LITTLETON, Colo. -- Jake Lillard, 11, and his brother Tyler, 8, play like they don't have a care in the world, and like most boys they play hard.

But their mom, Julee, said her boys have to be careful. Both her sons have hemophilia, which means the slightest bump or bruise can cause internal bleeding in their joints and severe bruising. It makes mundane tasks like walking painful.

Sports like soccer and basketball aren't out of the question, but the boys can't play as hard as their teammates.

On the day we went to visit, Tyler said he was having a tough day. His left leg was sore and it was hard for him to move.

"I kind of barely walk. I drag my feet. I go kind of slow. It feels like a bleed," said Tyler.

Julee said Tyler and Jake would probably have more days like this if it weren't for frequent injections of the blood clotting protein Factor VIII.

Julee's father was a hemophiliac and she said the drug's effects are amazing considering her father never had access to them.

"It's night and day. For my dad, Factor VIII wasn't available and now you wouldn't be able to tell my kids have hemophilia if you saw them with a wild bunch of kids," said Julee.

More than anything, researchers said it's the drug's dose frequency that makes the world of difference. That finding was revealed at the conclusion of a five-year study conducted by the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

"What we found in this study is that 93 percent of the children who took routine infusions maintained normal structure using a very sensitive indicator," said Dr. Marilyn Manco-Johnson, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Manco-Johnson said every hemophiliac should consider the frequent course of treatment plan.

"This should go mainstream immediately. Currently, about half of the individuals in the United States with severe hemophilia are using prophylactic or routine infusions of Factor VIII. I would hope that the majority of those not using it would begin to adopt this," said Manco-Johnson.

The problem? The drug isn't exactly cheap.

"It's very expensive,"said Julee.

The Lillard's insurance company covers it.

Tyler and Jake both said they'll continue receiving the doses every other day.

After all, they've been using the treatment since before they can remember and both agreed it sure makes things like dribbling and shooting the basketball much easier.

To see more on the study visit the University of Colorado School of Medicine website at www.uchsc.edu/htc.