Leonard Gordon, MD

No bedside manner at all! It was such a disappointing experience, I cannot recommend at all. Good news was they fit us in but we spent about 2 minutes with him only to be told– you need surgery. No explanation of what would be done, options, risk or benefits. Told his assistant on the way out «book it for tomorrow» and left the room, said he would explain at the surgery. No way! He is a business machine and makes money the more surgery he does–
We saw another AMAZING MD who spent time with us to explain, give options, draw pictures, discuss and that is what all patients should get.
Avoid Dr. Gordon.

No respect for patient’s time. Waited 45 minutes after my appointment time with no knowledge of when he would be available. AVOID

I am so grateful to have found Dr. Gordon. My surgery was a success and I’m really pleased with the results. I was told by another surgeon that he couldn’t help me without putting in a metal post which would have taken away my mobility. Dr. Gordon saved my full range of motion. He is a top-​notch surgeon and his staff are all very helpful, friendly and polite. I highly recommend this office. They are conveniently located on Sutter at Divisadero.

I tore my scapholunate ligament in my right wrist. After seeing 4 other hand specialists and having Dr Gordon go over the pros and cons of the the wide varying treatment opinions, I chose to work with him. I am extremely grateful for Dr Gordon for trying to keep the greatest range of motion. It’s been a very long process and Dr Gordon and his staff have been fantastic.

Dr. Gordon & his office staff are great! I was misdiagnosed for 7 months prior to seeing Dr. Gordon. I got immediate diagnosis & care. I had numerous check ups & 2 surgeries on my wrist. The end result couldnt be any better! Im so glad I found this wonderful team!
I highly reccommend Dr. Gordon! I had a difficult situation (kienbocks disease) and it was a breeze for him. Im back to work now & all is good. Great doctor, great staff, great care!

He is friendly enough for a surgeon but that’s where the good stuff ends. I went to him for a second opinion following a DeQuervain release I had done by another physician (Dr. Kyle Bickel, horrible bedside manner but that’s another story). First of all he barely examined me, maybe 5 minutes tops, he then told me that he doesn’t like following patients that had their surgery done by another doctor (because of course other doctor got the ‘real money’ for the surgery). I should have known then but since it’s worker’s comp and the SF bay area has NO good hand surgeons I felt I didn’t really have many options. He basically never minded every complaint I had, and basically told me there was nothing he could do… despite the audible click heard over my thumb every time I open my hand. Then he sent me to the most ancient hand therapist on the planet, I swear I’ve never seen a therapist office that old! I let him (not) care for my thumb for about 6 months before I gave up. This was about 6 years ago, the clicking is louder and my hand still hurts but it’s getting better with hands-​on PT to workout the scar tissue and crepitus. I was told by several physical therapist (after the fact) that it seems like the surgery Dr Bickle did made my thumb too loose, not Gordon’s fault but it would have been nice to be given some direction. Save yourself the headache!

My initial appointment with Dr. Gordon was very pleasant. I found him to be sensitive to my hand problem and informative in his recommendation. He answered all my questions and I left very satisfied. I feel confident I am in good hands. His staff is very professional, welcoming and friendly. Yes, the wait was a bit long, but I feel that is to be expected these days. The office was warm and comfortable, so the wait was more a time to just sit and relax. I feel very comfortable going to the next stage of treatment — surgery — and from past experience know that the Post Street Surgical team will take care of me completely.

After I filled out the necessary forms and information they needed for a new «patient,» I waited about 40 minutes past my appointment time before I was ushered into «the smaller room,» where I waited about 10 minutes to be seen by an assistant of some sort, who suggested that x-​rays would probably be taken for my sore thumb. About 20 minutes later, Dr. Gordon entered the room. He was a nice enough man, but we talked for all of five minutes before I was told just to rest the thumb. Nothing was prescribed, no tests or x-​rays were done. A couple of weeks later, I received a bill for $ 430 (before insurance), of which I was responsible for $ 142, plus my original co-​pay of $ 35. The billing description was «new patient/​high complexity.»
What a joke! When I called to decipher just how I had been charged this much for, really, a lot of waiting and very little care, I was told, basically, that because of insurance, they had to bill as high as possible. I will never go back to this office and I suggest those with similar issues avoid Dr. Gordon’s office as well.

