Dr. Richard Gelberman | Hand Surgeon | Washington University Orthopedics

Fellowship trained in hand surgery, microsurgery, and children's orthopaedics, and the author of more than 275 manuscripts. He is the recipient of the Kappa Delta, Nicolas Andry, Emanuel Kaplan and Sumner Koch awards for Orthopaedic Surgery research. Dr. Gelberman served as the Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine from 1995-2014. In the past, he has served as the Director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chairman of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Council on Education and President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He is also a former president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2003, Dr. Gelberman was elected to the Institute of Medicine, a component of the National Academy of Sciences that deals with a broad range of health policy issues. He is past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand and recent past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Common Diagnoses Treated

Carpal instability
Congenital hand problems
Fractures of the hand and wrist; Ligamentous injuries of the hand and wrist
Nerve compression
Nerve laceration
Rheumatoid arthritis
Tendon injuries

Common Procedures

Fractures and ligamentous injuries of the hand
Fractures of the radius and carpus
Operative reconstructive procedures of the wrist
Reconstruction of the rheumatoid hand and wrist
Tendon and nerve repair

Clinical Office Locations

Dr. Gelberman is not accepting new patients.

Hospital Affiliations

Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Shriners Hospital for Children
St. Louis Children's Hospital

Academic Office Mailing Address

Washington University School of Medicine

Campus Box 8233

660 Euclid Avenue

Saint Louis, MO 63110

Patient Education

Hand & Wrist patient education

Patient Resources

Patient Forms

Click here for patient forms.

Katz JN, Gelberman, RH, Wright, EA, Lew, RA, Liang, MH. Responsiveness of Self-Reported and Objective Measures of Disease Severity in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Medical Care, Volume 32:11:1127-1133, 1994
Wintman B, Gelberman RH, Katz JN. Dynamic Scapholunate Instability: Results of Operative Treatment with Dorsal Capsulodesis. J Hand Surg. 20A:6:971-979, 1995.
Cole RJ, Bindra RR, Eck K, Evanoff BA, Gilula L, Yamaguchi K, Gelberman RH. Radiographic Evaluation of Osseous Displacement Following Intra-articular Fractures of the Distal Radius: Reliability of Plain Radiography Versus Computerized Tomography. J Hand Surg. 22A:5;792-800, 1997.
Catalano LW, Cole RJ, Gelberman RH, Evanoff BA, Bane R, Gilula LA, Borrelli J. Displaced Intra-articular Fractures of the Distal Aspect of the Radius. J Bone Joint Surg. 79A:9;1290-1302, 1997.
Patel VP, Heidenreich FP, Bindra RR, Yamaguchi K, Gelberman RH. Morphological Changes in the Ulnar Nerve at the Elbow with Flexion and Extension. J Shoulder/Elbow Surg. 7:368-372, 1998.
Winters S, Gelberman RH, Woo SL-Y, Chan SS, Grewal R, Seiler JG. The Effects of Multiple Strand Suture Methods on the Strength and Excursion of Repaired Intrasynovial Flexor Tendons. J Hand Surg. 23A;1:97-104, 1998.
Gelberman RH, Yamaguchi K, Hollstien SB, Winn SS, Heidenreich FP, Bindra RR, Hsieh P, Silva MJ. Changes in Interstitial Pressure and Cross-Sectional Area of the Cubital Tunnel and of the Ulnar Nerve with Flexion of the Elbow. J Bone Joint Surg. 80A;492-501, 1998.
Hwang JJ, Goldfarb CA, Gelberman RH, Boyer MI. The Effect of Dorsal Carpal Ganglion Excision on the Scaphoid Shift Test. J Hand Surg. (Br.) 24B:106-108, 1999.
Gelberman RH, Boyer MI, Brodt MD, Winters SC, Silva MJ. The Effect of Gap Formation at the Repair Site on the Strength and Excursion of Intrasynovial Flexor Tendons: An Experimental Study on the Early Stages of Tendon Healing in Dogs. J Bone Joint Surg 81A:975-982, 1999.
Gelberman RH: The Academy on the Edge: Taking Charge of our Future. J Bone Joint Surg 83-A:946-950, 2001.
Silva MJ, Boyer MI, Ditsios K, Burns, ME, Harwood, FL, Amiel D, Gelberman RH: The Insertion Site of the Canine Flexor Digitorum Profundus Tendon Heals Slowly Following Injury and Suture Repair. J Ortho Res 20:447-453, 2002.
Ditsios K, Boyer MI, Gelberman RH, Silva MJ: Bone loss following tendon laceration, repair and immobilization. J Ortho Res 21:990-996, 2003.
Ditsios K, Leversedge FJ, Gelberman RH, Silva MJ, Boyer MI: Neovascularization of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon after avulsion injury: An In-Vivo Canine Study. J Hand Surg 28:231-236, 2003.
Thomopoulos S, Harwood FL, Silva MJ, Amiel D, Gelberman RH: Effect of specific growth factors on canine flexor tendon fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in vitro. J Hand Surg 30A:441-47, 2005.
Silva MJ, Thomopoulos S, Kusano N, Zaegel MA, Harwood FL, Matsukai H, Havlioglu N, Dovan TT, Amiel D, Gelberman R: Early healing of flexor tendon insertion site injuries: Tunnel repair is mechanically and histologically inferior to surface repair in a canine model. J Orthop Res 24(5):990-1000, 2006.
Carlan DE, Pratt JA, Patterson JMM, Weiland AJ, Boyer MI, Gelberman RH. The radial nerve in the brachium: An anatomic study in human cadavera. J Hand Surg 32A:1177-1182, 2007.
Thomopoulos, S, Matsuzaki H, Zaegel M, Gelberman RH, Silva MJ: Alendronate prevents bone loss and improves tendon-to-bone repair strength in a canine model. J Orthop Res 25(4):473-479, 2007.
Thomopoulos S, Zaegel M, Das R, Harwood, F, Silva MJ, Amiel D, Sakiyama-Elbert S, Gelberman RH: PDGF-BB released in tendon repair using a novel delivery system promotes cell proliferation and collagen remodeling. J Orthop Res 25:1358-1368, 2007.
Matsuzaki H, Zaegel MA, Gelberman RH, Silva MJ: Effect of suture material and bone quality on the mechanical properties of Zone I flexor tendon-bone reattachment with bone anchors. J Hand Surg 33A:709-717, 2008

