NYC Orthopedic Surgeon
The Best Credentials: MIT – University of California – Penn State
Steven Struhl, MD has spent his career on two joints rather than the whole skeleton. He is board certified in orthopedic surgery and holds separate board certification in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery, has practiced in New York since 1991, and treats shoulder and knee conditions from overuse injuries in young athletes through joint replacement.
He trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco, completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, and finished a fellowship in sports medicine at Penn State University. He serves on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine and on the teaching service at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases.
Education and Training
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: undergraduate degree in engineering.
- University of California, San Francisco: doctor of medicine.
- Montefiore Medical Center, New York: residency in orthopedic surgery.
- Penn State University: fellowship in sports medicine.
Board Certification and Professional Memberships
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery: board certified in orthopedic surgery.
- Subspecialty Certification: separately board certified in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery.
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Fellow.
- Arthroscopy Association of North America: member.
- NYU School of Medicine: faculty appointment.
- NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases: attending surgeon and member of the teaching service.
A Patented Approach to AC Joint Reconstruction
Dr. Struhl did not learn the acromioclavicular reconstruction he performs, he developed it. The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted him Patent 8,162,997 in 2012 for the device, and the orthopedic manufacturer Smith and Nephew subsequently acquired the design.
The technique connects two small metal plates with a continuous loop of very strong suture, one seated beneath the coracoid and one on top of the clavicle. There are no knots in the loop, which removes knot slippage as a mode of failure, and the construct follows the anatomic path of the original ligaments. He published his long term outcomes in The American Journal of Sports Medicine after performing more than 200 of these reconstructions.
“A separated shoulder used to mean choosing between an operation that reproduced the anatomy and one that would hold. The reason I built this construct was to stop having to choose.” –Steven Struhl, MD
Further reading: AC joint separation and his published article on the double endobutton technique.
Robotic Assisted Knee Replacement
Dr. Struhl performs robotic assisted partial and total knee replacement. His engineering background at MIT is unusual for an orthopedic surgeon and directly relevant here, since robotic assistance is fundamentally a problem of planning a mechanical result precisely and then executing to that plan. He also performs joint preserving realignment osteotomy for patients who have been told replacement is their only option.
Research, Teaching, and Publication
Dr. Struhl has authored peer reviewed research presented nationally and internationally, including long term outcomes following acromioclavicular reconstruction published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. He teaches orthopedic residents through the NYU teaching service, where the fracture management and reconstruction techniques used in his practice are also what he trains the next group of surgeons to perform.
Read his published articles.
Sports Medicine Roles
- United States Open: has served as a medical consultant to the tennis tournament.
- Sportscare Physical Therapy: Medical Director for the practice serving as official physical therapists for the Brooklyn Nets.
- Athletes at Every Level: treats professional and collegiate athletes alongside recreational ones and adolescents.
How He Approaches Treatment
Most shoulder and knee problems do not need surgery, and saying so plainly is part of the evaluation rather than a preamble to it. Physical therapy, injection, and activity modification resolve the majority of rotator cuff, arthritis, and overuse symptoms. Where surgery is the right answer, the goal is the smallest procedure that solves the actual problem, which is why an osteotomy sometimes makes more sense than a replacement and why a partial knee replacement sometimes makes more sense than a total.
Read more about his philosophy of care and his hospital affiliations.
Office Locations
- New York City: 136 East 57th Street, Suite 1501, New York, NY 10022. Telephone (212) 207-1990.
- Westchester: 222 Westchester Avenue, Suite 308, White Plains, NY 10604. Telephone (914) 328-4111.
Schedule a Consultation in New York City or White Plains
Whether you need surgery is a question worth answering carefully, and it is answered by examination and imaging rather than by how much pain you are in. Dr. Struhl evaluates shoulder and knee conditions at both offices. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
