Retrofitting is the process of adding new technology or parts to something previously constructed to improve its performance, safety, or efficiency. A hip replacement can be compared to seismic retrofitting in construction, with a few differences. Unlike a building, bone creates a biological bond as it grows into an implant within the human body. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments heal and adapt, and rehabilitation is essential for restoring strength and mobility.
Forty-year president and owner of Devcon Construction Inc., Gary Filizetti shared his story of receiving a minimally invasive anterior total hip replacement by renowned orthopedic surgeon and Director of the Outpatient Joint Replacement Program and Co-Director of the Institute for Joint Restoration and Research at Washington Health, Alexander Sah, MD.
When Construction, Health Care and Football Collide
Gary is a busy construction executive and philanthropist with a calendar full of professional, personal and social activities. His company has built many of the Bay Area’s beautifully designed and constructed corporate offices, academic facilities, living spaces, and public venues including San Jose City Hall and Levi’s Stadium — home to the San Francisco 49ers. When he is not working, Gary, a Santa Clara University Hall of Fame football player, keeps fit with calisthenics, and spends many hours a week on a Peloton bike and StairMaster machine. He finds work-life balance by enjoying international travel, hunting, and fishing when he can fit it into his packed schedule.
Earlier this year, Gary was experiencing pain he thought was a groin pull. He saw a personal trainer to rehab and strengthen the injury, but it wouldn’t heal, and he began losing sleep due to the worsening pain. He then went to his doctor, Milt McColl, MD, a well-known Stanford-trained family and sports physician who won two Super Bowl championships as a 49ers linebacker in the 1980s. Dr. McColl examined Gary and ordered imaging, which led him to diagnose Gary with an arthritic hip and refer him to Dr. Sah.
Because he is so active, Dr. Sah and Gary decided to proceed with an anterior approach total hip replacement, because of its unique benefits of being muscle-sparing, inherently more stable than other approaches, faster recovery, no hip precautions after surgery, less pain and more precise hip construction with intraoperative X-ray and AI technology. These benefits of anterior hip surgery often lead to patients walking unassisted immediately after surgery, and they can usually leave the hospital the same day as surgery.
Dr. Sah replaced Gary’s hip one morning in May 2026, and Gary walked out of the hospital with an assistive device around noon that day. “Everyone at Washington Health was so efficient and gracious. It was a great experience for me,” Gary recalled.
In a building retrofit, the original structural framework is preserved whenever possible, while worn or damaged components are replaced with modern materials that integrate with the existing structure. Similarly, during an anterior hip replacement, the surgeon removes the damaged ball and socket surfaces while preserving healthy bone and soft tissue. The new hip is then fitted into the existing anatomy. Dr. Sah generally uses cementless implants with a porous coating that encourages natural bone to grow into the device. The patient’s own bone gradually interlocks with the implant, much like a retrofit that becomes an integral part of the building’s original framework.
With the support of his physical therapist, Gary was ready to start exercising again six weeks post-op. He recalls feeling good and wanting to return to his active schedule sooner, but he followed Dr. Sah’s advice to rest and recover. “Not overdoing it for six weeks was not mentally or physically fun, but I did it to make sure the hip replacement device bonded as it was designed to.” Two months later, Gary is pain-free, back to building the Bay Area, and enjoying his pastimes.
“Dr. Sah probably has the best ‘bedside manner’ of any physician I have ever known,” said Gary. “He was excellent at explaining everything, responding to all my questions, and personally following up with me to see how I was doing after the surgery. My hip feels great, and I’m thrilled to have my life back.”
This year, Washington Health was named one of only eight hospitals in California, and the only one in the Bay Area, to receive both the Outpatient Joint Replacement and Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Awards by Healthgrades, placing it among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for the third consecutive year. The health system also earned recognition as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Outpatient Joint Replacement.
For more information on the Institute for Joint Restoration and Research at Washington Health, anterior hip replacement, or Dr. Sah, go to washingtonhealth.com/IJRR.