Care built by an athlete, for athletes.
From high school Friday nights to Division I sidelines, Dr. Kelly has lived the game — and he knows exactly what it takes to get you back to it.
An athlete first.
Dr. Kelly was an All-State athlete at Pasco High in football, basketball, and soccer — a football state champion in 2003, and Washington's All-State Player of the Year in soccer in 2007, when he scored the game-winning goal in the state final.
He understands the drive to compete, the frustration of an injury, and what it really takes to return to your sport — because he has done it himself.
From the sideline to the OR.
After his fellowship at the University of Missouri — where he trained as a Division I team physician across football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball — Dr. Kelly served as head team physician at the University of Southern Indiana, before bringing that experience home to the Tri-Cities.
That same sideline mindset shows up on Friday nights here in the Tri-Cities, and in every exam room.
From the field to the training room.
A few snapshots from the sidelines — high school, Mizzou, and beyond.
Built for the comeback.
Whether you compete on Friday nights, chase a triathlon finish line, or live in the CrossFit box — if you push your body, the goal is the same: get you back, and keep you there.
Return-to-Play Planning
A staged plan to get you back to your level — and keep you there.
ACL & Ligament Reconstruction
Modern grafts and rehab for cutting and contact sports.
Game-Day & Sideline Care
Evaluation and management for in-season injuries.
Endurance & CrossFit Athletes
Care for triathletes, CrossFitters, runners, and weekend warriors.
Throwing & Overhead Programs
Shoulder and elbow care tuned for throwers.
Biologics (PRP)
Regenerative options to support and speed healing.
Why does my child's heel or knee hurt after practice?
Every preseason it's the same story: a kid limps off the field the first week of practice, then swears they're fine. Here's what's usually going on. Kids' bones grow faster than their tendons. Where a tendon pulls on growing bone — the heel, or the bump below the kneecap — that spot gets irritated when practice ramps up fast. In ten-to-thirteen-year-olds, heel pain like this is often something called Sever's. Below the kneecap, the usual culprit is Osgood-Schlatter.
The reassuring part: most of the time this settles with a short rest, stretching, and better shoes — not surgery, and usually not quitting the season. But playing through it tends to make it louder, which is why "tough it out" is the one piece of sideline advice that usually backfires.
When does Dr. Kelly actually want to see a young athlete? A limp lasting more than a few days, pain at night, swelling, or pain that started with a specific twist or fall — none of that should be written off as growing pains until the heel or knee has been examined.
And the bigger-picture question parents ask: should a kid play one sport year-round? Published research and AAOS patient guidance point the other way for growing athletes — overuse injuries account for a large share of middle- and high-school sports injuries, and varied, multi-sport play is one of the ways that guidance recommends managing a young athlete's workload. Dr. Kelly grew up in Pasco playing three sports — football, basketball, and soccer — so he'll say it the way he lives it: sore is part of sports; limping is information. If your athlete is limping, bring them in — same-day and same-week visit opportunities at Tri-City Orthopedics mean it can get sorted before the season gets away. Call (509) 460-5588.
Athlete care FAQs.
Does Dr. Kelly work with sports teams?
How soon can an athlete return to play after an injury?
Do you treat youth and high school athletes?
What does fellowship-trained in sports medicine mean?
Can my child play through heel or knee pain?
Let's get you back in the game.
Request an appointment with Dr. Kelly at Tri-City Orthopedics — Kennewick, Richland & Pasco.