About Dr. Gordon

Dr. Gordon trained in orthopaedic surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and specialized in hand surgery as a fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. After completing this training, he worked as Attending Surgeon in Hand and Microsurgery at Davies Medical Center in San Francisco. He then served as Chief of Hand Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco in the department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He held this position for 12 years before entering private practice in San Francisco and joining Post Street Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

Dr Gordon is a recognized expert in the field of hand surgery. His reputation is based on his dedication to excellence and his commitment to optimal patient care. In addition to treating standard hand surgery problems, he also provides solutions for complex traumatic and other limb threatening problems. He is on the Clinical Faculty of UCSF as an Associate Clinical Professor and he pursues many research and teaching interests.

Dr Gordon has invented many devices for use in hand surgery. Recently, he invented and developed an implant for the repair of tendons in the hand and fingers designed to simplify and strengthen these repairs. He has also described minimally-invasive incisions for tendon and other surgery in the hand. Further, Dr. Gordon is involved in developing implants and methods for ligament repair in the wrist.

He is a member of 16 professional medical societies including The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, The American Society for Surgery of the Hand, The California Medical Association, The International Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery and the LeRoy C. Abbott Orthopaedic Society. Dr. Gordon has served on the editorial board or as a reviewer for journals such as Microsurgery, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and The Lancet. He has written extensively on hand and microsurgery including 18 books or book chapters and more than 70 scientific articles. Dr Gordon has also lectured and taught nationally and internationally on many subjects in this field.

He continues an active hand surgery practice at two office locations: San Francisco and Corte Madera in Marin County. In addition to his active practice, research interests and teaching at University of California San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, he regularly travels to underserved regions of the world to provide surgical care, teach local surgeons and donate equipment. In recent years he has been part of surgical trips to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Cuba, and Trinidad and has made multiple trips to Manta and Cuenca in Ecuador.

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• CV Download
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• Publications and Lectures

  • Select publications and lectures. For a comprehensive list, please view Dr. Gordon's CV.

  • Publications
    Article: The Surface Anatomy of the Pulley System and Flexor Tendons in the Palm and Fingers with Reference to Small Transvere Mini-Incisions. Joshua A. Gordon, MD, Lindsay Stone, MD, Leonard Gordon, MD. Journal of Hand Surgery. Accepted for publication, 2011.
    
    Article: Comparison of a New Multifillament Stainless Steel Suture with Frequently Used Sutures for Flexor Tendon Repair. , E., Gordon, J., Buckley J., Gordon, L. Journal of Hand Surgery. June 2011.
    
    Book: Microsurgical Reconstruction of the Extremities. New York: Springer-Verlag (1988) Online Book

    Article: Wrist Arthroscopy Using a Shoulder Traction Boom. J. E. Budoff and L. Gordon. American Journal of Orthopedics. 2008.

  • Lectures
    New Concepts in Flexor Tendon Repair; Cadaver Dissection and Demonstration. Wake Forest, School of Medicine and Teaching Hospital. Winston Salem, NC. 2011.
    
    New Concepts in Flexor Tendon Repair. Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Stanford Hand Surgery Rounds. Menlo Park, CA. May 2011.
    
    Methods Used to Reduce the Force of Flexion Following Primary Flexor Tendon Repair. Orthopeadic Research Society. Long Beach, CA. January 2011.
    
    Multifilament Stainless Steel as a Core Suture Material in Flexor Tendon Repair. ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference. Naples, FL. June 2010.

    The Importance of the Flexor Digitorum Superficalis Tendon in Tendon Repair: An Analysis of Anatomy Strength. 55th Annual LeRoy C. Abbott Society Scientific Program and 31st Annual Verne T. Inman Lectureship. San Francisco, CA. May 2010.

    In Situ Comparison of a New Flexor Tendon Repair Using Multifilament Stainless Steel Suture with the Savage Technique. Orthopaedic Research Society. New Orleans, LA. March 2010.

