David L Nelson, MD

Greenbrae, United States

4.1

15 reviews

By Appointment Only

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Telephone:
+1 415-925-0501
Website:
www.DavidLNelson.MD
Address:
1363 S Eliseo Dr, Greenbrae, CA, 94904
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Bussiness info

By Appointment Only
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Greenbrae) 13:46 Sunday, 1 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

I am both a Board-​Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and a Board-​Certified Hand Surgeon. I devote 100% of my practice to hand surgery and my only office is in Greenbrae, in central Marin county, so I am always available to see you locally. My website, www​.DavidL​Nel​son​.MD, has more than 50 webpages devoted to helping patients understand their hand condition. Please feel free to download pages from my website, or from the Internet in general, and bring them in with you. Empowerment of the patient through education is a central part of my practice. I never overbook our patients, usually seeing only 16 patients per day. This allows me to see patients on a timely basis (we try very hard to prevent you from waiting) and gives you enough time so that you can ask questions, learn about your diagnosis and your options. My entire staff prides itself in giving you personal, compassionate care. Read the website or give us a call, and I think you will feel our emphasis on giving you great service.

Meet the Business Owner

DrNelso N.

Business Owner

I hold degrees in electronic engineering (BS) and the philosophy of science (MA), and brought the strengths of those backgrounds to both my medical education and my scientific research. My medical school was George Washington, in Washington, DC, my orthopedic training was at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, and I did two years of hand surgery research (tendons) at the Orthopedic Research Laboratory at Case Western. I did my hand surgery fellowship at Washington University, St Louis. My first position was with the UCSF, where I finished as the Head of the Hand Surgery Division. I moved my practice to Marin in 1993, to be able to provide a level of personal care I could not provide within the University setting. I remain active in the academic world of hand surgery, doing research, teaching, writing scholarly articles and book chapters, as well serving as an assistant editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery and teaching at the national Hand Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery meetings.

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15 reviews of David L Nelson, MD

