John Martin McClure III, M.D., founder of Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida, passed away on March 4, 2023, at the age of 79.
Founder of Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida Dies at 79

McClure dedicated more than 47 years of his life to the field of orthopedic surgery and was known for not only his surgical skill, but also his bedside manner. Both patients and colleagues alike have praised his dedication to serving others.
Besides founding the Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida, he was also on the staff at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida, where he performed countless surgeries during his career.
McClure was born on February 2, 1944, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He earned multiple degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including his medical degree in 1970. He also completed his orthopedic residency there while still living in the Philadelphia area.
Prior to specializing in orthopedic surgery, he served in the Medical Corps. of the United States Navy as a Lieutenant Commander at the Naval Station Subic Bay in Philippines. After his medical training was complete, he moved to Florida.
Throughout his life, McClure enjoyed sharing seafood dinners and sunsets and colorful night skies with loved ones. His favorite time of day was twilight. He was devoted to his wife, children and grandchildren, enjoying family time, both the big and small moments. They all loved taking family vacations together.
He is survived by his wife, Sandy, his children, Julie, John, and Paige as well as his sons-in-law Mike Zehnder and Rob Norton. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren.
“Dr. McClure will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him. His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched throughout his distinguished career at Morton Plant Hospital with the Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida practice and his love for his family,” his family wrote.

Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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