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  5. Nicole Messenger, MD
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Nicole Messenger, MD

Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery

Division of Sports Medicine

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(314) 514-3500

Dr. Messenger's clinical interests are in the evaluation and nonoperative treatment of sports injuries and emergency medicine, with a specific focus on ultrasound-guided evaluations and treatments, non-operative fracture care, ligament and tendon injuries and sports-related concussions.

Common Diagnoses Treated

  • Fractures 
  • Lateral hip pain syndrome
  • Ligamentous injuries
  • Nonoperative clavicle fractures
  • Patellofemoral syndrome
  • Shoulder impingement
  • Sports concussions
  • Tendinitis
  • Tendinosis

Common Procedures

  • ACL injections
  • Achilles tendon injections
  • Arthrocentesis
  • Baker cyst drainage
  • Joint injections
  • Ultrasound-guided injections 
  • Carpal tunnel injection
  • Piriformis injection
  • Joint arthritis injections
  • Plantar fascia injections
  • Lateral plantar nerve injection
  • Peroneal tendinopathy injection
  • Rotator cuff muscle tendinopathy

Clinical Office Locations

Hospital Affiliations

  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital 
  • Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
  • Missouri Baptist Hospital
  • Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Orthopedic Center

MyChart Patient Portal

Patient Education

Patient Forms

  • Messenger, Nicole and Carpenter, Christopher. “Optic Nerve Ultrasonography has 94% Sensitivity and 87% Specificity for Diagnosing Increased Intracranial Pressure.” Annals of Internal Medicine. April 2020.
  • Liang, Stephen Y., and Nicole Messenger. "Infectious Diseases After Hydrologic Disasters." Emergency Medicine Clinics 36.4 (2018): 835-851.

Research Interests

Dr. Messenger has research interests in point-of-care ultrasound, Transesophageal ultrasound in non-traumatic cardiac arrests, improving musculoskeletal injury care and improving penetrating and non-penetrating trauma care. She is currently working on acute concussion evaluation in the Emergency Department with point-of-care ocular ultrasound evaluation. A pilot study was recently presented at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) conference in 2022.

Background

Dr. Messenger earned her medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, then completed a residency in emergency medicine from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. She completed a fellowship in clinical point-of-care ultrasound from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, then a sports medicine fellowship from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Board Certifications

  • Board-certified, American Board of Emergency Medicine

Medical Degree

  • Wayne State University in Detroit, MI

Residency

  • Emergency Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO

Fellowship

  • Clinical Point-of-care Ultrasound, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 
  • Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Honors and Awards

  • Ultrasound Award: Awarded to the resident who demonstrates the clinical application and efficiency of clinical Ultrasound.
  • MacGyver Award: Presented to the resident who demonstrate ingenuity and the innovative use of common items for the treatment of clinical problems.

Professional Societies and Organizations

  • American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
  • American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM)

Team Physician Coverage

  • University of Cincinnati Football

  • University of Cincinnati Women's Soccer

  • Purcell Marian H.S. Football

  • Taylor High School Spring Athletics

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