Dubuque kicker wins state championship thanks to regenerative medicine
Sports medicine gives Dubuque Wahlert football player a second chance with platelet-rich plasma
There’s often a sense of magic under the Friday night lights and even more so when a player becomes a champion. For high school senior Nathan Schiesl, it’s a moment of wonder that was almost taken from him.
Nathan helped Dubuque’s Wahlert Catholic High School win the Class 3A state football championship this November, a first in the school’s history. A placekicker and punter, he made all seven extra points in the championship game.
But getting to this win wasn’t without its challenges. Thankfully the regenerative medicine program from University of Iowa Health Care was there to help get Nathan back on the field.
Healing a trifecta of injuries with regenerative medicine
Through all of his junior season, Nathan watched from the sidelines, giving up playing time for his body to heal from three severe sports-related injuries to his leg and hip. His family thinks the injuries compounded due to overuse. The pain of his injuries made it difficult for Nathan to ride in a car or even sit in a classroom, let alone play sports. It was an extreme challenge for the athletic teen.
“Pain is really the piece of Nathan’s story that constantly moved us forward as a family,” his mother, Kelley, says. “For us, it was the clearest, loudest, most motivating reason to explore regenerative medicine.”
His family remains forever grateful they chose University of Iowa Health Care sports medicine physicians to help Nathan. The family hoped that Ryan Kruse, MD, and the regenerative medicine program could help Nathan gain some more mobility.
“Historically, standard treatments such as physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and steroid injections have been used to treat these types of injuries. When those are no longer effective, often the only thing left is surgery,” says Kruse. “Many patients don’t want surgery, aren’t ready for surgery, or aren’t candidates for surgery. Many patients are told they have no other options. Now, regenerative medicine treatments help to fill the gap and provide another treatment option for these patients."
Many patients receiving regenerative medicine treatments are athletes with injuries like Nathan’s or weekend warriors who just want to keep moving. At first, the goal was simply to ease Nathan’s pain and get him to a point where he was comfortable doing day-to-day activities.
To accomplish this Kruse used platelet-rich plasma treatment to heal the worst of the teenager’s severe sports-related injuries to his leg and hip. Injuries including a significant adductor tendon injury, ischial tuberosity injury and a minor labrum tear, all to his kicking leg. The procedure involves taking the patients' own blood, spinning it through a machine to create a concentration of platelets, and then using an ultrasound-guided injection of those platelets to the affected area. Using an ultrasound to guide the needle offers a higher level of precision for the therapy. After a couple weeks of rest, the patient begins rigorous physical therapy, something Nathan’s parents said he embraced with a passion. His family was amazed by the effect regenerative medicine procedure had.
“It’s a beautiful story of comeback, resiliency, and second chances. We have so much to celebrate about this journey and the amazing medical team we collaborated with at UI Health Care Sports Medicine!” writes Kelley in a letter sent to UI Health Care.
Since returning to the gridiron for his senior season, Nathan has received a variety of kicking accolades, and holds the top spot in several statistical categories in Iowa’s Class 3A. The family says they didn’t expect this sort of comeback, but the best part of Nathan’s story is that he experienced the joy of playing the sport he loves with his teammates.
Photos contributed by Kelley Schiesl, Beth Stecher, and Dr. Kristen Berning
On the eve of the State Football Championships, our family would like to take a moment, pause, and recognize that Dr. Ryan Kruse and the University of Iowa Sports Medicine made this moment possible! As our son, Nathan, runs on to the UNI Dome turf tomorrow, we know the power of science and Platelet Rich Plasma is what allowed him this magical moment! It’s been a beautiful story unfolding week-by-week.
A trifecta of injuries to Nathan’s kicking leg in September 2022 embarked us on a medical journey – fueled by faith and hope. We collaborated with an incredible medical team across multiple states and bonded during dozens of medical road trips. It was not envisioned that he would be able to return to a soccer or football field. At its valley, we were focused on the basics - on enabling him to be able to sit in a vehicle and in a classroom. He was actually needing to lay down on the team bus’s floor on a blanket for traveling with the team. With a significant adductor tendon injury, ischial tuberosity injury and a minor labrum tear– all to his kicking leg – it was improbable he would return to the field.
We were introduced to Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). It’s a nonsurgical regenerative medical procedure that uses your body’s own cells to treat injuries. During this innovative therapy, they draw blood, centrifuge it to collect a high concentration of platelets, and under ultra-sound guidance carefully inject them into the damaged tendon. Using a high concentration of your own healing blood cells, PRP treatment initiates healing.
On November 8, 2023, Nathan had PRP performed at the University of Iowa Sports Medicine Clinic by Dr. Ryan Kruse. Nathan beautifully embraced and committed to the extensive PT. We prayed the platelets would take hold.
They did. It worked!
It was never in our dreams that he would now be the top ranked 3A Kicker and top ranked 3A Punter in the state of Iowa. He is. It was never in our dreams that Dubuque Wahlert Football Team would have a historic year, be 12-0 and make it to the State Championships for the first time in school history. They are! Most impactful has been the Dubuque area community wrapping their arms and hearts around Nathan - #7 – as he is experiencing genuine joy with his teammates! It’s a beautiful story of comeback, resiliency, and second chances. We have so much to celebrate about this journey and the amazing medical team we collaborated with at UI Health Care Sports Medicine!
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