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246 Patient Reviews

4.8  Stars 1 5

Richard A. Bernstein, MD

Dr. Bernstein grew up locally in Orange and spent time volunteering at Yale New Haven Hospital during the summers. After graduating from Hopkins Grammar school, he continued college and medical school in Connecticut. Since returning from his fellowship at Harvard, he has developed a specialty Orthopaedic practice in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.

Dr. Bernstein is actively involved with the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and has been asked by its presidents to serve on multiple task forces, the Residents and Fellows conference and Scientific Exhibits Committees. Besides his active clinical practice, he teaches at the Yale Medical School for Medical and Physician Associate Students as well as the Resident Doctors training in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr.Bernstein was inducted and served as the President of The New England Hand Society in 2020.

Primary Specialty

Request an Appointment 

Contact

For all general questions, prescription refills or to schedule an appointment, contact our office at:

Phone:
203.865.6784
Fax:
203.466.8529

Education and Training

  • M.D. University of Connecticut School of Medicine
  • Residency completed at Hartford Hospital
  • Harvard Combine Hand Fellowship- Brigham and Women's Hospital

Board Certifications

  • ABOS - Orthopaedic Surgery
  • ABOS - Hand Surgery
  • Certificate for Added Qualifications for Surgery of the Hand

Hospital Affiliations

  • Yale-New Haven Hospital
  • Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus
  • Connecticut Orthopaedics Surgical Center – Branford

Patient Education

Boutonniere Deformity

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Choosing a Hand Surgeon

CMC - Basal Joint Arthritis

Cortisone Injections

Crushed Finger

DeQuervain’s Tendinitis

Diabetes and Hand Pain

Distal Radius Fractures

Dupuytren's Disease

Finger Fracture

Fingernail Fungus Infections

Gameskeeper Thumb

Ganglion Wrist

Glucosamine and Chondroitin

Growth Plate Injuries

Innovations in Wrist Care

Intersection Syndrome

Kienböck's Disease

Mallet Finger

Mucous Cyst

Pediatric Forearm and Distal Radius Fractures

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

Scaphoid Fractures

Tendon Lacerations

Tennis Elbow

Trigger Finger

Wide Awake Hand Surgery

Arthroscopy-Wrist

The Benefits of Orthopaedic Ultrasound

Office Locations

Testimonials

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246 Patient Reviews

4.8  Stars 1 5
Connecticut Orthopaedics
5 Stars
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" Everyone I interacted with was very nice. Dr Bernstein was professional, friendly, and informative. He explained things in a way I could easily understand. Kristin the PT made a splint/brace for my hand and she was also professional, friendly and informative - plus she was meticulous in forming the brace. I appreciate the information I received about my hand and honest answers to my questions. Thank you! "

Connecticut Orthopaedics
5 Stars
5 Stars Stars

" Dr. Bernstein and his staff were very helpful and kind. Dr. Bernstein is thorough. I understood what the initial course of treatment was and the treatment for the future. In addition, Dr. Bernstein checked on my well-being before, during and after the procedure. This caring demeanor helped ease my anxiety. the caring nature of the staff. "

Connecticut Orthopaedics
5 Stars
5 Stars Stars

" Very happy with everyone and everything "

Connecticut Orthopaedics
5 Stars
5 Stars Stars

" clean, organized & efficient. getting past covid restrictions is all you can do to improve. nno wasted time, made a plan & acted on it "

Connecticut Orthopaedics
5 Stars
5 Stars Stars

" Liked Dr. Bernstein very much! "

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Articles by Richard A. Bernstein, MD

Trigger Finger 

What is trigger finger or trigger thumb?

Tennis Elbow 

Tennis elbow is a terrible name! The reason is it a terrible name is that is it wrong in both words! It usually is not from tennis and the problem is not what you do with your elbow!

Tendon Lacerations 

Most often the flexor tendons are damaged by a cut. Because the nerves to the fingers are also very close to the tendons, a cut may damage them as well, resulting in a feeling of numbness on one or both sides of the finger.

View all articles by Richard A. Bernstein, MD

Richard A. Bernstein's Videos

Conditions and Treatments

Conditions of the Hand

Conditions of the Wrist

Conditions of the Finger/Thumb

Conditions of the Elbow

Conditions of the Shoulder

Conditions of the Neck

Educational Videos

Full Biography

Dr. Bernstein grew up locally in Orange and spent time volunteering at Yale New Haven Hospital during the summers. After graduating from Hopkins Grammar school, he continued college and medical school in Connecticut. Since returning from his fellowship at Harvard, he has developed a specialty Orthopaedic practice in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.

