David Nelson

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Physicians & Surgeons, Mental Health Services, Physical Therapists

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(415) 925-0501Call Visit WebsiteVisit Website Map & DirectionsDirections1363 S Eliseo Dr Ste BGreenbrae, CA 94904 Write a ReviewWrite Review

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Hours

Regular Hours

Mon - Fri:	9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Places Near Greenbrae with Physicians & Surgeons

Larkspur (1 miles)
Kentfield (2 miles)
Corte Madera (2 miles)
Ross (3 miles)
San Rafael (3 miles)
San Anselmo (4 miles)
Mill Valley (4 miles)
Fairfax (7 miles)
Sausalito (11 miles)
Belvedere Tiburon (11 miles)

Accepted Insurance

David Nelson has not yet specified accepted insurance plans.

Specialties

Additional Specialties: Orthopedic Surgery, Hand Surgery

More Info

Extra Phones

Fax: (415) 461-4274

Payment method

master card, visa

Neighborhoods

Bon Air Landing-South Eliseo, North Larkspur

AKA

David L Nelson

David L Nelson MD

Nelson, David L, MD

Nelson David L

Other Link

http://www.davidlnelson.md

Categories

Physicians & Surgeons, Mental Health Services, Physical Therapists, Physicians & Surgeons, Breast Care & Surgery, Physicians & Surgeons, Cosmetic Surgery, Physicians & Surgeons, Dermatology, Physicians & Surgeons, Emergency Medicine, Physicians & Surgeons, Family Medicine & General Practice, Physicians & Surgeons, Gynecology, Physicians & Surgeons, Hand Surgery, Physicians & Surgeons, Neurology, Physicians & Surgeons, Orthopedics, Physicians & Surgeons, Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Physicians & Surgeons, Plastic & Reconstructive, Physicians & Surgeons, Psychiatry, Physicians & Surgeons, Radiology, Physicians & Surgeons, Rheumatology (Arthritis), Physicians & Surgeons, Surgery-General, Surgery Centers

Other Information

Specialties: Orthopedic Surgery, Hand Surgery

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Details

Phone: (415) 925-0501

Address: 1363 S Eliseo Dr Ste B, Greenbrae, CA 94904

Website: http://www.davidlnelson.md

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David Nelson

General Practitioners

Osteoporosis
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is rarely deforming or crippling, although it can be painful if not treated. The deforming and crippling arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, which is a very different disease.
Primary Care
Many patients don't know about the financial incentives that various managed care insurance companies pay their doctors to limit ("manage" in the vocabulary of the insurance industry) the healthcare they provide to their patients. You need to know this: information is power. This is a very touchy subject, and most doctors don't want to discuss it with their patients. It is important that you learn if your plan does pay such incentives, and if it does, what financial incentives are being paid to your doctor. Then you need to decide whether or not you want to be in such a plan. If you already have a hand problem, it is too late to change healthplans. You may decide that your hand problem is serious enough you would like to obtain care outside of the plan, even if it costs you some out-of-pocket expenses. (Note: one way to get an idea if financial incentives are being paid to your doctor is to look at your insurance card. If it says "HMO" or "IPA" on it, or if you need permission from your primary care provider to see a specialist, your insurance plan probably pays incentives to "manage" your healthcare. Call your insurance broker or the health representative at your work for further information.)
Family Practice
Emergency Care
Here is an incision that is infected. The incision was made by an urgent care doctor. Click here to get more history and a closer view.

Pregnancy

Neurology
There is a clear answer: No, in almost all cases. It is it still covered by Workers' Compensation in California. The explanation will be fairly technical, since this is a technical question. According to the best evidence of the evidence-based literature (scientific studies that are properly designed and controlled), computer use does not increase the risk of developing CTS. Until recently, the two most referenced studies are the Mayo Clinic study (Stevens, Neurology, 2001, 56:1568-70) and the Danish study (Andersen, JAMA, 2003, 289:2963-69). The Canadian study (Watts, Can J Plastic Surgery, 2003, 11:199-201) concluded that “an extensive literature review revealed that there is minimal to no evidence to support the view that CTS should be a compensated claim.” They found that many of the decisions to cover CTS as a Workers’ Comp claim were not evidence-based (that is, based on science), but were policy-based (that is, based on governmental public policy decisions). A recent study, indicated as the Swedish study (Atroshi, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 2007, 56:3620-25), concludes that intensive keyboard use at the workplace is associated with a lower risk of CTS. The newest study (Lozano-Calderon, JHS, April 2008, 33-A: 525-538) evaluated 117 English language published articles from the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed data base regarding the etiology of CTS. This review and analysis of the literature concluded that “the etiology of CTS is largely structural, genetic and biological with environmental and occupational factors, such as repetitive hand use, playing a minor and more debatable role. There is insufficient evidence to implicate hand use of any type, typing in particular, as an important and direct cause of CTS.” At risk occupations for development of CTS include meat processors, fruit packers, aircraft and auto assembly workers and those jobs requiring prolonged vibratory equipment use. There are no studies reported that show an increased risk of CTS by typing or computer use. The current scientific and medical studies seem to verify that there is no increase in CTS among computer users versus the general population. The evidence is inadequate to implicate occupational factors in CTS.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a syndrome (a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality) that usually has as its main symptom numbness of the thumb, index finger, and long finger. The nerve that is involved is the median nerve (see illustration at right).
Epilepsy

Anxiety

MRI
This cross-section is from an MRI of one my patients. The carpal (Latin for "wrist") tunnel is a real tunnel, formed on the top by the transverse carpal ligament, which stretches from the a ridge on the trapezium (one of the bones of your wrist) to the hook of the hamate (see above), a protrusion from the hamate, another of your wrist bones. The sides are formed by the trapezium and the hamate, and the floor of the tunnel is formed by the trapezoid and capitate bones. Inside the tunnel are the tendons that go to your fingers and the median nerve, which supplies sensation to the thumb, index finger, long finger, and the radial side (thumb side) of the ring finger. It also runs the small muscles (intrinsics) of the thumb. (Just in case you wanted to know, the ulnar nerve supplies the rest of the ring finger and the little finger.)
Radiology
Wrist Radiology Demystified. Presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society for Hand Therapy; San Diego, October 20, 2012.
X-Rays
Computed Tomography
Nelson, D.L.: Accuracy of Plain Radiographs and Computed Tomography Scans in Determining Displacement in Distal Radius Fractures. Presented at the Third International Distal Radius Fracture Course, San Francisco, CA, May 8-10, 1998.