    Issues in Flexor Tendor Repairs. American Society of Hand Therapists, Bay Area Chapter. San Francisco, CA. December 2009

    Current Issues of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. HealthOne 17th Annual Symposium. San Francisco, CA. August 2008.

• Medical Legal Services

  • In addition to doing clinical and surgical work, Dr. Gordon also serves as an experienced medical-legal evaluator. He is a Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) for the State of California and frequently renders opinions in connection with Workers' Compensation or personal-injury claims. Dr. Gordon frequently aids in the capacity of an Agreed Medical Examiner (AME).

• Philanthropy

  • Dr. Gordon is actively involved with Operation Rainbow, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to performing free orthopaedic surgeries for underserved children and adults in developing countries worldwide who may not have access to advanced medical procedures or equipment. His most recent work with Operation Rainbow took place in Manta, Ecuador.

    He has been part of surgical missions to Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Trinidad.

    For more information, please visit www.operationrainbow.org.

• Patient Testimonials

  • From Marilyn B. on Yelp:
    Last summer I went to see Dr. Gordon with a painful, post-op hand I believed would never work again. Three weeks after surgery I had been told that the surgery failed.

    Dr. Gordon changed the splint to one that eliminated my pain and started me in a hand therapy program that resulted in almost full use of the hand. From the beginning he made me feel that this problem would be resolved and I would be okey…a very important piece in health care when injury seems destined to result in a disability and you are fighting depression as well as injury.

  • How a Four-Year-Old's Arm Is Saved - Israel B. from Salinas
    On Thanksgiving eve, November 1995, four-year-old Israel B. was playing with his friends near his home in Salinas. When he ran into the street after one of them, he was struck by a passing van, which ran over his arm, leaving it severely crushed and nearly amputated.

    Emergency medical technicians who arrived at the scene believed the arm would in fact require amputation. Israel was rushed to the local emergency department, and from there to California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. There, to save the boy's arm, Dr. Leonard Gordon undertook a very rare microsurgical procedure, one that had seldom been performed on a child so young. It required revascularization of the nearly amputated arm, followed by transplantation of a muscle from Israel's leg to provide finger movement. Veins from the leg were used to connect the very small arteries, and grafting of the nerves of the hand and fingers was done to enable their function.

    After three separate microsurgical procedures and months of hand therapy, Israel made a nearly complete recovery.

    Today, Israel fully uses both his arms. He rides his bicycle, plays with his five brothers and sisters, and once again is the goalie for his school soccer team. "After seeing what the van did," Israel's mother says, "it seems a miracle that he has the use of his arm again and can live the life of a normal, healthy child."

  • A Mountain Climber's Triumph over Frostbite - Robert from San Francisco
    I suffered frostbite on all ten digits of my hands while climbing in Nepal in May 2000," recounts Robert, a world-class adventurer and mountain climber. (For the sake of anonymity, he has asked to be referred to here by first name only.)

    "The causes were a faulty oxygen regulator, high altitude, exposure, wind, and cold, and my injuries were exacerbated by continued bad weather, which delayed my evacuation by six days.

    "Upon returning home to San Francisco (I remember it was a Friday evening in June), I contacted my personal physician, Dr. Randolph Chase, and told him about my injuries. He mentioned Dr. Leonard Gordon, a hand surgeon he claimed to be the best in the country, and arranged for me to meet with him the following Monday.

    "I honestly don't recall too much of that first meeting with Dr. Gordon, as I was still somewhat in shock and denial over what had happened. I do remember his friendly smile and eyes, however, and having the feeling that I was in good hands, so to speak. He drew some diagrams showing what the surgeries on my fingers would entail, but I really couldn't focus on what he was saying. As I left his office and walked home, I was depressed, but I sensed that I was very fortunate to have been referred to him.

