It’s a Wednesday afternoon, and Austin, 13, is on the wrestling mat, working through a drill. He’d been practicing for a week, holding his own and proving, like he always does, that his spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) won’t slow him down. Then, in one unlucky moment, he gets pushed, falls backward and both tibias, the main bones in his lower legs, snap.
Austin, 13, is finding his rhythm on the basketball court — and he has the trophy to prove it.
Austin’s mom, Tabitha, gets the call that he has been hurt. She doesn’t hesitate. Austin has been a Shriners Children’s Portland patient since birth, so for her, there is only one place to go.
Rather than spending hours in a crowded emergency room, Tabitha knew there was an option for this kind of injury: Shriners Children’s operates walk-in fracture clinics at locations across the country, from Portland and Spokane to Chicago, Philadelphia and beyond, each one designed specifically for kids with bone and joint injuries.
A system built around kids
Shriners Children’s Spokane pioneered the walk-in fracture clinic model more than a decade ago, treating fewer than 500 patients in its first year, a number that has since more than quadrupled. Shriners Children’s Portland followed, and the model has continued to expand across the healthcare system.
Families value the highly skilled team and kid-focused approach to care. Technicians make casting a positive experience, letting kids pick their color to match their favorite team or even opt for a glitter cast. State-of-the-art interventions like virtual reality goggles help distract patients during casting. “A lot of the times a patient says, ‘Ow, that hurts,’ and then they turn and go, ‘Ooh, there’s a whale!’,” said Shriners Children’s Spokane recreational therapist Larissa Sims.
Advanced practice providers staffing the clinic can consult with surgeons if a patient requires same- or next-day surgery, and sports medicine physicians can provide recommendations for healing time, rehabilitation and return to play.
“Our referring providers appreciate the easy access for their patients; our families appreciate expedited care,” said Bryan Tompkins, M.D., pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Spokane location. “In 2025, the number reached a record high, with nearly 400 fractures in one month.”
Consistency of care across the healthcare system is no accident. Today, sports medicine treatment is coordinated through the Shriners Children’s Sports Medicine Consortium, a collaborative effort of 14 sites working together to standardize and elevate care across the Shriners Children’s system.
“With that expectation, we are motivated and excited to really ramp up our productivity,” says David Louie, sports consortium coordinator.
A different kind of care
Before joining Shriners Children’s Portland, physician associate Danielle Chazin, PA, worked in emergency medicine, which gives her a unique perspective on what sets the two apart.
“At our clinics, pediatric orthopedic injuries and fractures are all we do, so our specialists see a much higher volume of these cases than you’d typically find in an emergency room setting,” says Dani. “At our walk-in clinic, patients can get an X-ray, have us read it immediately and walk out with a cast if needed. Everything happens in one place.”
The road back
For Austin, that kind of expertise matters more. SMA is a genetic condition affecting muscle strength and bone density, meaning his fractures carry higher stakes than a typical pediatric injury. He was diagnosed before birth, and Shriners Children’s has been part of his care ever since.
None of that is lost on Tabitha, who knew the risks when Austin decided to try wrestling but refused to hold him back. “He has always had a ‘can-do’ kind of attitude,” she said.
As for Austin, he couldn’t compete at the team’s first meet, but he was right there on the sidelines cheering them on. For now, he’ll focus on wheelchair basketball, competing with the same strength and determination that have always guided him.
Learn more about Shriners Children’s sports medicine and fracture care: https://qrco.de/SportsMedicine.