General Surgery
Dr. Nelson limits his practice to only hand surgery, and he does hand surgery full-time. This is documented here on the website, as well as on his stationery and his business card. His ad only appears under hand surgery (actually, the yellow pages has "Hand Surgery" under "Surgery, Hand") and orthopedics (his original board certification); both specify that he limits his practice to hand surgery. He does not do general orthopedics, plastic surgery, or general surgery.
Orthopedics
Board-certified in orthopedics, Dr. David Nelson is the only hand surgeon in the US to hold a membership in the International Association for the Study of Pain. Dr. Nelson has been researching post surgical pain and pain management for twenty-seven years. Here, he discusses his professional experience, his research findings, and how to approach pain management from a whole-patient perspective.
Arthroscopy
The current definitive diagnostic test is wrist arthroscopy, which allows diagnosis, staging, and for some cases, even treatment.
Joint Replacement
This is an incision for a thumb joint replacement surgery (LRTI). For a closer look and a description of the incision, click here.
Arthritis Surgery
4. Do you understand the expected, possible, as well as the unlikely outcomes of your particular surgery? Unrealistic expectations will make both you and me unhappy. For instance, the pain of arthritis in your hand will not be cured by surgery for carpal tunnel. Know exactly what your diagnosis is, what the surgery is intended to treat, and what results you can expect. For example, arthritis surgery is generally designed to DECREASE your pain, NOT ELIMINATE IT, and a fracture fixation is designed to IMPROVE YOUR BONE POSITION and INCREASE YOUR CHANCES FOR GOOD FUNCTION, it is not designed to MAKE YOUR HAND NORMAL (that is, run the clock back in time to before you had your fracture). Understand the expected, possible, and unlikely outcomes of your particular surgery. If you are not sure, write down your questions and ask me for more information.
Hand Surgery
Dr. Nelson: Yes. I was doing these studies starting twenty-seven years ago, long before we recognized we had an opioid crisis. I was interested in hand surgery and how can I manage my patients well without any pain? And one of the best ways to start for any physician is to just interview your patients after surgery and find out how they did, how much of the pain medicine they took, and did they have any pain.
Orthopedic Surgery
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 and has given a talk to the MarinHealth Medical Center on January 19, 2022. Read one of his essays, published in the national magazine of the American Association for Orthopedic Surgery.
Arthroscopy
The most common ganglions of the hand are dorsal (back side) wrist ganglions, which are outpouchings of the wrist joint capsule. They arise from the scapholunate ligament (you can see an illustration of this ligament on the Arthroscopy page, colored green, on the lower left side). Volar (front, or palm, side) wrist ganglions come from the scaphoid-trapezial-trapezoid (STT) joint. (You can see the bones of the wrist here. The trapezium and trapezoid are not labelled; they are the two small bones next to the scaphoid). The picture at the top of the page is a typical dorsal wrist ganglion, occurring at the wrist joint. They can also be on the palm side of the wrist, as seen below in an example of a volar wrist ganglion.

Plastic Surgeons

Plastic Surgery
How to Read the Wrist Radiograph. Presented at the UCSF Department of Plastic Surgery Rounds, UCSF, Davies Campus, February 20, 2007.
Breast Surgery
Does the doctor do only hand surgery, or is hand surgery something they only do occasionally or in addition to other types of surgery? You can usually find this out by asking the office receptionist. Another good way to find out how important hand surgery is to the doctor is to look at their yellow pages ad or their website: if they have a small ad in hand surgery, but a very large ad in another specialty, such as plastic surgery, you can probably guess which area of medicine is more important to them. If their website emphasizes cosmetic face or breast surgery, you can guess what is important to them. It is not your hand.
Cosmetic Surgery
I am not only Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, I have passed a Board Examination and therefore hold a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hand Surgery. I devote my entire career to taking care of only hands: I do not do cosmetic surgery, backs, etc. I only do hands. I am a true hand surgeon.

Cyst
Fungus
Nail fungus infection is a condition called onychomycosis ("onycho" refers to the nail, and "mycosis" means fungus). It is fairly common, with about 12 million Americans being affected. We all have a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, growing in and on our bodies. Some of these are absolutely essential to our health (for instance, the bacteria in our intestines that assist in digestion). Others may cause illness (infection) whenever they invade us, or only if they multiply rapidly and out of control.
Burns

Physical Therapists

Physical Therapy
I began physical therapy at the Hand Clinic on the 4th day after surgery and continued there for about 8 weeks, following the exercises prescribed. The clinic staff were excellent and I progressed very rapidly. By the end of the second week, I was able to fully work in my garden and do other chores with only an elastic "glove" over the affected area to keep it clean. At this point, 6 months after surgery, I am very pleased to have the full use of my right hand, with the affected area completely back to normal, only minimal scarring and full extension of the little finger.
Tennis Elbow
San Francisco Bay Area Hand Surgery Society, Fall Meeting, November 9, 2016, held at the Bellvue Club, Oakland; David Ring, MD, PhD: Tennis Elbow

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