Dr. Luga Podesta has over three decades of experience treating professional musicians, dancers, and other performing artists, with a proven track record of keeping the best of the best on stage and performing safely. For over 12 years, Dr. Podesta wrote a monthly article titled The Rhythmic Physician for DRUM! Magazine, contributing pieces on health-related topics affecting drummers and percussionists.
As a sports medicine physician and musician himself, he has a thorough understanding of the functional and biomechanical demands necessary for musicians and dancers to rehearse and perform day after day and night after night—whether you are a drummer or percussionist, guitarist or keyboardist, horn player, or dancer. Dr. Podesta served as the performance medicine consultant for the Los Angeles-based Cirque du Soleil show IRIS – A Journey through the World of Cinema throughout the show’s creation and three-year run. Dr. Podesta continues to serve as the personal physician and consultant for many of the music industry’s most iconic musicians and bands.
Although traumatic injuries can occur in musicians and performing artists, many of the injuries or conditions that performers sustain are secondary to repetitive stress, tissue overload, and overuse. Whether you’re a violinist or a drummer, developing the competency level required to excel requires long hours of repetitive movement and practice. Dr. Podesta has extensive experience treating muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, bone, and joint-related traumatic, repetitive stress, and overuse injuries in musicians and performing artists—including those listed below.
When does neck pain become concerning?
Most causes of neck pain will eventually resolve in a short period of time. However, if your pain is not improving, has been present for 4 or more weeks, is worsening or associated with any of the below symptoms, medical evaluation is recommended.
When does low back pain become concerning?
Most causes of low back pain will eventually resolve in a short period of time. However, if your pain is not improving, has been present for 4 or more weeks, is worsening or associated with any of the below symptoms, medical evaluation is recommended.
When low back pain is associated with these “Red Flags”:
If any of the above mentioned “Red Flags” are present, medical attention should be sought immediately!
What is the difference between diagnostic versus therapeutic spinal injections?
A precision diagnostic spinal injection can help diagnose the precise cause of neck and low back pain, resulting in pain relief that occurs immediately after the procedure is completed. However, the local anesthetic by itself is not expected to provide long-term pain relief. When the exact cause of the spinal pain has been determined by the diagnostic injection, a variety of therapeutic injections can then be performed at the precise location indicated by the diagnostic injection.
What types of therapeutic spinal injections are indicated for neck and low back pain?
When cervical or lumbar spinal pain is not resolving on its own or is not responding to conservative spinal interventions such as oral medication, the application of therapeutic modalities such as ice or heat or physical therapy, it may become to necessary consider therapeutic spinal injections. Once a precision diagnostic spinal injection has localized the cause of pain, specific therapeutic injection therapies can then be utilized to target the various areas of the spine to provide a longer lasting therapeutic effect. Examples of some of these image (ultrasound of fluoroscopy) guided spinal injections utilizing corticosteroid and anesthetic medications, radiofrequency nerve ablations, and regenerative orthopedic therapies such as platelet rich plasma or progenitor cell-based injections. Some examples of the therapeutic injections that Dr. Podesta routinely performs include:
These injections have been designed and are used clinically to diminish pain, improve function and prevent unnecessary spinal surgeries.
Can cell based therapies with PRP or progenitor cell-based treatments help?
Cell-based spinal therapeutic injections with platelet rich plasma (PRP) and progenitor cell (stem cell) therapies provide state of the art treatments for acute and degenerative spinal conditions which have the potential to stimulate the immune system and increase the body’s natural ability to heal damaged tissues such as intervertebral discs, diminish inflammation or facet joints, stabilize supporting spinal ligaments resulting in overall pain reduction and functional improvement. Cell-based therapies can provide patients with low back pain from a variety of causes with long-term relief from pain improving mobility and function with faster recovery times. Cell-based therapeutic spinal therapies can significantly reduce time away from family, sports, work or daily activities while delaying or completely avoiding the need for surgery and prescription medication.
Tendonitis:
Tendinitis is an acute inflammatory condition affecting tendons typically where they attach on a bone. It is described by several names including tennis elbow, golfers’ elbow, jumpers’ knee or swimmers’ shoulder. Regardless of the name, tendinitis can be painful, debilitating and effect any tendon. Early treatment is extremely important to minimize the long-term risks and effects of tendon injury. Dr. Luga Podesta has both the experience, knowledge, and skill to minimize those risks. Dr. Podesta is a regenerative orthopedic and sports medicine expert with over 3 decades of experience who can offer cutting edge regenerative medicine and orthopedic treatments to stimulate and enhance tendon healing to improve your body’s natural healing capacity.
Tendinitis is an inflammatory process effecting tendon where it attaches to a bone. A tendon is a cord light fibrous tissue the functions to attach a muscle to a bone to provide movement of a joint. Tendinitis occurs due to an acute injury or commonly is the result of a sports injury or repetitive activities and movement from a job or other activity. The most common parts of the body affected by tendinitis include:
How are tendons treated?
The initial inflammatory phases of tendinitis are typically short lived and responsive to conservative treatment including rest, oral NSAID medications, therapeutic modalities such as ice and heat, physical therapy, and activity modification. However, when longer lasting, chronic or after tendinosis develops, more aggressive injection therapies or regenerative orthopedic procedures are required such as:
If you have been experiencing pain from a tendon that hasn’t improved, don’t wait until it’s too late. Dr. Luga Podesta can quickly determine the cause of your pain and provide the cutting edge regenerative orthopedic therapy necessary to get back in the game.