    "The next day I was still in denial, so I made plans to fly to Alaska and visit with a frostbite specialist in Anchorage, Alaska. The specialist, Dr. James O'Malley, basically reiterated everything Dr. Gordon had said to me and drew diagrams that looked quite similar to what Dr. Gordon had drawn. During my time in Alaska, I made as many medical inquiries as possible about Dr. Gordon; those who knew of him gave extremely positive recommendations.

    "When I went to see Dr. Gordon the following week, he started to outline what the initial surgery on my left hand would entail. Even though I went into his office knowing that surgery would be necessary, I began to feel faint as he talked about the procedure. Fortunately, Dr. Gordon has a small bed in his office, so I was able to move from my chair onto the bed before my legs gave out.

    "Although I knew I had some very unpleasant days ahead of me, I also had a strong feeling that I could not be with a better doctor throughout the process.

    On June 27, 2000, Dr. Gordon performed surgery on my left hand. I was terrified and almost canceled my appointment that morning. It was therefore very comforting that, as I lay in the waiting room before going in, Dr. Gordon came in to say hello.

    "The worst part of the surgery for me were those few moments before I 'went under' from the anesthesia. I felt as though I were spinning, and it seemed as if paint were coming down from the ceiling. A Hall and Oates song happened to be playing on someone's radio in the operating room, and for some reason that particular mid-'70s pop song unsettled me.

    "When I came to, I was in pain, but it was manageable. I cannot overstate that it meant everything to have Dr. Gordon come up to me right then and let me know the operation had gone very well.

    "A neighbor of mine picked me up and drove me home. I ordered a pizza, took my prescribed medications, and actually slept quite well that evening. There was pain for the next few days, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The medication helped.

    "The hardest aspect was emotional. My mother insisted on flying to San Francisco to be with me; against my pleas for her to stay home, she arrived the day after the surgery. I really couldn't talk with her about what happened on the mountain and what I had been going through since climbing back down to base camp. When I tried to, I broke down. I just didn't want her to see me in such a state.

    "I was more relaxed when I next went in for surgery, on my right hand, in late July (although I had briefly considered taking flight and calling in sick shortly beforehand). As with the first operation, Dr. Gordon took the time to explain the procedure and answer my questions. The anesthesia 'took' much better this time-the room didn't spin and the paint didn't 'fall.'

    The other godsend of the summer was Hand Therapy of San Francisco. After my first session with Dr. Gordon, he introduced me to my primary therapist-to-be, Nathalie Delsaer, one of the kindest and most thoughtful individuals I have ever encountered. She practices what I think of as 'tough love' on my fingers. After a session with Nathalie, my fingers would hurt, but it was a good hurt. (As the months have gone by, I've also been treated-and nurtured-by an incredibly talented group of therapists, headed by Pam Silverman.)

    As I look at my fingers today, I'm enormously grateful for what I have. I have ten functioning digits that are getting stronger and healthier every day. Yes, I lost the ends of several of my fingers, but Dr. Gordon did an absolutely unbelievable job in saving so much of what is presently typing away on my computer. I'm still trying to figure out how he was able to save so much.

    "I'm back to doing-and treasuring-so many activities that I never really thought about: cooking (still poorly); bathing; writing; reading; driving.

    "While I'm not exactly back to climbing at a 5.10 level (some friends would suggest I never did), I can walk, hike, run, and bike with the same abandon.

    "For the past month, I've had a near-daily ritual of riding my bike over the Golden Gate Bridge, up and over the Marin Headlands, and down to Point Bonita.

    "As I'm flying down Conzelman Road, I'm yelling with joy. It's so simple, and it means so much.

    "I will always be so grateful to Dr. Gordon and Hand Therapy."

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  • A Writer Regains the User of Her Hands after Years of Arthritis - Helen Page from San Francisco
    Things started to get better for me the day I realized I couldn't button my raincoat," says writer Helen Page.