Dr. Bernstein is actively involved with the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and has been asked by its presidents to serve on multiple task forces, the Residents and Fellows conference and Scientific Exhibits Committees. Besides his active clinical practice, he teaches at the Yale Medical School for Medical and Physician Associate Students as well as the Resident Doctors training in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Assistant Clinical Professor: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Visiting Lecturer: American/Japanese Hand Society, Maine Orthopaedic Society, Yale University School of Medicine, Dartmouth School of Medicine.

Special Area of Interest: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fractures of the Wrist and Hand, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Associations

  • American Society for Surgery of the Hand
  • American Association for Surgery of the Hand
  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery
  • American Medical Association
  • New Millenium Hand Group
  • Connecticut State Medical Society
  • New England Shoulder and Elbow Society
  • New England Hand Society – President 2020
  • New England Hand Study Group
  • New Haven County Medical Association

Awards

  • Best Doctors in Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine – 2019, 2020

Research and Publications

  • Bernstein, RA, Glickel, S, ed. Masters Guide for Arthritis of the Upper Extremity, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, 2011.  CO-EDITOR
  • Bernstein, RA, Brugel-Sanchez, V,. Masters Guide for Arthritis of the Upper Extremity, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, 2011.
  • Bernstein, RA, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, The ASSH Pocket Guide to Hand Surgery, Hammer and Bozentka, ed., American Society for Surgery of the Hand, 2010.
  • Rubin, LE, Miki, RA, Taksali, S, Bernstein, RA Metacarpophalangeal Collateral Ligament Reconstruction after Band Saw Amputation: Case Report with Review of MCP Anatomy and Injury, The Iowa Orthopaedic Journal (28) 2008.  53-57.
  • Rubin, LE, Miki, RA, Taksali, S, Bernstein, RA, Band Saw Injury in a Butcher, Occupational Medicine, 57(5), 383-5, 2007.
  • Bernstein, RA, Tissue Healing, Splinting the Hand and Upper Extremity: Principles and Process, Jacobs MA, Austin, N, Lippincott, 2003
  • Bernstein, R.A., Simmons, B.P., Nutting, J., The Hand in Juvenile Rheumatoid The Hand, Tubiana, 4th Edition, 1998.
  • Simmons, B.P., Nutting, J.T., Bernstein, R.A., Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hand Clinics, 12(3); 573-589, August 1996.
  • Bernstein, R.A., Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release, Connecticut Medicine, 58(7); 387-394, 1994.
  • Bernstein, R.A., Koris, M.J., Infections in the Upper Extremity, Part I; Infections in the Hand, Perspectives in Orthopedic Surgery, 3(1); 49-75,1992.
  • Gossling, H.R., Bernstein, R.A., Abbott, J., Treatment of Ununited Tibial Fractures: A Comparison of Surgery and Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF), Orthopaedics, 15(6); 1992.
  • Gossling, H.R., Bernstein, R.A., Abbott, J. Tibial Nonunion Diagnosis and Treatment, AAOS (Book), Monograph Series, Connolly, J.F., (ed), Park Ridge, IL 1991.
  • Bernstein, R.A., Renshaw, T.S., The Results of Soft Tissue Foot Surgery and the Incidence of Hip Pathology in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease: The Newington Experience, Connecticut Medicine, Abstract.
  • Fulkerson, J.P., Schutzer, S.F., Ramsby, G.R., Bernstein, R.A., Computerized Tomography of the Patellofemoral Joint Before and After Lateral Release or Realignment, Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Research, 3(1); 19-24, 1987.
  • Stern, A.L., Taylor, D.M., Bernstein, R.A., The Neodynium-Yag Laser and Cataract Surgery, Connecticut Medicine, 49(10); 641-2, 1985.
  • Bernstein, R.A., Papermaster, D.P., The Biosynthesis and Biochemical Properties of the Visual Pigment, Rhodopsin, Submitted to the Summer Research Fellowship Committee, The University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 1983.
  • Bernstein, R.A., DePhillips, H.A., The Oxygen Binding Properties of Hemocyanin, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, 1979-1980.

Appointments

American Society for Surgery of the Hand appointments (ASSH)

Chairman, Courses and Meeting Advisory Committee

Chairman, Scientific and Commercial Exhibits Committee

Emergency Hand Care Committee
Annual Meeting Committee
Ethics Committee
Business of Hand Surgery Committee

Reviewer, Journal of Hand Surgery
Courses and Meetings Advisory Committee
Product and Publications Advisory Committee
ASSH Young Member Mentoring program
Lending a Hand Representative to Yale Medical School

Prior ASSH appointments:
Chairman, Adriane E. Flatt Residents & Fellows Conference Committee

Ethics and Disclosure Subcommittee
Emergency Hand Surgery Task Force

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