I’m an aspiring tennis player who needs to play over 4hrs a day, 6 days a week, workout at least 3 – 4 times per week, and participate in competitive tournaments against world ranked individuals almost every weekend. To make my situation a little more interesting I have a one-​handed backhand as well, which puts even more pressure on my wrist all the time.
I was diagnosed with stage 3a/​b Kienbocks disease, and was told that I couldn’t play tennis ever again. My pain was so awful that I couldn’t function unless I took 800mg of Ibuprofen for breakfast, lunch and dinner or else I didn’t have the strength (or will) to turn doorknobs, or turn the key to start my car.
After seeing over half a dozen specialists, and getting multiple MRI scans and X-​ray, I was able to have my consultations from Dr. Leonard Gordon himself. I must say Dr. Leonard Gordon truly saved me.
From the moment I walked into the receptions office and explain my situation, they smiled back and said «do not worry we specialize in this illness». This was so amazing after hearing so many times before that almost all doctors might see this disease once or twice in their entire profession, if that… This was the best news I heard in a very long time, and my excitement didn’t stop there. Once I actually met Dr. Gordon, I couldn’t have felt more joy. He is truly a down to earth, friendly, knowledgeable, and respectable man. I wouldn’t have anyone else work on my right wrist… he was the one I was able to trust, and be fully confident to take care of problem.
The date of my surgery was on July 27, 2011. Since then I went through minor rehab, along with appropriate diet and nutrition plan (on my own), as well as fitness to promote a healthy supply of blood. My first day back into tennis was February 14, 2012, and after 4 months, I have participated in 8 tournaments, picked up a couple ATP points and practicing and working hard ever since.
There has been only two different occasions where I had some pain in my hand, but that was because I might have overdid my training at that period. So I took some rest and recovered well afterwards. I also experience minor stiffness in the wrist, but that is to be expected, so I provide a slow warm-​up for my tennis practices and then proceed with no issues once warm.
Thank you Dr. Gordon, I am eternally thankful to you!

BE WARNED!
I went to Dr. Gordon in 2003 several months after a cycling accident (compound fracture of the Ulna expertly repaired by Dr. Michael Oechsel) to address the knife-​sharp pains in my wrist. After viewing the MRI he ordered he said there was a lot of damage and suggested I give 6 months of therapy a try, which clearly wasn’t going to work given the obvious damage, otherwise he’d have to fuse bones together. Fusing those small bones is an extremely drastic step which would’ve permanently limited my mobility. It clearly didn’t make sense, so I asked about orthoscopic surgery. His reply was «that doesn’t work». Really?
The red flags were more like brightly illuminated red flares. So I took my MRI to Dr. Edward Diao at UCSF. Diao first wondered why contrast dye wasn’t requested for the MRI which would’ve provided a much clearer view. Perhaps Gordon didn’t know it existed? Diao came back and said the bad news is there’s a lot of damage, but the good news is there will be no fusing of bones. He felt he could (ortho)scope it out, clean up the nerve frays and tears, shave down and smooth the bones, and clean it up. He gave it a 75% chance of improvement, but couldn’t guarantee how much better it’d be (fair enough). The downside was a few hours in surgery, I’d have four dots in my wrist (that would go away) and the possibility of no improvement. I’ll take 75% chance of improvement with little to no downside any day. I was able to play (flag) football three weeks after the surgery, even caught a TD over my head. My wrist has been great ever since. Cheers to Dr. Diao.
FAST FORWARD: Just last week (Feb 2012) a friend was telling me about her horrible experience with whom she felt was an inept specialist who addressed her hand issue. It turned out to be Dr. Gordon. She was mortified by her experience. He barely looked at her hand, no MRI, and wanted to cut into her the old fashioned way; invasive surgery, big incisions, no orthoscope. Even worse, he apparently uses a surgery clinic that is not covered by (most? all?) insurance carriers. So she immediately went to another specialist who took the time to understand her problem and, yes, suggested orthoscopic surgery to clean it up.
Dr. Gordon apparently has great credentials, but when you look at his CV (resume) the bulk of his training was in the 1970’s. He seems to be clearly living in the old world or in his glory days. He doesn’t appear to be up to speed on the latest or even the ten+ year (ok, much older than that) technology in microsurgery. Go to him at your own risk, but if he suggests «cutting» into you instead of orthoscopic surgery, then you need to run away as fast as possible. Even then, I would not let him get near me with an orthoscope (or even a band-​aid, for that matter). Go find a more modern micro-​surgeon. If you’ve already had him cut into you and think he did a good job, well, then just don’t think about how much better you could be and how easy your recovery would’ve been had you went to a more modern micro-​surgeon (recovery from non-​invasive orthoscopic surgery is night and day easier). If you don’t CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED at least get a SECOND OPINION!

Knowledgeable and skilled specialist. He’s a surgeon so don’t expect the same touchy-​feely bedside manner of a therapist. However, he is professional and efficient.
His waiting room can be a bit crowed because he’s popular, so park in a parking garage not a coin-​fed meter.

Three words says it all…
Best Hand Doctor!
I saw Dr. Gordon in 2003 when I lacerated the tendons in my dominant hand. After microsurgery and reattaching the tendons, I was able to write, use utensils to eat, and back to my old self within a month and a half.
Great Job to him and his wonderful staff.
Keep up the good work!