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Let’s Move Quad Cities: High School Football Kicker Recovers From Hip Injury

Travis Krayenhagen is “kicking off” his senior year on the Assumption High School football team, but he almost didn’t make the cut.

Travis Krayenhagen is "kicking off" his senior year on the Assumption High School football team, but he almost didn't make the cut.

Two years ago, Travis tore the cartilage in his right hip.

"My leg had been sore all week and I just thought it was nothing but a groin pull or something and then it progressively got worse," he said.

"They told us he may never kick again and that was discouraging, but then we still had to do the surgery and we still had to do the rehab," said Jon Krayenhagen, Travis' father.

Fortunately, both the surgery and the rehab worked thanks to new technology provided by Dr. Andy Bries and ORA Orthopedics.

"We actually put a scope inside the joint so it's done with tiny little incisions and we use special tables so we can see inside there and work around," said Dr. Bries. "What it's allowed us to do is basically work on a joint that we previously couldn't without doing huge open dissection and having all these complications."

"It's a minimally invasive approach that allows the athlete or the person to get back to their activities faster."

"He [Dr. Bries] really knew what he was talking about and doing," said Travis. "He got me back as soon as I possibly could."

Dr. Bries specializes in sports medicine. He spends time with several athletes and teams across the area and says a lot has changed over the years that players and parents need to know about.

"There's too much going on," he explained. "There's overuse injuries and too many sports injuries. There's too many kids getting hurt."

According to researchers, 2.6 million children end up in the E.R. every year with sports and recreation-related injuries. Half of those are overuse injuries.

"We didn't see a lot of the injuries we see now 15 years ago because people played 3 or 4 sports," said Dr. Bries. "They had time off. They never really dedicated themselves to one sport so they allowed their body to rest."

"I think some athletes are quitting sports, because they're hurting and they can't get over their injury."

That was nearly Travis' story. Instead, he took his time. He spent six months in physical therapy and now he is trying out to become a starter on the football team.

"I think he's stronger now than he was before and so everything turned out really good," said John.

Dr. Bries says the type of surgery they used on Travis' hip can also work on most other joints including shoulders, elbows, and knees.

*Let’s Move QC is a new segment on WQAD. It’s all about being the best version of you by introducing viewers to real people in the Quad Cities who are doing just that, with a little extra help from the surgeons at ORA Orthopedics. The stories air the last Monday of every month during News 8 at 5 p.m.

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