SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – We’re talking about a familiar face, KTIV Weekend Morning Anchor RJ Breen. Before working at Signal Hill, he was an area college athlete.
Now we take a look back at his days in uniform. He finished his football season with the Briar Cliff Chargers and it was time to take his talent to the track.
“I was really excited. I have loved running track since I started back in high school. To be able to continue that at the collegiate level, I’m ecstatic,” said former Briar Cliff University athlete RJ Breen.
200 meters for the first indoor track meet of his college career at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.
“To be able to put on the jersey and put the spikes back on, I’m pumped,” Breen said.
RJ Breen was a freshman at Briar Cliff University and he was ready to bring home a win for the Chargers.
“You’re running against guys from three states. I mean Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and the whole country. I mean, some of them were from all over the world,” Breen said.
He remembers that day vividly.
“This was during the time of COVID, there was no audience. It’s all live,” Breen said.
He was in lane 5.
“Everyone is there, about 50 meters away. If you go around the corner and look faintly, you’ll see me here, boom,” Breen said.
“It’s the collarbone. “It was fractured in the right middle third of the collarbone, which is the most commonly fractured area,” Dr. Joshua Hockett said.
CNOS Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Josh Hockett specializes in orthopedic trauma.
“A direct lateral blow to the shoulder,” said Dr. Hockett.
Dr. Hockett said looking at the film of the injury, it was clear he had significant displacement.
“More than 100 percent of them have been displaced. He had more than two cm of shortening, and there is a good literature that these days, if you have to choose the most useful to treat a clavicle fracture surgically, says Dr. Hockett.
Breen underwent surgery, where Dr. Hockett was able to realign the fracture. Because he was an athlete and physically fit, the post-rehab period went well.
“I usually let them move their shoulder right after surgery, based on their pain tolerance, to keep things as mobile as possible,” says Dr. Hockett.
When it comes to lifting, Dr. Hockett had limited movement for about six weeks and Breen underwent physical therapy. On average, the three month mark is when full recovery is normally indicated and full contact sports can be played again. Bree’s athleticism helped him recover.
“As you can see here, this is his left collarbone. This is done after fixation. This is probably the latest X-ray showing that his collarbone fracture is healing well. So you can see a plate at the front of the bone and then another plate at the top of the bone with multiple screws surrounding the fracture,” said Dr Hockett.
Dr. Hockett said his mission is to help patients get back to a normal life.
“I like people getting back to their normal daily functions. They arrive very heavy and wounded, in critical condition. “We’re able to restore function and get them back to a functional state, sometimes not always, but at least we’re able to restore some semblance of normalcy to their lives, and that process is very rewarding to watch,” said Dr. Hockett.
Breen trusted the process. His road to recovery eventually led him back to the gridiron.
“I actually got into spring ball after the 12-week point, going through drills and things like that. A lot of non-contact stuff. And probably about two or three weeks after that, roughly, I was back hitting helmets, hitting pads and the whole nine yards.” said Breen.
Breen was able to play a full season on the football field. CNOS Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Josh Hockett conducts experiments at the CNOS Dakota Dunes site.
For more information on sports medicine at CNOS, follow this link.
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