    "Arthritis in both of my thumbs, which had made simple tasks merely painful, now made them impossible. I had put off seeing a hand surgeon as recommended by my orthopedist because I was terrified of having hand surgery-the 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't know' mindset. But when I couldn't dress myself, I had no choice, and made an appointment with Dr. Gordon. That was two years and two surgeries ago.

    "Being able to knit again may not seem like much to crow about, but a dozen years ago I was thinking of marketing my handmade sweaters. Then I started dropping the needles and shrieking from the pain in my hands, and had to stop knitting altogether.

    "Before my surgeries, I had to roll up the sleeves on my blouses and jackets because I couldn't stand the pressure of the fabric on my wrists. I closed the drawer on my collection of bracelets and sport watches because I couldn't stand them touching my skin. I was helpless if I needed to sew a button on my clothes, because I couldn't hold the needle. Pain woke me up in the middle of the night. Driving any distance was impossible because I couldn't grip the steering wheel for very long. And I would shrink in panic if someone wanted to shake my hand.

    "I'm a food writer, and cooking is a passion as well as a profession, but I was having trouble slicing vegetables and peeling potatoes, to say nothing of carting groceries into my kitchen and working at the computer. I was on the verge of losing my livelihood.

    "But as I said, that was before my 'anchovies,' as the surgery that saved my hands is called. Surgery is not fun, and I wouldn't recommend it except as a last resort.

    The aftermath of the first surgery was painful, and rehab involved intense physical therapy and exercises at home for many months. Dr. Gordon had removed a bone from my thumb joint and rerouted tendons to create a new joint. Not exactly like fixing a hangnail. I had never heard of anyone having this procedure, and at times I regretted my decision, fearing, on days I couldn't even hold a piece of paper, that I might never regain the use of my hand.

    "That I had my left hand operated on the first time is a testament to the confidence I had in the doctor who recommended the procedure. That I trusted my right hand to Dr. Gordon is a testament to my faith in and admiration of him.

    "Simply said, he gave me my hands back.

    "Now, six months after my second surgery, I'm knitting again. I can prepare a complicated meal without suffering any pain. I wear my jewelry and shake hands without giving it a second thought. As I look back on my before and after, I realize that the discomfort and inconvenience of the surgeries was a small price to pay for regaining the use of my hands. I consider Dr. Gordon a miracle worker, and I don't say that lightly.

    "I hope I never have to have surgery on my hands again, but if I do, he is the only person I would trust them to."

    Helen Cassidy Page is a coauthor of The Stanford University Healthy Heart Cookbook & Life Plan.

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  • The Diagnosis and Treatment that Save a Violin Maker's Seriously Injured Finger - Allen Droyan from San Francisco
    Before I went to study violin making in the early '70s in Cremona, Italy," Allan Droyan says, "I was in casual apprenticeship with an instrument maker, Boyd Poulsen, in San Mateo (California).

    "I went off to Italy and studied for a couple of years, and when I returned he offered me a job in his shop. I made a two-year commitment and worked for him doing repair work.

    "After that I went on my own and set up my own shop, specializing in acoustic double-bass repair. It was sort of an instant business because Boyd had passed on all his bass work to me, repairing and restoring basses. It was an incredible opportunity for a young maker starting out on his own.

    Five years ago, I was doing some work on a table saw and it was lunchtime and I was rushing. I needed to cut a few small pieces of wood, and I had one more piece to cut. I knew I shouldn't do it, but I did.

    "For a split second my attention was diverted and I pushed my finger into the saw, splitting the finger in half lengthwise about a third of the way, to the first knuckle of the middle finger of my right hand.

    "I also was doing some commercial acting at this time in my life, and the first thought that came to me was, 'G------it, I'm not going to be able to do any hand commercials!' I was furious with myself because I had no one to blame but me.

    "So somebody in the shop took me over to the nearest emergency room. I was angry the whole time, I wasn't scared. I knew I was going to lose half the finger for sure.

