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Hip Preservation 5280 Top Doctors 2026: Recognizing Our Physicians
- Hip Preservation Team
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Celebrating Our Hip Preservation 5280 Top Doctors 2026
We are proud to recognize four physicians connected with HipPreservation.org who are included in Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center's 2026 5280 Top Doctors recognition: Nimesh Patel, MD; Michael Ellman, MD; Ronald Hugate, MD; and Aaron Casp, MD.
The recognition is particularly meaningful because the 5280 Top Doctors list is designed to help patients identify highly regarded physicians throughout the Denver metropolitan area.
For patients and families navigating hip pain, hip dysplasia, sports injuries or decisions about hip preservation treatment, finding a physician with the appropriate experience is an important part of the process.
What Does Being Named a 5280 Top Doctor Mean?
The annual 5280 Top Doctors list recognizes physicians across more than 80 medical specialties in the Denver metro area.
For 2026, 5280 again partnered with Castle Connolly to develop its list. The selection process begins with peer-to-peer nominations from licensed physicians and is followed by research and review of nominees' professional qualifications.
Factors considered during the review process include education, professional reputation, research leadership, hospital and faculty appointments, disciplinary history and outcomes data when available. Communication, empathy and the ability to build patient trust are also considered.
Being included on the list therefore represents more than simply appearing in a reader poll. It reflects recognition that begins within the medical community and undergoes additional professional review.
For HipPreservation.org, it also provides an opportunity to recognize several physicians whose work contributes to the care and education of patients facing complex hip conditions.
Meet the Hip Preservation Physicians Recognized in 2026
Nimesh Patel, MD
Dr. Nimesh Patel is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon whose training includes an Orthopaedic Trauma fellowship through the Harvard Partners Orthopaedic Program.
His work includes complex orthopedic trauma and hip preservation procedures. Within hip preservation, Dr. Patel is involved in the surgical treatment of structural abnormalities of the hip, including procedures designed to reposition and stabilize the hip socket.
One of these procedures is the periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), which may be recommended for certain patients with symptomatic hip dysplasia when preservation of the natural joint remains possible.
Michael Ellman, MD
Dr. Michael Ellman is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, hip preservation and hip arthroscopy.
His fellowship training at The Steadman Clinic–Steadman Philippon Research Institute focused on orthopedic sports medicine and hip arthroscopy. He also serves as Director of Panorama Orthopedics' Hip Preservation Center.
Hip arthroscopy can be used to address several problems within the hip joint, including labral injuries and certain forms of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). For appropriately selected patients, arthroscopy provides a minimally invasive way to treat these problems while preserving the natural hip.
Ronald Hugate, MD
Dr. Ronald Hugate is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon whose specialties include hip preservation, joint replacement and orthopedic oncology.
Within hip preservation, Dr. Hugate treats complex structural hip conditions, including hip dysplasia. Correcting these structural abnormalities can be particularly important because dysplasia changes how forces are distributed across the hip joint.
When the socket does not adequately cover the femoral head, increased stress can be placed on the labrum and cartilage. In appropriately selected patients, procedures such as PAO can improve coverage of the femoral head while preserving the patient's natural hip.
Aaron Casp, MD
Dr. Aaron Casp specializes in sports medicine and hip preservation and has specific training in hip arthroscopy.
This type of expertise can be particularly important for active patients experiencing hip pain associated with labral injury, impingement or other intra-articular conditions.
Not every hip condition requires surgery, and not every surgical problem requires the same operation. A central goal of hip preservation is identifying the source of symptoms and selecting treatment based on the patient's anatomy, joint health, activity level and long-term goals.
Why Specialized Hip Preservation Experience Matters
Hip preservation is not a single procedure.
It encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of numerous conditions that can affect the hip in adolescents, young adults and active adults. Depending on the underlying problem, treatment may range from activity modification and physical therapy to hip arthroscopy, PAO or a combination of procedures.
For example, a patient with a labral tear caused by impingement may require a very different treatment strategy from someone whose labral damage is associated with an undercovered hip caused by dysplasia.
This is one reason obtaining an accurate diagnosis before deciding on treatment is so important.
A Team Approach to Complex Hip Conditions
Some patients have more than one structural problem within the same hip.
Hip dysplasia, for example, can occur alongside labral damage. In selected cases, addressing only the damaged labrum without correcting the underlying structural problem may not fully address the forces contributing to the injury.
This is where collaboration among physicians with complementary areas of expertise becomes especially valuable. Hip arthroscopy can address problems inside the joint, while procedures such as PAO address the underlying structure and orientation of the hip socket.
For certain patients, these procedures may even be incorporated into a combined hip preservation treatment strategy.
Recognition That Supports a Larger Mission
Being included among the hip preservation 5280 Top Doctors 2026 is an achievement worth celebrating, but recognition is only part of the story.
For patients, what ultimately matters is having access to physicians who can help them understand why their hip hurts, what treatment options are available and whether their natural hip can be preserved.
That same philosophy is at the heart of HipPreservation.org.
Our goal is to make complex hip conditions easier for patients and families to understand—from early symptoms and diagnosis through nonsurgical treatment, hip arthroscopy, PAO and recovery.
Congratulations to Dr. Nimesh Patel, Dr. Michael Ellman, Dr. Ronald Hugate, and Dr. Aaron Casp on their 2026 recognition.
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