Research Interests

Tendon repair, carpal instability, peripheral nerve repair and peripheral nerve compression

Clinical Interests

All conditions of the hand and wrist in adults. Special interests include traumatic and degenerative conditions of the hand and wrist, fractures of the carpus and radius, tendon and nerve injuries, and wrist deformities due to rheumatoid arthritis.

Background

Fellowship trained in hand surgery, microsurgery, and children's orthopaedics, and the author of more than 275 manuscripts. He is the recipient of the Kappa Delta, Nicolas Andry, Emanuel Kaplan, Sumner Koch, and Marshall Urist Awards for Orthopaedic Surgery research. Dr. Gelberman served as the Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine from 1995-2014. In the past, he has served as the Director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chairman of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Council on Education and President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He is also a former president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2003, Dr. Gelberman was elected to the Institute of Medicine, a component of the National Academy of Sciences that deals with a broad range of health policy issues. He is past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand and recent past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Board Certifications

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1976
Certificate of Added Qualifications (hand surgery). Recertified, 2007

Medical Degree

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine

Residency

Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Wisconsin

Fellowship

Pediatric Orthopaedics, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard University
Hand & Microvascular Surgery, Duke University Medical Center

Honors and Awards:

1983 Emanuel Kaplan Award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
1985 Elizabeth Winston Lanier/Kappa Delta Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society
1989 Nicolas Andry Award for Orthopaedic Research from the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons
1989 Sumner Koch Award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
1989 Elizabeth Winston Lanier/Kappa Delta Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society
1990-91 Teacher of the Year Award, Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program
1994-99 Chairman of the Council on Education, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
1996 Marshall Urist Award for Research from the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons
1996-99 Director, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
1997 Emanuel Kaplan Award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
2001 President, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
2003 Julia M. Bruner Award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
2003 Elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences
2005 Teacher of the Year Palma Chironis Award from Washington University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
2006 President, American Society for Surgery of the Hand
2007 Emanuel Kaplan Award for Anatomic Excellence from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
2008 Distinguished Clinician Educator Award from the American Orthopaedic Association
2013 Carl and Gerty Cori Award for Faculty Achievement from Washington University
2016 Founders Distinguished Faculty Award from Washington University
2016 American Orthopaedic Association's Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedic Surgery

Washington University Orthopedics

Richard Gelberman, MD