Patient Reviews

“I had the series of 3 euflexxa shots given to me by Candace. The appointments were promptly at the appointed times or early.  The shots were expertly given with no pain. Candace was great! And the shots worked well.”

“I have been a sufferer of arthritic problems since the age of 42. Throughout my life I have had multiple surgeries on my hand, my back, my knees, my hips, my feet, and shoulders. I was blessed to find surgeons at Black Hills Orthopedic & Spine Center who have now put me in a comfortable place in my life for the first time. Dr. Marrs is an incredible surgeon and has done a total hip surgery, a total shoulder repair and subsequently total shoulder repair. Dr. Marrs and his staff are nothing short of incredible. Thank you. My care there has been beyond my greatest expectations. I then needed bone fusion on my feet. I was able to see and be one of Dr. Peg Chilvers first patients when she arrived at the clinic. She has done fusions on one foot and I am now able to walk comfortably for the first time in many years. My husband and I recently celebrated a 55th wedding anniversary and vow renewal and I was concerned about the ability to walk down the aisle at the ceremony. Dr. Chilvers did a cortisone injection before the ceremony which allowed me to walk freely on my own, without my walker, and then return to her office for the surgery. I am so grateful to her for her compassion and surgical skills. Every time I drive by Black Hills Orthopedic & Spine Clinic, I say a heartfelt thank you to all the members of that healing place. I even had my physical therapy at the center and was greatly improved by Larry Kopriva, my physical therapist. Thank all of you for my healing. At the age of 76, I am now enjoying my life for the first time in 35 years!    ”

“This spring our daughter asked me to run the Deadwood Mickelson Trial half marathon with her. So we started our training program in preparation for the May race. As we increased our training miles I was dogged by an old knee injury. A couple visits to Dr. Papendick helped me through the training and completion of the half marathon. Our daughter was graduating nursing school in May and it was one of those memorable father-daughter things we wanted to do before she began the next chapter of her life. Dr. Papendick understood what the event meant to my daughter and I so he was patient with the endeavor. However, he did suggest that once the half marathon was done, that for the benefit of my knee I find a new method of exercise, which was sound advice. Thanks for providing excellent care.”

“I was at work the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, looking forward to having three days off. Unfortunately I took a tumble, broke my foot and got the next nine days off! The urgent care facility referred me to BHOSC and I am so glad they did. Dr. Renaud and the entire staff were so kind, helpful, and professional. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone.”

“I've been through a lot with Dr. Papendick and the BHOSC Physical Therapists. Two shoulder surgeries, four knee surgeries, thirty knee aspirations, and two total knee replacements. And I am still up and "tap dancing" through life! The folks at BHOSC have been totally fantastic and my experiences have been wonderful. I am feeling great while still doing most of the things I did before all of the medical procedures. I have been taken care of the way a patient expects-—with dignity and respect, the utmost professionalism, and lots of compassion.     My family, throughout the whole experience, has been treated like they are part of the BHOSC family. They were made to feel as they were being taken care of as much as I was. This helped ease the anxiety that goes along with having all of these procedures done to a family member. By knowing that my family was taken care of, my recovery time went smoothly and without any problems.   I can never say enough about my experiences with BHOSC and Dr. Papendick. He is one of those people that you come across in life that makes life so much better. I am forever indebted to him for what he has done for me.   BHOSC-—thanks for everything that you have done for me to make my life better.”

“Dr. Luke's PA ordered an MRI for me on my right knee which was swollen and hurting.  A meniscus tear was found along with bones spurs and cartilage loss.  He suggested the most conservative treatment; a cortisone shot.  My knee was much better in 5 days and now allows me to play tennis without pain!  Great job!”

“After suffering from an injury for several years and having multiple doctors and physical therapists assure me it was only a sprain, I finally decided to get an MRI and was informed that I actually tore my ACL. Working as a dancer, I knew I had to fix the issue, but I was also very hesitant in having a major surgery. Dr. Papendick understood the importance of needing full mobility  post surgery and was very reassuring that he would be able to make this happen.  Working with Joleen Wilson as my physical therapist during rehab was a huge blessing as well, she knew exactly how hard to push me to get me back to where I needed to be.   Having knee surgery at 24 was never something I expected to need, but I could not have asked for a better team to get me through it. A little over one year has passed since I had surgery, and I have been able to do more in my dancing than I have been able to in years. I will always be thankful for Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center!”

“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!!”