Dr. Elizabeth Graesser is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand, upper extremity, and microvascular surgery. She is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis then also completed her residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University, where she served as the Administrative Chief Resident. Dr. Graesser completed her fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at the University of Utah.

Her clinical practice focuses on the surgical and non-surgical management of hand and upper extremity (wrist, forearm, elbow) conditions.

Common Conditions Treated:

Fractures of the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow

Nerve compression syndromes (carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel)

Nerve injuries (acute or chronic)

Tendon/ligament injuries of the hand, wrist, elbow

Dupuytren’s contracture

Trigger finger/thumb

Tendonitis of the hand, wrist, elbow

Arthritis of the hand and wrist

Sports-related hand and wrist injuries

Wrist and forearm nonunions and malunions

Common Procedures:

Hand, wrist, forearm, elbow fracture fixation

Carpal tunnel release

Cubital tunnel decompression

Nerve repairs/reconstruction

Tendon repairs/reconstruction

Ligament repairs/reconstruction

Dupuytren’s excision

Trigger finger/thumb release

Surgery for thumb, finger, or wrist arthritis

Wrist arthroscopy
Specialties
Patient Rating

Rating: 4.7 out of 5

4.7 /5

( out of 15 reviews )

The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

Patient Comments

Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

STANSBURY HEALTH CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

She is a very gracious, understanding, proficient, and knowelegble professional

STANSBURY HEALTH CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dr Graesser was very knowledgeable and helpful about my upcoming surgery.

ORTHOPAEDICS CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dr Graesser was very knowledgeable and she just did my left hand's Carpal Tunnel surgery. I had my right hand done a month ago and it has been healing very well. I would highly recommend her!

ORTHOPAEDICS CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dr Graesser was very knowledgeable, courteous and the procedure went very well.

ORTHOPAEDICS CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

Fue muy amable

STANSBURY HEALTH CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dr Graesser is very thorough, kind and professional.

STANSBURY HEALTH CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dr Graesser is the kind of Doctor you want to have when you need her specialized care. She is very professional, friendly and gentle.

ORTHOPAEDICS CENTER

Rating: 5 out of 5

They were very good at what they do.

Dr. Elizabeth Graesser is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand, upper extremity, and microvascular surgery. She is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis then also completed her residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University, where she served as the Administrative Chief Resident. Dr. Graesser completed her fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at the University of Utah.

Her clinical practice focuses on the surgical and non-surgical management of hand and upper extremity (wrist, forearm, elbow) conditions.

Common Conditions Treated:

Fractures of the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow
Nerve compression syndromes (carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel)
Nerve injuries (acute or chronic)
Tendon/ligament injuries of the hand, wrist, elbow
Dupuytren’s contracture
Trigger finger/thumb
Tendonitis of the hand, wrist, elbow
Arthritis of the hand and wrist
Sports-related hand and wrist injuries
Wrist and forearm nonunions and malunions

Common Procedures:

Hand, wrist, forearm, elbow fracture fixation
Carpal tunnel release
Cubital tunnel decompression
Nerve repairs/reconstruction
Tendon repairs/reconstruction
Ligament repairs/reconstruction
Dupuytren’s excision
Trigger finger/thumb release
Surgery for thumb, finger, or wrist arthritis
Wrist arthroscopy

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments	Orthopaedics -Instructor

Education history

Undergraduate	Biomedical Sciences - Marquette University	B.S.
Professional Medical	Medicine - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis	M.D.
Residency	Orthopaedic Surgery - Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children¿s Hospital	Resident
Residency	Orthopaedic Surgery - Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children¿s Hospital	Administrative Chief Resident
Fellowship	Hand, Upper Extremity, and Microvascular Surgery - University of Utah	Clinical Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Tian AC, Graesser EA, Tarkunde Y, Frantz L, Wall L (2023). Caregiver Versus Surgeon Concerns in New Diagnosis of Congenital Hand and Upper Extremity Anomalies. The Journal of hand surgery, 48(9), 896-903. (Read full publication)
Graesser EA, Schwabe MT, Clohisy JC, Nepple J (2023). Defining the Borderline Dysplastic Hip: High Variability in Acetabular Coverage and Femoral Morphology on Low-Dose Computed Tomography. The American journal of sports medicine, 51(10), 2551-2558. (Read full publication)
Schwabe MT, Clohisy JC, A Graesser E, Pascual-Garrido C, Nepple J (2022). External Validation of the FEAR Index in Borderline Acetabular Dysplasia. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 10(8), 23259671221113837. (Read full publication)
Wessel LE, Paulson AE, Graesser EA, Moore AM, Dy C (2022). Moving the Needle: Directed Intervention by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Is Effective in Encouraging Diversity in Expert Panel Composition. Journal of hand surgery global online, 4(2), 65-70. (Read full publication)
Graesser EA, Parsons MS, Olafsen NP, Dy CJ, Brogan D (2024). Advances in Imaging of Traumatic Nerve Injuries. The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, (Read full publication)
Graesser EA, Wall LB, Kakar S, Yao J, Richard MJ, Gaston RG, Goldfarb C (2025). Reliability of Wrist Arthroscopy in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tears. The Journal of hand surgery, 50(1), 2-9. (Read full publication)
Graesser EA, Calfee RP, Boyer MI, Clohisy JCF, Dy CJ, Brogan DM, Goldfarb C (2024). A Prospective Randomized Pilot Study: One-Year Outcomes of Ligament Reconstruction Tendon Interposition Versus Suture Tape Suspensionplasty for Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Arthritis. The Journal of hand surgery, 49(10), 955-965. (Read full publication)
Graesser EA, Tian AC, Dardas AZ, Calfee RP, Wall L (2024). Development of a Patient Decision Aid for Distal Radius Fractures in Patients Aged ¿65 Years. The Journal of hand surgery, 49(9), 885-900. (Read full publication)

Review

Graesser EA, Dy CJ, Brogan D (2022). Future Considerations in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Compressive Neuropathies of the Upper Extremity. Journal of hand surgery global online, 5(4), 536-546. (Read full publication)
Graesser EA, Parsons MS, Dy CJ, Brogan D (2024). Advances in Imaging of Compressive Neuropathies. Hand clinics, 40(3), 325-336. (Read full publication)

Book Chapter

Graesser EA, Goldfarb C (2023). Complications in Surgery of the Thumb.

Elizabeth A. Graesser, MD

Schedule an Appointment with U of U Health (MyChart)

Need Assistance?

Clinical Locations

University Orthopaedic Center

Stansbury Health Center

Specialties

Patient Rating

Patient Comments