David Gesensway, MD

For over 20 years, Dr. Gesensway has enjoyed practicing specialized, patient-centered care. He helps people of all ages understand their hand, wrist, forearm or elbow conditions, and assist them in choosing personalized treatment. He strives to understand which issues are important to his patients. In some instances, though someone might have an abnormal test or X-ray, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need surgery. Dr. Gesensway helps patients with surgical and non-surgical specialty care, including hand therapy, exercises, medications, injections, splinting, and casting.

Distal radius wrist fracture treatment and research is a special area of surgical expertise. While at the University of Minnesota, he invented, patented and developed the internal fixation plate and techniques for volar plating of the distal radius with Matthew Putnam, MD, and Charles Jennings, MD. Newer versions of the original plate are now commonly used by most hand surgeons in the USA to treat these common injuries.

Dr. Gesensway has enjoyed teaching the beautiful intricacies of hand surgery to young doctors and hand therapists for over 20 years in the USA and abroad. As a founding board member of the Twin Cities Orthopedic Foundation, he is an active volunteer locally and in Nicaragua. He started the International Orthopedic Scholar Program with Kurt Anderson, MD, in 2015. As president of the Abbott-affiliated subgroup for over 10 years, and as a Twin Cities Orthopedics board member for 10 years, Dr. Gesensway is proud of his leadership efforts that helped build TCO into one of the world’s largest orthopedic group practices.

Originally from Philadelphia, Dr. Gesensway married his wife, Katie, a Minnesotan and a busy pediatrician. They have lived in the Twin Cities since 1988 and raised three children there. He enjoys travel, golf, fly-fishing, photography, scuba, carpentry and cycling.

Clinical Interest

Elbow care, including joint replacement, tendon transfers, arthritis, and tennis elbow

Hand care, including mini-open carpal tunnel release, arthritis, tendon repairs, and fractures

Pediatric care, including injuries, trigger thumbs, cysts, and congenital differences

Sports medicine, including wrist and elbow arthroscopy, and ligament reconstructions

Wrist care, including fractures, arthritis, rheumatoid, ligament injuries, and ganglions

Education

Certification
Board Certified, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Subspecialty Certification in Hand Surgery

Fellowship
Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship at University of Minnesota

Residency
University of Minnesota Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Medical Degree
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Additional
Certificate Program in Management for Physicians, University of St. Thomas

Hospital & Surgery Center Affiliations

Lakewood Health System

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American Society for Surgery of the Hand
Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Medical Association
Minnesota Orthopaedic Society

Achievements & Awards

Top Doctor, Hand Surgery, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine (2007)
Top Doctor, Minnesota Monthly Magazine (2019, 2022, 2023)

Co-Developer and Inventor, SCS Distal Radius Plating System

US Patent No. 5,586,985
US Patent No. 6,755,831

Special Interest

Teaching
Clinical Instructor:
University of Minnesota Department of Orthopaedic Surgery (1996 – 2009)
Course Co-Director and Speaker:
Practical Orthopedics for Primary Care, TCO (2006 – 2013)
Recent Lectures:
Orthopedic Options for Primary Care, Allina (2013)
Doctors Demystify Upper Extremity Wound Care (2016)
Orthopedic and Trauma Conference, Hennepin County Medical Center (2015)

Volunteer Service
Click here to learn more about my volunteer service
Twin Cities Orthopedics Foundation:

Founding Board Member and Treasurer (2007 – Present)

President (2018 – Present)

Overseas Orthopedic Surgery and Teaching:

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (2011)
Leon, Nicaraugua (April 2013)
Leon, Nicaraugua (January 2014)
Leon, Nicaraugua (April 2015)
Leon and Matagalapa, Nicaragua (April 2016)
Leon, Nicaragua (April 2017)

International Orthopedic Scholar Program, TCOF:

Dr. Marlen Taleno and Dr. Carlos Paiz (2015)Dr. Juan Guadamuz, MD and Dr Donald Garcia, MD (2017)

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF):

Minndakota Chapter Board Member (2000 – 2006)
Imagine Award Recipient (2007)
Board of Chancellors (2018 – Present)

JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes:

Volunteer and Logistics Coordinator (1993 – Present)
Event Co-Chair (2001, 2002)

Leadership
Twin Cities Orthopedics, Board Member and Chair (2003 – 2013)
Twin Cities Orthopedics Abbott-Affiliated Division, President (2001 – 2013)
Twin Cities Orthopedics Foundation, Founding Board Member and Treasurer (2007 – Present)
Twin Cities Orthopedics Foundation, President (2018 – Present)
Minneapolis Bone & Joint Institute, Founding Member and Board Chair (1999 – 2004)
Abbott Northwestern Hospital PHO, Board Member (1999 – 2003)
Twin Cities Orthopedic Society, Co-President (1996 – 1997)
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Board Member (2000 – 2006)
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, MN Board of Chancellors (2018 – Present)

Research
Design and Biomechanics of a Plate for the Distal Radius
Biomechanics of Dorsal Plating of the Distal Radius
Distal Radial Metaphyseal Forces in an Extrinsic Grip Model: Implications for Postfracture Rehabilitation
Co-Developer and Inventor, SCS/D and SCS/V Distal Radius Plating System

US Patent No. 5,586,985 – Method and apparatus for fixation of distal radius fractures
US Patent No. 6,755,831 – A fixation plate kit for fixation of distal radius fractures