About Howard J. Luks, MD

My Principles

• Patient as a care partner. We believe that patients should play a central role in the management of their sports medicine injuries. We are here to help you reach your goals and get back in the game. As such, we anticipate you will play an important role in your orthopedic care and treatment decision making. Not all injuries behave the same way in different individuals.  Your treatment plan will be catered to meet your needs and your goals. From helping you to define your goals, to coordinating your rehabilitation, we look forward to the patient as a partner
• We treat patients, not MRIs. MRIs do not have goals. MRIs do not have fears. MRIs don’t do rehab. While we look at MRI images, we never forget the big picture—people are the reason we do what we do. Deciding a treatment plan in sports medicine is much more than just an image. We want people to know that because we never forget.
• A tear may not equal a surgery. Sometimes the most important decision we make is not to operate on a patient. Often times, people think that any tear in a meniscus or ligament means surgery. The reality is that decision is much more complicated and incorporates patient specifics, goals, expectations, and a host of other factors. In short, we only recommend surgery when we feel the potential benefits exceed the potential risks and your goals are achievable.

My Practice

• A Board-Certified – Sports Medicine – Orthopedic Surgeon in Westchester and Dutchess Counties
• Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at New York Medical College
• Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy at University Orthopedics, PC and Westchester Medical Center

My Hospital Affiliations

• Westchester Medical Center (Level I Trauma Center) – a major referral center for complex trauma, multi-ligament knee reconstructions, complex shoulder fractures, revision knee and shoulder surgery, and other procedures. One of only a few hospitals in the region to routinely employ computer navigation on most joint replacements

• Fishkill Ambulatory Surgery Center
• St Johns Riverside/ Dobbs Ferry Community Hospital

My Procedural Focus (Orthopedic Disorders)

• Shoulder – advanced arthroscopic reconstruction
• Knee – advanced arthroscopic reconstruction + computer navigated, minimally invasive replacements
• Meniscus Repairs
• Elbow
• Ankle
• Cartilage regeneration or replacement

My Patient & Family Profile

• #Gameplan is our community of mothers, fathers, and grandparents seeking preventative sports medicine or requiring orthopedic reconstruction to improve their quality of life.
• #Hometeam is a new community for high school student athletes and their parents seeking answers to their sports medicine questions. For more than 30 years, our practice has been preparing to help families and their young athletes remain champions, by staying healthy on the playing field and preparing them for a healthy lifestyle beyond their high school days.
• #365Warrior is a new community for athletes (35 years and older) seeking answers to their sports medicine questions. The passion we bring to work, family, sport, and exercise is an identity – and injury is not part of the #365Warrior ethos

My Personal Interests

• I live in Northern Westchester and I am a father to three wonderful children. We enjoy being outside as often as possible … which has led to a few fractures in the Luks’ household
• I’m a #365Warrior. I’m part of a growing tribe of athletes (35 years and older) redefining sport and wellness to meet the needs of our busy lifestyle
• Social media. I believe that humans are innately social… and as an extension, that health is social.

Dr. Luks has been named as one of the top Sports Medicine Physicians in the United States, by US News and World Report.  He has also been named as one of the Top 10 “Social Healthmakers” for Osteoarthritis.  Dr. Luks has been named one of the top Sports Medicine Physicians in New York for nearly 10 years in a row and Dr. Luks was named one of Twitter’s Top Ten Doctors and serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media.