Covid-19 Update: October 1, 2021

The office is open for any hand or upper extremity problem: please call 415 925-0501. We are all vaccinated and wear an N-95 masks, and we will give you an N-95 (US certified) mask if you don't have one. IMPORTANT: cloth or sugical masks do not protect you as well as a N-95 mask, which is why we give you an N-95. KN-95 masks (China certified, also quite good) are available at the Bon Aire Molly Stone's, for $2.99, and I highly urge you to get one and use it any time you are outside of your home. You can read here more about Understanding the Differences About Masks.

We are equipped to give you a telemedicine consultation if indicated.

Pain Update

Dr Nelson is a leader in post-operative pain management. He has been doing pain management research for 30 years. He chaired a symposium on perioperative pain for the International Association for the Study of Pain on October 29, 2020: Perioperative Pain Management.

Patient Safety Update

Dr Nelson is a national leader in the Patient Safety Movement. He is Chair of the Patient Safety Subcommittee for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Read one of his essays, published in the national magazine of the American Association for Orthopedic Surgery.

Welcome

This site is designed to give my patients accurate, detailed, scientific information about hand problems, so they are empowered to better manage their own healthcare. I have written all the information on this site in clear, simple English, with great illustrations so that it is easy to understand. We only see 12 patients per day (most surgeons see 30-60), so I have time to spend with you to really understand you and your hand problem. I look forward to serving you.

I am a nationally-recognized expert in managing post-operative pain with minimal opioids (often but incorrectly called "narcotics"). I have delivered scientific papers on this topic at two national meetings in 2014 (AAOS and ASSH), two scientific papers at the 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and a poster on my pain management won Best Poster of 2017 at that same meeting. If you are looking for the report on the national symposium I organized on Managing Surgical Pain at the annual meeting of the American Academy for Orthopedic Surgeons, click on the link. The transcript of the podcast on pain is here.

Elected by Doctors and Patients as one of the
Top Hand Surgeons in the Bay Area

Disclaimer

Patients: If you are not yet my patient, consider making an appointment. I would be happy to see you. If you do not want to become my patient, you are still welcome to read any part of my site, but please read this.

Doctors: Links to my site are encouraged. You may copy any of my material for patient education. However, if instead of copying, you link to the material you like, when I update the page, your patients will automatically see the updated material without your updating your site. It will save you a lot of busywork! I update the site on an almost daily basis. I will try my best not to ever change the URL's of the patient educational material, so your links will not be broken. I have not changed them since 2000.