    "I was thinking, 'I'm going to have to explain to people what happened.' All the vanity issues came up. Here I was, a fine craftsman, a violin maker, and I wasn't thinking, 'Am I going to be able to work?' I was worrying, 'Am I going to have to hide my hand?'

    "So we went to the emergency room, and they called some young intern surgeon. He took a look at the finger and said, 'Well... you've lost your blood supply to the finger, you've also lost the nerve to the finger, and you've destroyed the first knuckle, so we're going to have to cut the finger off.'

    "And there was an emergency-room doctor there, a young woman, and the intern was describing to her how to cut the finger off and leave a flap and sew it up, and I was listening. And after he explained to her how to do it, he left.

    "In walked another doctor, who was the head of the emergency room. And he said to me, 'I happened to be listening outside the room.' (In the course of the conversation I had mentioned that I was a violin maker, so they knew what I did for a living.)

    "So he said, 'I overheard your conversation. Given the work that you do, it would be a shame to lose that finger. You've got eight hours before you need to make a decision about this. I just got in touch with one of the best hand surgeons in the country, and he's willing to see you if you're willing to get over to the hospital where he is.'

    "I said sure. The friend who was with me got me over there, and Dr. Gordon met me in the emergency room. He took a look at the finger and said, 'No problem.'

    "It turned out that because I had cut the finger lengthwise, I hadn't actually cut off the blood supply. He told me that in fact the blood supply runs along the side of your finger, not across it.

    "I went into surgery that day, and what he did was, he took a piece of my hip bone and implanted it in the finger. I lost the joint-they couldn't repair that-it was shattered-but they put a piece of bone from my hip into the finger to replace the joint. And saved my finger.

    "It was about six to eight weeks before I could think of doing anything. Fortunately, I'm left handed, so in my work my right hand was used just for gripping.

    "Today the finger is a little numb at the tip and I am not able to bend it at the joint. Although my grip is not quite what it was before the injury, I have found that my hand has learned to compensate. And I have my finger."

    Allan Droyan is proprietor of the String Bass Shop, located in Fort Bragg, California. His instruments (violins and violas) are played by musicians across the country, some of them in the San Jose Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Droyan later crafted a violin for Dr. Gordon's younger son.

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  • A Young Woman's Life Is Saved When a Hand Cyst Turns Out to Be Cancer
    It was August of 1997 when interior-design student Sabrina Bronson came to see Dr. Gordon. She was 19 years old and about to enter her second year of college.

    At 18 she had discovered a small lump in her left hand, located next to her little finger. Initially, she and her family thought it was a cyst, but when it began to grow, they became concerned. Her mother, Dr. Gordon's hair stylist, mentioned it to him, and he suggested that Sabrina come and see him about it. Soon after, she flew up from San Diego to meet with him.

    Dr. Gordon, too, thought it was a cyst, and Sabrina decided to go in for surgery.

    Following surgery, Sabrina woke up, surprised to find the lump still there. Dr. Gordon reported to her that when he had gone into her hand to do the surgery, he saw immediately that the lump was not a cyst but in fact a tumor. Rather than disturb it, he had done a biopsy instead.

    Approximately one week later Sabrina got her results back: It was cancer.

    Dr. Gordon then referred Sabrina to an oncologist, Dr. Alan Kramer, and made ongoing observations of the tumor as Sabrina progressed through chemotherapy and radiation. After the tumor shrank sufficiently, it needed to be removed so that it could not spread. Very likely she would lose a good deal of her hand.

    "Somehow," Sabrina says, "Dr. Gordon worked magic, and I didn't lose my hand. Only the one finger was removed."

    With hand therapy, Sabrina recovered most of the movement in her hand. Recovery time was quick, she says, taking "only about a couple of months until my hand was fine and I was back to normal." Significantly, she has had no recurrence of the cancer.

    "Basically, Dr. Gordon saved my life," she says. "If the tumor had been disturbed during that first operation, it would have spread throughout my body. I was very lucky, because I don't believe most doctors would have recognized the tumor for what it was."

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