Changing Lives One Child at a Time

The pediatric experts at Spokane Shriners Hospital have been caring for the orthopaedic needs of the kids in our region for over 90 years. Whether it is serious orthopaedic issues, simple fractures, sports injuries, clubfoot babies or teens living with scoliosis, the surgeons from the Spokane Shriners Hospital are experts in their field. Shriners Hospitals for Children treats kids from birth to 18 regardless of a family’s ability to pay; this part of their mission has never changed.

A person is very different when they are growing than when they are done growing. The surgeons at the Spokane Shriners Hospital are fellowship trained in pediatric orthopaedics. What that means to the families in our region is they will be seen by physicians with the highest level of specialty training in pediatric orthopaedics.

The surgeons go through years of medical training, education and testing requirements to become certified. All orthopaedic surgeons complete a five year residency before they are allowed to practice as a general orthopaedic surgeon. The surgeons at the Shriners Hospitals, however, are required to complete a full additional year of training in a fellowship in the pediatric orthopaedic subspecialty. This extra year is used to further hone their expertise in the unique needs of growing bones and joints. Among the four orthopaedic surgeons, the Spokane Shriners Hospital has a combined 70 years of pediatric orthopaedic expertise.

“Children are not just small adults. When your child has an orthopaedic concern, it is critical to see an expert pediatric orthopaedic specialist who understands growing bones and joints so that your child has the best possible outcome.“ says Bryan Tompkins, M.D., one of four pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at the Spokane Shriners Hospital.

A Sandpoint family was the recipient of this expert pediatric orthopaedic care. Cassie Mares has always been an active child growing up and enjoys sports such as volleyball, tennis and ballet. When she was about 11 her parents Becky and Paul noticed that Cassie’s leg was turning out towards the right, and it kept turning out more and more until it was at a 70 degree angle. “Her foot was splayed to the right,” Becky remembers.

When Cassie experienced increased pain and began to struggle, her parents saw her being held back and complaining about not being able to do what she wanted to do.

An orthopedic surgeon told them that he thought her hip was deformed which was causing her leg and foot to turn out, and because Cassie was still growing and her growth plates weren’t fully developed, he couldn’t do anything for her. He referred Cassie to the Spokane Shriners Hospital.

At Cassie’s first appointment, the medical staff sent her for an x-ray. Dr. Baird, Assistant Chief of Staff at the Spokane Shriners Hospital, diagnosed Cassie immediately. It was not her hip; her leg bones were not growing correctly. She was then sent for a full study in the Motion Analysis Lab.

The Motional Analysis Lab at Shriners Hospital utilizes computer technology, similar to the technology used to make video games, to create a 3D image of the patient. Along with engineering and therapy, the results from the study provide quantitative measurement of the child’s function during walking which is then used to help the physician make the best treatment decision for the child.

Dr. Baird recommended an osteotomy, a surgery where the bones – in this case Cassie’s tibia and fibula – were cut and rotated into the correct position. “He told us, ‘I’ve seen this lot. I’ve done surgeries like this a lot’, that gave us real confidence,” Paul said.

“Coming to Shriners, experiencing this state of the art equipment that isn’t available anywhere else in our region, being able to know exactly what the problem was and then have a definitive answer to the problem, we felt completely confident going forward. You don’t want your child to go through a surgery and go through the trauma that’s associated with that without knowing that there’s a definite benefit out the other side,” Becky said.

It has been just over a year since Cassie’s surgery, and they are hopeful that Cassie will be able to get back to the activities she loves without the pain and discomfort. “The doctors at the Spokane Shriners answered every question we had. They went above and beyond to allay our fears and showed us the methods behind every decision. They gave us hope that she could have a more normal life as far as being physical,” Paul said. Today Cassie’s foot is straight and she is enjoying being back on the volleyball and basketball courts and has recently started to dance again — participating in life just as a teenager should be.

“Shriners Hospital was more than what we expected. My husband and I had never encountered anything like this. We didn’t even know medical care could be like the medical care at the Shriners Hospital. It’s unusual. The amount of care, compassion, thoroughness, respect — we haven’t encountered at other hospitals and with other surgeries that we’ve undergone, they exceeded our expectations.” Becky stated.

Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane is where families who want expert pediatric orthopaedic care bring their kids. They have been caring for kids for 90 years and are looking toward the next 90. If you would like to make an appointment to see one of the expert pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at the Spokane Shriners Hospital, it just takes a phone call. A parent can call directly to the hospital appointment line or families can ask their physician for a referral.

Contracts are now in place with most major insurance networks, but whether or not a family has insurance has never been a factor. Acceptance for care is based only on medical need and all care and services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay.

Side Bar: Pediatric Orthopaedic Care at the Spokane Shriners Hospital:

• Scoliosis & Spinal Deformities

• Hip Dysplasia

• Clubfoot & Other Foot Deformities

• Cerebral Palsy & Other Neuromuscular Conditions

• Adolescent Sport Injuries

• Knee & Hip Disorders

• Foot and hand injuries

• Prosthetics & Orthotics

• Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)

• Limb Discrepancies

• Fractures & Ligament Injuries