Experience matters! Dr. Luga Podesta has the experience, knowledge, and expertise necessary to get you back in the game at the highest level of competition.
Sports-related injuries can occur whether you are a competitive athlete, dancer, musician, weekend warrior, or homemaker. How those injuries are treated and how they heal will determine when—and to what extent—you can return to your activity. Choosing the correct doctor to evaluate and treat your injuries is paramount to returning you back to the field as quickly and safely as possible.
Tendon injuries can occur due to an acute injury that results in a partial of complete disruption of the tendon itself or its attachment on a bone or due to overuse and repetitive stress or trauma. A tendon is a cord like fibrous tissue structure that originates on a muscle and functions to attach a muscle to a bone providing movement and stability of a joint. Tendinitis is an acute inflammatory condition affecting tendons typically where they attach on a bone. Tendon injuries have been 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. Podesta is a regenerative orthopedic and sports medicine expert that can accurately diagnose these injuries and initiate a personalized treatment recommendation to stimulate and enhance tendon healing.
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:
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 example of the therapeutic injections 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.
Experience matters! For the majority of his 30-year professional career, Dr. Luga Podesta has treated throwing athletes at the highest level. For 16 years he served as a team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers and 3 years as a team physician for the Los Angeles Angels. Dr. Podesta is a renowned sports medicine physician specializing in the non-surgical treatment of orthopedic, musculoskeletal and sports-related injuries in throwing athletes involving the shoulder and elbow and has a wealth of experience returning throwers back to the field. Dr. Podesta continues to treat baseball players including Hall of Fame players, active major and minor leaguers, collegiate, high school and recreational players. Dr. Podesta has been a proponent for the non-surgical treatment of UCL injuries in throwers with cell-based therapies and published his research in the landmark paper “Treatment of Elbow Partial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tears with Platelet Rich Plasma” in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, in 2013. Throwing related injuries can occur with one throw, or more commonly, as the result of multiple throws over a longer period of time, whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior. How those injuries are treated and eventually heal will determine when and how well you can return to sports. Dr. Luga Podesta has both the experience and knowledge working and treating throwing athletes necessary to get you back in the game at the highest level of competition.
Common throwing injuries treated include:
Dr. Luga Podesta is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of the unique injuries that occur in overhand throwing athletes (baseball, softball, tennis, volleyball and water polo). He is an expert in the analysis and correction of throwing and hitting mechanics, which are necessary to return to play safely minimizing injury recurrence.
For over three decades, Dr. Luga Podesta has treated athletes at every age and level of competition with concussions and mild traumatic brain injury. Concussions can occur whether you are a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior or an adolescent. When and how quickly head injuries are recognized and treated, determine ultimate outcome and return to normal daily activity or sports. Choosing the correct doctor to evaluate and treat your concussion extremely important. Knowledge of the varying neurologic injuries, compromised neuropathic pathways and symptoms associated with even mild head injuries and concussion are invaluable when decisions must be made regarding treatment, activity modification and eventual safe return back to the normal life. Dr. Podesta will utilize cutting age diagnostic tools combined with evidence based medical treatments to optimize your recovery.
Concussion “RED FLAGS”
Severe head injuries can result in several “Red Flags” that require immediate emergency department evaluation and possible advanced brain imaging such as MRI of CT scans. The presence of any of the below signs or symptoms require immediate medical evaluation.
How are concussions initially treated?
When a concussion is suspected, the athlete should be immediately removed from the remainder of the athletic competition or activity. A thorough neurocognitive evaluation should be performed immediately, and the brain should be allowed to rest until symptoms subside. Return to sports or activity is restricted until the brain has been allowed to rest and the athlete is completely symptom-free at rest and after completing a post-concussion “Return to Play” protocol.
Recovery guidelines after sustaining a concussion.
When is an athlete cleared to return to sports?
Once the athlete is asymptomatic and back to normal activities including school, and cleared to return sports by their physician, the return to sports process can begin. The concussed athlete is placed into a progressive, stepwise, supervised, “Return to Play” post-concussion protocol over a 5-day period. If the athlete is able to progress through the activity-based program symptom free, they are typically considered cleared to safely return to competition.
Determining an accurate diagnosis is imperative before an injury specific treatment can be implemented. Dr. Podesta will utilize the most advanced point of care diagnostic and therapeutic image guided treatments available to optimize overall outcomes. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is a devise that assists us visualizing most anatomic structures or injuries immediately without the risk of ionizing radiation.
What are the advantages of Ultrasound?
Ultrasound-guided procedures have become the standard of care permitting safe and precise needle placement when treating a wide range of conditions affecting ligaments, muscles, tendons and joints. Several studies have shown that ultrasound guidance assure accuracy while performing regenerative orthopedic injections, corticosteroid or viscosupplementation injections in joints or soft tissue such as tendons and ligaments.
Fluoroscopic guidance has been used for many years to accurately and safely guide needles for a variety of procedures where precise needle placement is absolutely necessary such as diagnostic or therapeutic spinal procedures. Fluoroscopic guidance is also widely utilized during orthopedic procedure when ultrasound needle guidance is inadequate, such as injecting into a bone.
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.
Sports Medicine focuses on the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of physical injuries related to activity. While commonly associated with competitive athletes, sports medicine benefits anyone suffering from movement-related pain, including weekend warriors, musicians, dancers, and homemakers looking to stay active and healthy.
Dr. Podesta treats a comprehensive array of musculoskeletal issues, including shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, hip, knee, ankle/foot, neck, and low back pain. He also specializes in treating tendonitis, ligament tears, arthritis, specialized throwing injuries, and sports-related concussions.
No. Whether you are a elite athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone managing daily physical demands at home, Dr. Podesta provides the exact same high standard of personalized care to help you recover and get back to doing what you love safely.
Experience matters! How an injury is initially evaluated and treated directly dictates how well it heals and how quickly—and safely—you can return to your sport or daily routine. Partnering with an experienced specialist ensures an accurate diagnosis and a targeted treatment plan.
Dr. Podesta prioritizes cutting-edge, non-surgical approaches that stimulate and enhance your body’s natural healing capabilities. Treatments are highly personalized and designed to promote long-term recovery without the downtime associated with surgery whenever possible.
Diagnostic ultrasound imaging allows Dr. Podesta to view muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints in real time right in the office. This advanced tool provides immediate, precise diagnostic clarity without radiation, helping guide your personalized treatment plan accurately.
Dr. Podesta utilizes both Ultrasound Guided Injections and Fluoroscopic Guided Injections. By using real-time imaging during the procedure, he ensures that therapeutic treatments are delivered with exact precision directly to the affected joint or tissue for optimal relief and healing.
With decades of experience treating athletes at every level, Dr. Podesta designs recovery protocols focused on complete tissue healing, restored mobility, and functional strength. His primary goal is to get you back in the game at your highest level of competition while minimizing the risk of re-injury.
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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