HEALTH MATTERS: West Orange Orthopaedics hires Dr. Cox

When folks in need of a specialist call West Orange Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and ask for an appointment with Dr. Cox, they have to be more specific.

Jacob L. Cox is the third Dr. Cox to join the team, following in the medical footsteps of his father, W. Kevin Cox, and his grandfather, William S. Cox. He grew up in West Orange and South Lake counties, graduated from East Ridge High School in Clermont, attended college and medical school and has returned to the area after a yearlong fellowship in Texas.

“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s nice to get home and set some roots,” Jacob Cox said. “It’s nice to come back and re-explore the West Orange area. It’s changed.”

What hasn’t changed is the value of having family nearby. Jacob Cox said his children, ages 3 and 7, are able to spend time with their grandparents, something he was able to do growing up as well.

Family is important to West Orange Orthopaedics, which has provided care to West Orange County residents for several generations. William Cox started in the early 1970s, and Kevin Cox began working with the practice in the early 1992.

“It is a joy and a blessing to be able to work with my dad,” Jacob Cox said. “As my practice ramps up, I’m helping him do surgeries. … I really enjoy being close with my dad. He was a good influence on me becoming a doctor and … working with him in a partnership has been fun.”

Jacob Cox said he considers himself an adult joint-reconstruction surgeon. He is trained as a general orthopedist — a surgeon who treats diseases of the musculoskeletal system — and his specialties are shoulder, elbow and knee.

“It gives people a chance to live their lives,” he said. “I love to help people to have a dramatic improvement in their joy of life — where somebody has been walking with a lot of pain and suddenly they do their surgery and … get back to golfing and enjoying life with their family.

“It’s an exciting time to be in orthopedics, but now with robotics and 3D scanning, it makes it even better,” he said.

He currently practices at Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital.

Growing up with surgeons in the family put Jacob Cox close to the excitement and passion of being a doctor. When he expressed an interest in studying either architecture or medicine, his father told him to enter the medical field because he wanted to and not because of his family history.

“I decided in high school,” Jacob Cox said. “I scrubbed in with my dad and was able to watch a total replacement.”

That was all it took; he was hooked and never gave architecture another thought.

Jacob Cox received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Eckerd College and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of South Florida. He completed his internship and orthopedic residency from the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine.

He is board eligible by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. His areas of specialized experience include shoulder and elbow surgery, general orthopedic surgery, sports-related injuries, trauma, joint replacements and Mako robotic surgery.

Jacob Cox and others in his orthopedic practice serve as team physicians at Foundation Academy, where his oldest son is a student.

“Our role is for the bigger, high-risk events, like home football games; we provide sideline care,” Jacob Cox said.

He and his wife and two children are residents of Winter Garden.