Online With Orthopedic Surgeons: Mending Bones, Joints, and Muscles

Many of these orthopedic surgeons have Web sites with detailed articles, including pictures, about the causes of aches and pains in hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. See the orthopedic surgeons featured below and other orthopedic surgeons making an impact in social media, elsewhere on the Web, and in their communities in our Top Orthopedic Surgeons profiles.

1. @hjluks Howard Luks, MD, is chief of sports medicine and arthroscopy at University Orthopedics PC and Westchester Medical Center, focusing on shoulder, knee, elbow, and ankle disorders; he is also an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at New York Medical College. His Web site,HowardLuksMD.com, offers readers in-depth, evidence-based information to help them make treatment choices and “to help break the traditional paternalistic perspective” about patient care. His information-packed site includes videos of procedures and details about numerous conditions.


2. @thomasleemd Thomas H. Lee, MD, is in private practice in Westerville, Ohio. He received his surgery training at Columbia University in New York, where he also worked at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, providing orthopedic care to athletes. He serves on the editorial board for several peer-reviewed publications, has a number of research articles to his credit, and is active in humanitarian outreach programs. 


3. @ZehrCenter Robert J. Zehr, MD, was head of orthopedic oncology for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation before being sent to Naples, Florida, to establish the Cleveland Clinic there. After 20 years of orthopedic experience in complex joint reconstruction and rehabilitation, he opened a private practice, the Zehr Center for Orthopaedics, in Naples. Among the many honors he has received, he was listed among the Best Orthopedic Doctors in America 2009-2010, compiled from surveys asking physicians whom they would go to for treatment in their specialty. He blogsregularly on related medical topics.


4. @YourSportsMD Robert Klitzman, MD, is a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon “interested in promoting exercise, sports, and injury prevention.” He was assistant team physician for the Houston Astros, Houston Texans, Houston Dynamo, and University of Houston, and he is currently the physician for several Oklahoma sports teams. He posts detailed rehab protocols at his Web site, OKSportsDoc.com.


5. @shoulderMD Jonathan Levy, MD, joined Holy Cross Orthopaedic Institute in Florida with an interest in shoulder and elbow disorders and expertise in arthroscopic and complex shoulder and elbow reconstruction. He has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, is a national and international speaker on shoulder and elbow disorders, and has been on the cutting edge of development and surgeon training of the newest shoulder replacement devices.


6. @SportzDoc Brian Shannon, MD, is with Colorado Joint and Sport Specialists, specializing in treating musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, including joint replacement. He has been involved in several research trials and has contributed to specialty publications.


7. @SWSPORTSMED Angelo J. Mattalino, MD, has been an orthopedic surgeon for more than 25 years, specializing in knee and shoulder injuries. He has a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has served as the head team physician for the Milwaukee Brewers, orthopedic consultant for both Major League Baseball and USA Baseball for the International Baseball Federation tournaments since 1998, and acted as team physician/orthopedic consultant for numerous other professional, college, and high school sports teams. He has written numerous articles and maintains a blog. However, his Twitter account hasn't been updated since September 2010.


8. @myorthodoc Steve Mora, MD, was inspired to become an orthopedic surgeon after his own experiences as a young patient requiring numerous orthopedic surgeries. He “firmly believes that these past experiences now allow him to empathize and bond with his patients in a very unique way.” He practices with La Veta Orthopaedic Associates in California, and in 2004 he received the CARE award from St. Joseph Hospital. In 2007, the Orange County Medical Association named him a Physician of Excellence.


9. @RayRavenMD Ray Raven III, MD, has clinical and surgical expertise in the management of musculoskeletal and neurovascular conditions of the elbow, wrist, and hand in adults and children. He is assistant clinical professor at the University of Southern California, where he teaches anatomy and state-of-the-art surgical techniques. In 2009, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand named him a Future Leader in hand surgery. His Web site, RayRavenMD.com, has detailed articles on numerous conditions.


10. @handarmdoc CN Henley, MD, is an orthopedic hand surgeon with specialized training in hand, wrist, elbow, and arm surgery. He has a practice in northwest Arkansas. He “enjoys combining his knowledge of physics and anatomy to help educate patients on their orthopaedic problems and potential solutions,” and he features educational articles on conditions related to hands and arms at his Web site, NoelHenley.com.


11. @kburnsmd Katherine Burns, MD, has a subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine, and her medical interests include diseases of the shoulder, rotator cuff disease and arthritis, knee ligament reconstruction, cartilage resurfacing and arthritis, and problems of the female athlete. She provides care for athletes from high school to the professional levels, including NBA exhibition games, and is team physician for Lindenwood University. (Visit KBurnsMD.com.) She also teaches courses on diseases of the shoulder, knee, and hip, particularly in athletes, to physicians and physical therapists.

If you know of orthopedic surgeons who are worthy of attention on these pages, please nominate them. See how to Request a Profile.

Other blog entries featuring health professionals and patient experts:

Featured Doctors: Psychologists
Featured Pediatricians, Part 1
Featured Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Chiropractors, Part 1
Featured Neurologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Cardiologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Dietitians, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nutritionists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Nurses, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nurses, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Featured Oncologists, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Top Nephrologists on Twitter
Top Gastroenterologists on Twitter 
Gluten-Free Diet Feature 
Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts, Part 1, Part 2

By Julie Bohlen, MBA-HCM, ELS