Your knees are essential to everyday movement, and knee pain can be debilitating, keeping you from doing the things you love. Because multiple structures come together at the knee joint, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of knee pain, which often leads to misdiagnosis, excessive use of pain pills and unnecessary surgeries.
With over 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Lev Kalika embraces a conservative, minimally invasive approach to knee injury treatment and rehabilitation. His Manhattan clinic features truly cutting edge technologies and innovative therapies rarely found in run-of-the-mill rehab centers. Dr. Kalika pursues continuing education with a passion, keeping abreast of current research and expanding his credentials to offer the very best in advanced sports medicine care to his patients.
Dr. Kalika studied under world renowned knee specialist Christopher Powers PT, PhD, and became certified in Advanced Functional Biomechanics by the University of Southern California. Under Dr. Kalika’s care, a wide range of athletes, from novice and recreational athletes to Olympic gold medalists, have overcome knee pain and enhanced their overall performance.
As an expert in musculoskeletal sonography, Dr. Kalika uses ultrasound and research-grade motion and gait analysis technology to provide an accurate in-office diagnosis for knee pain.
Lev is a renowned lecturer on various sports medicine topics, and has been featured on the lecture circuit both in the US and abroad. His particular areas of expertise include sports medicine, diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasonography, dry needling, virtual reality rehabilitation and technological innovations in rehabilitative medicine.
Board Certifications:Professional associations and memberships:
Dr. Kalika is currently a certified member of:
Publications:
Dr. Kalika has made multiple valuable contributions to the sports medicine community through the publication of peer reviewed research and clinical trials.
and a faulty diagnosis can make treatment a total waste of time.
Failure to accurately diagnose a condition in its early stages can lead
to chronic problems and sometimes devastating results.
Diagnostic musculoskeletal sonography (MSUS) provides the perfect tool for the rehab practitioner. Yet many doctors and physical therapists have no experience with MSUS, are unaware of its advantages, and have no idea how to use it as a diagnostic tool.
Below is a prime example of how ultrasound can take the guesswork out of diagnosis.Successful Treatment
A bad physical therapy experience is one of the primary causes of unnecessary surgery.
We have equipped our clinic with the latest research-grade technology to arrive at objective and accurate diagnoses, and to objectively measure our patients’ progress.
Most importantly, we are the only facility in the US where structural medical diagnosis is reflected in functional treatment, and vice versa.
In this instance, an athlete was originally diagnosed with minor quadriceps muscle strain and was treated for four weeks, with unsatisfactory results. When he came to our clinic, the muscle was not healing, and the patients’ muscle tissue had already begun to atrophy.
Upon examination using MSUS, we discovered that he had a full muscle thickness tear that had been overlooked by his previous provider. To mitigate damage and promote healing, surgery should have been performed immediately after the injury occurred. Because of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, the patient now has permanent damage that cannot be corrected.
The most important advantage of Ultrasound over MRI imaging is its ability to zero in on the symptomatic region and obtain imaging, with active participation and feedback from the patient. Using dynamic MSUS, we can see what happens when patients contract their muscles, something that cannot be done with MRI. From a diagnostic perspective, this interaction is invaluable.
Dynamic ultrasonography examination demonstrating
the full thickness tear and already occurring muscle atrophy
due to misdiagnosis and not referring the patient
to proper diagnostic workup
Demonstration of how very small muscle defect is made and revealed
to be a complete tear with muscle contraction
under diagnostic sonography (not possible with MRI)
Complete tear of rectus femoris
with large hematoma (blood)
Separation of muscle ends due to tear elicited
on dynamic sonography examination
