery.”