What is the difference between a sprain and a strain?
Sprains and strains are injuries that occur in soft tissue, however, the difference between sprains and strains lies within the tissue that they occur. Sprains occur in ligaments, whereas strains occur in muscles and tendons.
How are ligament injuries diagnosed?
Making a diagnosis of a ligament injury requires taking a detailed history describing the mechanism of injury location of pain and circumstances associate at the time of injury, hearing or feeling a pop for a tearing sensation in a particular joint. Performing a thorough dynamic joint stability exam with comparison to the non-injured side can be helpful when a ligament injury is suspected. Imaging studies such as stress x-rays, MRI scans or dynamic ultrasound valuations are important to detect any radiographic abnormalities as well as abnormalities specifically within a particular ligament with a suspected injury.
How are ligament injuries treated non-surgically?
The initial inflammatory phases are typically short lived and responsive to conservative treatment including the R.I.C.E. treatment principles plus: relative rest, oral NSAID medications, therapeutic physical modalities such as ice and heat, bracing to maintain stability and compression, elevation, protected movement and activity modification. However, for injuries that don’t respond to conservative treatments or with more severe cases when joint stabilization is priority, regenerative orthopedic injection procedures may be helpful to prevent the need for surgical stabilization procedures, prolonged recovery periods and delayed return to sports and normal function.:
If you have been experiencing pain from a ligament sprain that hasn’t improved, don’t wait until it’s too late. Dr. Luga Podesta can quickly determine the cause of your pain and provide the cutting edge regenerative orthopedic therapy necessary to get back in the game.
How is arthritis diagnosed?
Dr. Podesta can you confirm the diagnosis of arthritis after completing a thorough history and physical exam and imaging studies such as X-rays and possibly MRI. If a rheumatologic or infectious process suspected specific laboratory blood tests and joint fluid analysis maybe necessary to confirm diagnosis the specific cause.
What treatments are available for arthritis?
Treatment of arthritis is dependent on the stage of arthritis and the severity of symptoms. For mild arthritis with minimal symptoms, activity modification is often recommended and adequate to relieve mild symptoms. However, for more advanced cases with more severe symptoms, multiple nonsurgical and minimally invasive regenerative orthopedic treatments are available to maximize our bodies natural ability to repair and heal, ultimately relieving pain and improving function. Dr. Luga Podesta can determine the precise regenerative orthopedic therapy or combination of therapies that are best for you, including:
Performing Arts Medicine focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing injuries unique to musicians, dancers, and stage performers. Whether you are a professional touring musician, a dancer, or a dedicated amateur, Dr. Podesta provides specialized care tailored to the specific functional and biomechanical demands of your art form.
Not at all. You don’t need to be a pro to be treated like one. Dr. Podesta applies the same high level of comprehensive care, expertise, and advanced treatments to every patient, regardless of whether you perform on world stages or in your personal studio.
Dr. Podesta treats a wide range of traumatic, repetitive stress, and overuse injuries affecting muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones. Common conditions include neck and back pain, shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, hip, knee, and ankle/foot pain, as well as tendonitis, ligament injuries, and arthritis.
Achieving and maintaining top-tier performance requires long hours of repetitive movement and rigorous practice. Over time, this constant repetition can lead to tissue overload, inflammation, and strain. Dr. Podesta analyzes your movement dynamics to address the root cause of these overuse injuries and prevent future flare-ups.
Yes. Dr. Podesta emphasizes a cutting-edge, comprehensive non-surgical approach. His practice focuses on holistic evaluation, customized rehabilitation, and advanced regenerative orthopedic treatments designed to stimulate and enhance your body’s natural healing capacity.
As both a sports medicine physician and a musician himself, Dr. Podesta has a deep, firsthand understanding of the physical toll that rehearsing and performing takes on your body. This unique perspective allows him to evaluate your posture, technique, and ergonomics with an insider’s precision.
With over three decades of experience, Dr. Podesta has served as a consultant for major productions—including Cirque du Soleil’s IRIS—and wrote "The Rhythmic Physician" column for DRUM! Magazine for over 12 years. He continues to serve as a personal physician and consultant for iconic musicians, bands, and dancers.
Through a thorough diagnostic evaluation, Dr. Podesta crafts a personalized treatment and recovery strategy aimed at restoring your strength and mobility. The goal is always to get you back to rehearsing and performing at your highest ability while protecting your long-term health.
Regenerative orthopedics focuses on stimulating and enhancing our body's natural ability to respond to orthopedic injuries and heal itself. It applies advanced orthobiologic techniques, each with the potential to stimulate the immune system and increase the body’s natural ability to heal.
With recognized expertise in developing tailored rehabilitation strategies to safely transition injured athletes back to the field, we focus on fully restoring functional movement, optimizing recovery, and returning athletes to peak performance.
When an injury keeps you offstage, choosing the right physician is essential. Performance-related injuries affect drummers, concert pianists, and young dancers alike, making it critical to select a doctor who deeply understands the unique physical demands of your craft to ensure a safe, precise, and swift return to peak performance.
Appointments in Naples, FL, and monthly in Los Angeles, CA. Space in the practice is intentionally limited.
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