Dr. LUGA PODESTA
Orthopedic Surgeon
Los Angeles, Calif.

Luga Podesta, M.D., is a native of Seaford, New York and has practiced non-surgical orthopaedics and sports medicine since 1990. Dr. Podesta is a Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Podesta specializes in the evaluation and non-surgical treatment of orthopaedic, musculoskeletal and sports-related injuries to the shoulder, elbow, knee and spine. He also performs electrodiagnostic testing, a method to evaluate nerve and muscle function.

Dr. Podesta completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at St. Vincent's Medical Center in New York City and his first Sports Medicine Fellowship at Staten Island Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in New York. As a Sports Medicine Fellow at the world-renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Dr. Podesta assisted in the care of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rams, Lakers and Kings. He has served and continues to serve as team physician for numerous high school, college, and professional sports teams and as a consultant to many past and current major league baseball players and professional athletes.

In 1995, Dr. Podesta was elected to the prestigious American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and continues to be an active member of nine other national medical societies. Dr. Podesta currently serves as the Medical Director for the HEALTHSOUTH Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in Oxnard, California, West Coast Baseball Schools of Southern California and on the medical advisory boards for local youth baseball and football organizations.

Dr. Podesta remains active academically, lecturing nationally and internationally on a variety of topics related to the shoulder, elbow, knee, spine, as well as injuries specific to throwing athletes. Dr. Podesta has also authored more than 14 scientific publications, 4 book chapters, and 2 videotapes.