About this episode

This episode discusses the necessity of surgery for knee osteoarthritis with Dr. Howard Luks, exploring when surgery is appropriate and the factors influencing surgical decisions.

The number of surgical procedures for musculoskeletal diseases such as osteoarthritis has increased exponentially over the past years, some of which are unnecessary and leave patients no better off than they were before. Knee replacement surgery can be a wonderful and cost-effective treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis but only when less invasive treatments have failed. There are many factors driving the alarming rates of increased surgery ranging from system-level factors such as inadequate reimbursement for physiotherapy treatment to personal-level factors such as individual beliefs and education of patients and their health care providers. Frequently referrals are made to surgeons as primary care doctors feel there is nothing more they can do. If you are referred it is important to be prepared for what that consultation will involve and to consider whether you truly want/ need surgery. On this episode of Joint Action, we are joined by Dr Howard Luks to discuss this topic. Dr. Howard Luks is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine specialist. Howard graduated from New York Medical College and completed his Orthopaedic Surgery residency in 1996 and a…

People in this episode

Host: David Hunter

Guest: Dr Howard Luks

Topics covered

• knee osteoarthritis
• surgery
• musculoskeletal diseases
• treatment options
• patient education

Keywords

• knee surgery
• osteoarthritis
• physiotherapy
• surgical procedures
• patient beliefs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Medical College, Advanced Physician Services

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