Dr. R. Glenn Gaston, MD

Expert Publications

• Use of continuous marcaine irrigation in the management of suppurative flexor tenosynovitis.
• Aromatase inhibitors and their side effects: what hand surgeons should know.
• e-Prescribe meaningful use requirement.
• Scaphoid fractures in professional football players.
• Phalangeal fractures: displaced/nondisplaced.
• Football commentary: phalangeal fractures--displaced/nondisplaced.
• Continued growth after limited physeal bridging.
• Fractures of the lesser sesamoids: case series.
• Arthroscopic wafer procedure for ulnar impaction syndrome.
• Multiple osteochondroma of the hand: initial and long-term follow-up study.
• Upper Extremity Injuries in NASCAR Drivers and Pit Crew: An Epidemiological Study.
• In Reply.
• Low Median Nerve Transfers (Opponensplasty).
• An Update on Upper Extremity Tendon Transfers.
• Proximity of the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex to Key Surrounding Structures and Safety Assessment of an Arthroscopic Repair Technique: A Cadaveric Study.

Clinical Trials

• Lymphedema Following Hand/Wrist Surgery in Women Post Axillary Node Dissection

Media Releases

Get to know Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon Dr. R. Glenn Gaston, who serves patients in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dr. Gaston is a reputable, fellowship-trained orthopaedic hand surgeon specializing in hand, wrist, and elbow surgery. In practice with OrthoCarolina, he provides care at the following locations: the Hand Center (serving as Hand Fellowship Director), the Brachial Plexus and Limb Paralysis Clinic, the Congenital Hand & Upper Extremity Clinic, and the Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs. 

Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Hand Center is home to three world-class specialized clinics for unique patient problems. The Brachial Plexus Clinic, the Congenital Hand & Upper Extremity Clinic, and the Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs are leading-edge orthopaedic clinics developing new treatments and offering new solutions for patients worldwide.

An authority in his field, Dr. Gaston is an active member of the NFL Physicians Society, the American Association for Hand Surgery Program Committee (First Assistant Chair 2018), the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Clinical Research and Grantsmanship Committee, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Clinical Trials and Outcomes Committee, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Young Leaders Program, and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Resident Education Committee.

Moreover, he is the Hand-E Editorial Board Section Editor of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the Chairman of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Young Members Steering Committee, the Chairman of Oscar Miller Day, and the Chief of Hand Surgery within the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program at Carolinas Medical Center.

Back in the early days of his academic career, Dr. Gaston graduated with his medical degree from the University of Tennessee at Memphis. He then went on to perform his internship and residency at Atlanta Medical Center, followed by his fellowship in hand & upper extremity at The Indiana Hand Center.

With an unwavering commitment to his speciality, he is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery and surgery of the hand by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). The ABOS is an organization with the goal of establishing educational and professional standards for orthopaedic residents and surgeons as well as evaluating the qualifications and competence of orthopaedic surgeons.

Named a Top Doctor by Charlotte Magazine for 12 consecutive years, Dr. Gaston serves as Hand Consultant for the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Joe Gibbs Racing Team, Hendricks MotorSports, and Stewart-Haas Racing. He is also on the faculty of AO North America, on the Hand/Wrist/Elbow Subcommittee of the NFL, and on the Research Advisory Committee of the OrthoCarolina Research Institute.

A Fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association, he is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, AO Trauma, the Pediatric Hand Study Group, the American Association for Hand Surgery, the American Society for Peripheral Nerve, the Elite Athlete Hand and Wrist Study Group, the Southeastern Hand Club, the North Carolina Orthopaedic Association, the North Carolina Medical Society, Phi Beta Kappa, the Michael Hoke Society, the Indianapolis Hand Society, and the Mecklenburg County Medical Society.

Making breakthrough research in hand prosthetics, Dr. Gaston, alongside Dr. Bryan Loeffler, created an innovative surgery that allowed the first amputee patient in history to move individual fingers on a prosthetic hand. They presented their research at the first Innovations in Amputation Surgery and Prosthetic Technologies meeting in Chicago in 2016.

Hand surgery is a medical specialty that addresses the problems and conditions that occur in your hand, all the way to your wrist, forearm and shoulder. An orthopaedic hand surgeon has been specially trained to diagnose and treat problems of the hand, wrist, and forearm, and many are also experts in caring for shoulder and elbow issues. Although they’re qualified to perform surgeries, they also treat problems by using non-invasive methods.

Heavily involved in upper extremity research, Dr. Gaston lectures regularly at both regional and national upper extremity conferences. 

Throughout his extensive career, he has received numerous honors, including awards from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He was named one of the Top 45 Hand Surgeons in the US / Orthopaedic Surgeons to Know by Becker’s Orthopaedic, received a 2015 Top Achievement by Charlotte Magazine, was named OrthoCarolina Physician of the Year in 2012, and was awarded Faculty Teacher Award at Carolinas Medical Center (2009, 2010 & 2014).

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