COLUMBIA, Missouri (Edited Press Release/KY3) – Since becoming the voice of the Missouri Tigers in 1994, Mike Kelly has never missed a single football game: 372 radio broadcasts in total.
As he continues that winning streak on Thursday and commentates on the Mizzou Tigers’ season opener against Murray State, he will also be celebrating the end of an even longer winning streak: years of knee pain due to osteoarthritis.
“I started running a lot in 1991, after my wife and I had twins, 26 miles a week,” said Mike, who is also the voice of Mizzou men’s basketball games. “One morning I ran up the hill in our neighborhood, got about a block and it was done. I went to the doctor and learned at that point that it was bone on bone.”
Mike had to undergo two microfracture surgeries on his left knee in the 1990s and was instructed to stop running. His doctors also told him at the time that he would need a new knee joint within five years. He started golf and a fitness program that didn’t put any strain on his knee, but the pain still occurred.
He prefers to commentate on games standing up so he can see the entire field. However, at the end of the game, Mike often left the stadium with a swollen joint.
He had to live with this constant discomfort until Labor Day 2023. During a game of catch in the pool, Mike grabbed the ball and landed hard on his left foot, re-injuring his knee and significantly worsening the joint damage caused by his arthritis.
More than 20 years after being told he needed a new knee, Mike wondered if it was finally time. For advice, he turned to a familiar face from football practice: MU Health Care orthopedic surgeon and team physician Dr. Clayton Nuelle.
As team physicians for Mizzou Athletics, MU Health Care sports medicine physicians and Missouri Orthopaedic Institute specialists provide world-class care to all athletes both on and off the field.
“Clay became a very good friend and I just knew that I trusted him first and foremost because of the relationship we had built and that I could listen to him and understand that he had my best interests at heart,” Mike said. “He didn’t go ahead with the surgery right away; we tried other options first and I found it very helpful that he gave me time to make the decision I felt was right.”
Nuelle’s team helped Mike every step of the way through the process. The team created a plan tailored to his needs, from the timing of the procedure to a step-by-step approach to recovery that fit his goals and active lifestyle.
Nuelle also used robotic-assisted surgery to plan and perform Mike’s total knee replacement, creating a 3D model of the natural joint anatomy to make the replacement as precise as possible.
“Knowing that I don’t have to rely on the precision of one person and that this is another tool to make sure I get the right result gave me a lot of comfort,” Mike said. “Overall, the people at MU Health Care were very professional and gave me that level of comfort from the surgery scheduling to checking in in the morning to waking up from surgery, even regarding the size of the scar. I couldn’t be happier.”
Now, nearly a year after his injury, Mike is ready to commentate on every play this Thursday from the press box at Faurot Field – but this time pain-free.
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