University Orthopaedics | Practice Brochure

About Us

Cartilage Regeneration Westchester, New York

There are many individuals who have been hit with a serious knee injury that has greatly reduced both stability and flexibility in their knee area. Having this condition can prove to be both debilitating and disheartening, especially for both athletes and active individuals who get the most out of their lives by partaking in both sports and recreational activities. If, you are denied this privilege due to torn joints in your knee, then taking the proper medical measures should be your next step. At University Orthopaedics, PC in Westchester, New York, Dr. Howard J. Luks, MD is a qualified knee surgeon who can deliver quality cartilage regeneration surgery in both a professional and meticulous fashion, ensuring you the opportunity to regain the ability to perform the activities you enjoy best.

Bend the top of your ear forward, and you can feel something flex and spring back. It is cartilage, a dense bluish-white connective tissue found in the ear, nose, ribs, and other parts of the skeletal system, that acts to cover and cushion the points at which bones meet %u2013 at the joints.
Cartilage is made of collagen, a fibrous protein also found in various forms in bone and hair. Woven around a network of bushy strands of proteoglycans (sugar-carrying proteins), collagen acts as a kind of scaffolding, giving the cartilage its strength. The proteoglycans trap water molecules and provide the cartilage with its flexibility and cushioning properties.
When cartilage begins to wear thin, as it does in osteoarthritis, the bones are left exposed and raw. With each movement, one end of the bone rubs against another, causing the bone to fragment and erode. The joint loses its ability to bend easily and absorb the impact of normal movement. You will feel this deterioration in localized pain and stiffness. It is this process that leads to serious disability.
In most cases, when bone destruction %u2013 and the consequent pain -- becomes relentless, the usual course is to consider total joint replacement. Each year, approximately 150,000 people in this country get new hips, another 240,000 replace knees, and countless others exchange elbows, ankles, shoulders, and even finger joints. In the past 15 years, joint replacement surgery has become remarkably safe and effective. Despite the fact that joint replacement can be quite effective in relieving pain and restoring function, it can also be expensive. Joint replacement is simply not for everyone.
Certain medications, specifically a drug called Synvisc can be injected into the joint to enhance and restore some of the properties of synovial fluid, which are compromised in osteoarthritis. Known as viscosupplementation, this type of agent works to lubricate, protect and cushion the joint. When successful, it relieves pain and improves mobility in osteoarthritic joints. However, while damaged or deteriorating cartilage can be repaired, seldom is the solution practical for the long-term. Consequently, researchers are looking into alternative, less invasive and extensive procedures.

It is Dr. Luks%u2019 mission to make certain that patients with serious knee conditions are given the proper course of treatment that targets the damaged area in question and works to successfully correct it. Cartilage regeneration surgery is a procedure that involves removing a small sample of healthy cartilage via a biopsy, and then bringing it to a lab to be reproduced. A second procedure is then completed, where the damaged cartilage is then taken out and new cells are injected into the joint area. As a result, cartilage is restored and patients gain a renewed use of their knees, so that they can resume physical activities.

Dr. Luks has an impressive background in his field. He is the Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College. He also currently educates other orthopedic surgeons and he spreads his knowle