Football injury leads to discovery of a tumor in boy’s leg

Ryder Phippin of Auburn is one determined kid. A tackle football player since the age of 6, he always took the hits in stride.

“He will stay in a football game no matter what,” said Jennifer Phippin, Ryder’s mom. “He’s the toughest kid I know.” 

At 8 years old, Ryder became his team’s starting quarterback — a position front and center for all the gridiron action. During the last game of the season in November 2023, Ryder got hit hard, like so many times before. But this time was different.

“He went down and a kid landed on his leg. He actually came out of that game,” Jennifer said. “That's not normal behavior for him. The medics checked him out because his leg was hurting really badly.”

Ryder pushed through the pain and finished the game but his leg pain continued intermittently. His parents took him to see a doctor a couple months later.

Diagnosis pending

The doctor figured Ryder’s injury was most likely a calcified contusion, a condition where bone tissue forms within a muscle after a bruise. He recommended rest, ice and physical therapy, which is usually effective in managing symptoms.

It was a surreal moment. I didn't hear the word tumor. I heard osteoid osteoma, but I didn't know what that meant.” —Jennifer Phippin, Ryder’s mom

“He told us it would just go away eventually,” Jennifer said. But the little bulge and hard spot in the skin kept getting worse.

By this time, Ryder was in excruciating pain, especially at night. On a return visit to the doctor, the medical team took an X-ray and the results were alarming.

“It was a surreal moment,” Jennifer said, recalling how she heard the doctor say, “osteoid osteoma.” “I didn't know what that meant. She just kept saying ‘it's not cancer, it's not cancer.’ I was very confused by that and I was thinking, ‘You mean it could have been?’”

An osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumor that is often characterized by injury to the area where the tumor occurs. The main symptom is pain which often gets worse at night. It was exactly what Ryder had experienced.

Provider pending

Ryder needed a pediatric orthopaedist. That began a long journey for the family.

“His referral was taking a while. Meanwhile, he was in a lot of pain,” Jennifer said. “So I just kept calling and kept getting sent to providers who would say they couldn't help, and then they’d send me to another doctor and they’d say they couldn't help either. Finally, we were connected to UC Davis and to Dr. Randall.”

R. Lor Randall is a renowned pediatric surgeon and oncologist and also the chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UC Davis Health. Jennifer was relieved to learn of the doctor’s experience.

“We got in touch with Dr. Randall’s office and immediately Ryder got in for an appointment, which was helpful for me and my sanity,” Jennifer quipped.

Expert orthopaedic care

During Ryder’s first appointment, the Phippins got an overview of what they were dealing with.

“Osteoid osteomas aren't typically that large, but his tumor was very large, over a centimeter and growing,” Jennifer recalled the doctor explaining. “He also said the tumor wasn't showing up on the X-ray like a normal osteoid osteoma does.”

Despite the challenges, Randall assured the Phippins he could likely perform a CT-guided radiofrequency ablation, a modern procedure that burns out the tumor.

“Originally, these tumors were treated with an aggressive surgical removal of a portion of the bone which has some real risks and a long recovery. Ryder's bone tumor was amenable to a minimally invasive technology that enables return to activity quickly,” Randall said. “While we have been using this technology for years, our orthopaedic team was one of the first to embrace and popularize its use.”

First, though, Randall wanted to confirm the diagnosis and explain the treatment plan to the family.

Originally, these tumors were treated with an aggressive surgical removal of a portion of the bone which has some real risks and a long recovery. Ryder's bone tumor was amenable to a minimally invasive technology that enables return to activity quickly.” —R. Lor Randall, orthopaedic surgeon

“He said that if it was an osteoid osteoma, medications like ibuprofen would take away the pain, so we had to do a couple weeks of ibuprofen therapy,” Jennifer said. “It helped greatly. I was so relieved and appreciated that Dr. Randall wanted to be 100% certain in his diagnosis. Because if it did turn out to be some form of cancer, he didn't want to miss it.”

Specialized treatment

Ryder underwent surgery in August 2024.

The care team placed a small probe through Ryder’s skin, guided by advanced imaging, something typically done by interventional radiologists and orthopaedic surgeons.

“I was the first to perform this in the western United States years ago at my prior institution,” Randall said. “The advantage of the surgeon performing the procedure is that we follow these patients afterwards and can address any additional issues that arise from the tumor or treatment.”

The procedure was a success.

“The experience was wonderful,” Jennifer said. “Obviously, we have been to other facilities and UC Davis treated him so well.”

UC Davis Children’s Hospital is well-known for making children feel comfortable on the worst days of their life with the help of Child Life and Creative Arts Therapists, as well as specially trained dogs that provide support to young patients. Jennifer was thoroughly impressed. “I mean, he got to play video games and cuddle the dog. It was the highlight of his day. We still talk about it.”

Ryder left the hospital with a couple stitches and a bulky walking boot which he had for about six weeks. Recovery was hard on the young and active boy: Ryder would need to sit out the 2024 football season. But soon after, he was cleared for sports and started basketball season.

“If it had been a traditional bone surgery, he would've been out for much longer, so I was very grateful to have something relatively quick and easy,” Jennifer said.

Because the tumor was abnormally large, the Phippins worried about the potential for recurrence. But so far, all the X-rays have shown no signs of a tumor. At his most recent scan, Ryder got a clean bill of health — as well as orders from Randall to help his mom around the house and do his homework.

“All of the follow-up appointments with Dr. Randall have been great. Although Ryder’s case was fortunately not a difficult one compared to what Dr. Randall usually handles, I never felt like Ryder was less important to him,” Jennifer said. “He made him feel so good the whole time.”

Now, this all-around sports guy is back to doing what he loves, including basketball, baseball, jiujitsu, swimming, archery, horseback riding and, of course, football. Ryder can’t wait for the upcoming season. In addition, his mom says her little “wild man” is really smart, enjoys math and reading and wants to be a machinist like his dad. An avid Disneyland fan, Ryder trekked around the happiest place on earth in his boot and didn’t miss a beat.

“I'm very grateful for that procedure because it was minimally invasive and the downtime wasn't that long in the grand scheme of things,” Jennifer said. “Ryder is healthy and back to doing the things he loves and we have Dr. Randall and UC Davis Children’s Hospital to thank for that.”

Related Resources

• UC Davis Health providers also use radiofrequency ablation to treat other conditions in adults, including thyroid nodules. Learn more about thyroid nodule ablation.
• Nonsurgical procedure brings relief to those with thyroid nodules