About
Dr Ben Garrett
Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon · MB BCh (Wits), FC Orth (SA), MMed (Orth) (UCT)
Dr Ben Garrett is an orthopaedic surgeon who has lived and worked in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) since 2011. For 15 years he has served as a Consultant in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Livingstone Hospital, treating all aspects of trauma and reconstructive surgery, and specialising in knee surgery: running the hospital's knee unit across soft tissue injuries, sports trauma, arthroscopy, complex ligament reconstruction and joint replacement.
Ben's interest in orthopaedics began in medical school, assisting his father-in-law in theatre. What keeps him in it is simple: orthopaedics is fundamentally about quality of life and getting people back to function.
He continues to hold a part-time public-sector post at Livingstone, staying involved in training and serving the local government patient population, while opening BayOrtho as a new, more personal way to practise.
Qualifications and awards
- FC Orth (SA), 2010
- Fellow of the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
- MMed (Orth), 2010
- University of Cape Town. Dissertation on knee pain, swelling and stiffness after total knee replacement
- MBBCh, 2000
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
- J M Edelstein medal
- 2010 Fellowship examinations
- Smith and Nephew National Travelling Fellowship
- 2011
Experience
- 2011 to present
- Consultant, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Livingstone Hospital. Special interest in knee surgery, arthroscopy and arthroplasty
- 2011
- Fellow, trauma and lower limb reconstruction, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Cape Town
- 2006 to 2011
- Registrar, orthopaedic surgery, University of Cape Town
- 2001 to 2006
- Internship, community service and medical officer posts in Cape Town, Eshowe and the United Kingdom, in emergency medicine, general surgery, intensive care and orthopaedics
Teaching and memberships
Alongside his clinical work, Ben has spent 15 years teaching and training interns, medical officers and registrars, and lecturing students from Walter Sisulu University and Nelson Mandela University.
- South African Orthopaedic Association
- South African Knee Society
- Examiner, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
Publications
- Patella dislocations and patellofemoral instability: a current concepts review. Garrett B, Grundill M. South African Orthopaedic Journal, August 2021; 20(3): 167-177.
- The effect of percutaneous pin fixation in the treatment of distal femoral physeal fractures. Garrett B, Hoffman EB, Carrara H. J Bone Joint Surg [Br] 2011; 93-B: 689-94.
- Surgery for myelopathy in spinal deformity. Garrett B, Dunn RN. South African Orthopaedic Journal, Autumn 2011; 10(1): 30-34.
- Knee pain, swelling and stiffness after total knee replacement: a survey of South African knee surgeons. Garrett B, Walters J. South African Orthopaedic Journal, Winter 2010; 9(2): 59-66.
- Open reduction and internal fixation of scapula fractures. Hobbs H, Garrett B, Sanchez P, Roche S, Vrettos B. South African Orthopaedic Journal, Winter 2008; 7(3): 8-13.
About BayOrtho
BayOrtho takes its name from the coastline it serves, a province of many bays, from Algoa Bay to Jeffreys Bay to St Francis Bay. It reflects a practice rooted in this community, for this community.
Outside theatre
Ben is a keen trail-runner, hiker, mountain-biker, cyclist and paddler, often found on the water or the trails around Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), including regular mixed-team cycling and canoeing races with his wife. He is a family man at heart, and involved in the local paddling and cycling community.
Make an appointment
Appointments are made by phone. Call the rooms, or send an enquiry and we will get back to you.