No registration required
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
Steer clear! As a medical professional myself, I believe this man is truly ‘unbalanced’ and should not be in practice. He was rude, demeaning, dismissive, and extremely unprofessional. I’ve never EVER been treated so badly by any physician. At one point he stuck a syringe deep into the middle of my palm, and I sucked in a breath — he then let go of the syrnge (still stuck into my palm) and berated me for «acting like a hysterical child» (I am 65) This man needs to retire and pursue getting some professional help. He seems to have an ax to grind with women. Really, steer clear. Can’t believe he is still allowed to practice. Oh — and after I saw a physician who truly knew his stuff, turns out Nelson’s diagnosis was completely wrong.
Place rating: 5
Sonoma, CA
Dr. David L Nelson is an exemplary physician in all respects. One of the things which truly impressed me about him is that shortly after I called to make my initial appointment he called me back to discuss my situation/​problem while at a local hospital waiting for his wife to recover from surgery. An immediate callback from any physician in this day and age is quite rare, and that he did so while tending to his own wife’s medical issues was above and beyond the call of duty.
Dr. Nelson takes the time to understand his patients and to explain to them their condition and how he plans to treat it. He also has a great website with a lot of useful information and is active in local organizations for hand physicians/​therapists. He’s full of energy, loves his job, and loves his patients. You can’t ask for better in this day and age of corporate, insurance company-​driven medicine.
Place rating: 5
Larkspur, CA
Excellent hand surgeon. Very nice person and dedicated to his profession. He is passionate about helping people. Very high standards. I’d recommend my Mother to this man! j. shelhart Larkspur Ca.
Place rating: 5
Novato, CA
Dr Nelson was very helpful with my injury. He immediately knew what was wrong with my hand and quickly treated it with antibiotics. Less than a day later, I was already feeling so much better! He is extremely experienced and made me feel very comfortable. Very nice guy and a great doctor!
Place rating: 5
Larkspur, CA
I found Dr. Nelson after a work accident left me with a fully lacerated tendon on my right hand. The workman’s comp insurance my job had, sent me to another doctor, Kimberly Henry whom I felt just wanted to get my on the operating table so she can collect the money. I wanted Dr. Nelson! He and his secretaries spent the next few days calling every person at the Sate Fund Insurance, and finally convinced them to pay for the insurance even though Dr. Nelson was considered out of network. I truly believe if they hadn’t done this I might not have been able to use my right hand ever again. I had the surgery at Marin General. The whole time I felt I was being taken care of. With the exception of the nerves I had since this was my first surgery, Dr. Nelson and everyone else in the OR made me feel like I was in good hands. I only missed four days of work after the surgery and two months later I am 95% healed. I am back to doing everything I was doing before the accident. Dr. Nelson is the most amazing doctor I have ever had treatment from. He knows what he is talking about and will explain it to the patient in laymen’s terms. Every time I would see him, he did made sure I had no new concerns or pain. He would allow me to ask any question and make sure I felt comfortable in his care.
I don’t know what some of the other reviewers experience was, but I can tell you Dr. Nelson cares about making sure his patients are back to their fully functioning self. He encourages his patients to go to his website and look at his research in hand surgery. I don’t know about anyone else, but to me a doctor continuing his education is about as important as the degree on his wall.
Place rating: 5
Mill Valley, CA
Dr. Nelson has been wonderful in taking care of our four year old son’s broken arm. He was the one who came to the ER when the other orthopedic doctor «on call» wouldn’t. He worked patiently with our little guy doing three resettings over two hours with great attention to his pain and overall fear. Each of our follow-​up appointments has been more confidence-​inspiring. He has been consistently on time, professional, clear, and is obviously very experienced and skilled in treating these injuries. Our son’s injury and fear have been completely treated under his care — Dr. Nelson has earned our unequivocal gratitude, respect and confidence!
Place rating: 5
Mill Valley, CA
I saw Dr. Nelson after I fractured my hand during a vacation hiking mishap in Hawaii.
He was very professional, took the time to explain my options for treatment and was respectful of my choice. I have been going back for follow-​up every week and he sees me on time and doesn’t rush through the visit, which is great. My questions and concerns are always fully addressed and I can recommend him without hesitation.
Place rating: 3
Fairfax, CA
david is a nice guy and i enjoyed him .he help me in the emergency room and gave me great advise and was kind enough to give my son and i a ride to my car, because i was driven to the emergency room
Place rating: 5
Mill Valley, CA
Dr. Nelson did Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery on my right hand on the 16th of December, 2011. Today is the 21st of December. I could not be more please with every aspect of the care that I have received from Dr.Nelson. I have had no pain at all. He explained every detail of Carpal Tunnel, the surgery procedure and the post surgery care of my hand. When I have called him with, he either answers the phone or returns my call promptly
When I was at Marin General, where the surgery was done, several times I was told that, «Dr. Nelson is an excellent surgeon», by the staff that assisted with the surgery. My Personal Physician also has a high professional opinion of Dr.Nelson.
I have read some of the reviews on Unilocal,and do not think that they are accurate at all! To begin with, the vocabulary in 2 of the reviews are similair. I really question if these reviews are legitimate.
Dr. Nelson really cares about what he does professionally as a surgeon and a Doctor.
Place rating: 5
Kentfield, CA
Dr. Nelson was very attentive and sensitive regarding my injury/​infection. He made a decisive and coordinated action plan for my problem which included coordination with a plastic surgeon and infectious disease doctor. His website is very informative and was an especially helpful reference prior to surgery and thereafter. His post op pain therapy was tremendously effective. At the inception of every visit he asks for feedback on a form which he reviews as he is seeing you. He obviously cares for his patients and sincerely wants to insure their questions and concerns are addressed.
His office staff is also very helpful and sincere.
Place rating: 5
San Rafael, CA
Dr. Nelson is fantastic! He is attentive, compassionate, knowledgeable, meticulous, pragmatic, friendly and diligent in caring for his patients. He will go the extra mile to help you achieve a better quality of life and his care is all-​encompassing. He is willing to bridge the gap between any and all your providers to ensure that everyone, including the patient, is doing their very best to ensure that the optimal results are reached. My only wish would be for Dr. Nelson to be my primary care physician, because he’s someone you can truly trust with your health and well-​being. He’s a real gem and I am very grateful for having the privilege to be under his care.
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
Rude! Rude! Rude! Does not listen, just wants to hear himself talk. He gets irritated if you ask questions. I left with no insight into my problem or how to address it.
Place rating: 5
Greenbrae, CA
I returned from a trip to Europe where I had cut my thumb, but had not seen a doctor. I knew something wasn’t quite right, so I called Dr. Nelson’s office the day I returned. I had never met him or had reason to contact him, but had heard good things about him. He returned my call and had me come in immediately (that day) and diagnosed a lacerated tendon. He cleared his schedule to do surgery the next day (time is of the essence in this type of injury). The information on his website and the thorough briefing he gave me before surgery allayed my fears and gave me abundant clarity about the injury, the aftercare, and the prognosis. I am now two months out from surgery, and although my thumb and hand are still healing, as you can see, I’m typing and doing most normal things. He is great doctor with a very reassuring bedside manner. I feel so grateful that he and his staff acted so quickly and took care of me so well.
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
After an injury to my hand which caused my hand to bruise another doctor gave me his name and I booked an appointment. This appointment was one of the worst experiences I have had. Dr. Nelson did not listen to symptoms as described. He had a dismissive and overbearing style. Later when I read the visit notes I saw that there was inaccurate reporting. As soon as he learned I was not interested in having surgery, he became very cold, and implied it was «all in my head.» In contrast, I went to to another clinic which determined a ligament injury was the cause of the problem, and helped regain my range of motion. I would never go back to Dr. Nelson, and if asked would warn others to keep far, far away.
Place rating: 5
Fairfax, CA
Not only is he a good a surgeon, he listens to his patients, even when you are late (oops!). He dedicated ample time to explaining my condition, the procedure he proposed to treat it and guided me through every step of the treatment. He treats you like an equal, like a partner, the way it should be, so different from other physicians that pretend to be listening and are thinking about who-​knows-​what… or think that you won’t be able to understand what is going on and do not «waste» their time getting to know you as a whole person.
His assistents are kind and proffesional.
By the way, my hand is great!