About
Julia Nuelle, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic hand and microvascular surgeon at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute with a special emphasis on hand and peripheral nerve disorders, trauma surgery and pediatric hand surgery. She uses techniques including microsurgical procedures to help patients with urgent trauma injuries, nerve compression conditions including carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes, arthritis, conditions that require microvascular repair and pediatric patients with birth defects and hand injuries.
A native of Benton, Missouri, and a U.S. Air Force veteran, Dr. Nuelle is proud of her background and finds joy in bringing her technical expertise to patients in her home state. While on active duty service, Dr. Nuelle was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio, treating severely injured service members at Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center. As the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, Dr. Nuelle’s patients at Brooke Army Medical Center also included civilian patients who needed trauma and microsurgical care.
She and her husband, Clayton Nuelle, MD, are both orthopaedic surgeons at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute.
Education & Training
Medical School
Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Residency
Orthopaedic Surgery
- University of Missouri Health Care
Fellowship
Orthopaedic Surgery, Hand Surgery
- Loyola University Medical Center
Boards
Insurances
MU Health Care participates with most major managed care organizations. To find out whether MU Health Care is a participating provider in your insurance plan or network, or for information on co-payments and deductibles, please contact your insurance carrier directly.
In the News
Academic Information
Research Profile
Julia Nuelle, MD, FAAOS, FAOA, is a physician and researcher at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institue with extensive experience in military and civilian clinical medicine treating upper extremity bone, soft tissue, and nerve injuries with a focus on upper and lower extremity limb optimization. She has a deep interest in orthopaedic surgery, nerve regeneration and graduate medical education.
Her research efforts include the pursuit of cutting-edge results on nerve regeneration that has potential for paradigm shifting advancements in the field. She has presented her research nationally and internationally and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters.
Dr. Nuelle is also active in professional societies — serving on committees within the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons. She also serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Arthroscopy and Related Surgery and is the Hand and Upper Extremity section editor for Current Orthopedic Practice.
Research Interests
- Nerve Regeneration
- Pediatric and Congenital Hand Surgery
- Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Areas of Expertise
- Pediatric and Congenital Hand Differences
- Limb Optimization After Trauma
- Microsurgery
- Nerve Compression (including Carpal and Cubital Tunnel Syndrome)
- Hand and Wrist Fractures
- Arthritis of the Hand and Wrist
Awards & Honors
- 2022 W. F. Enneking Career Development Award, Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation Board of Directors
- 2022 Clinical Researcher of the Quarter, Thompson Laboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Columbia, MO
- 2021 Best San Antonio Doctors, Scene in SA, San Antonio, TX
- 2021 Best San Antonio Female Doctors, Scene in SA, San Antonio, TX
- 2020 Innovation Team of the Month, 378 EMDS, Prince Sultan Air Base, KSA
- 2019 Hospital Escuela Universitario Achievement Award, General (R) Edilberto Ortiz, Tegucigulpa, Honduras
- 2019 AAOS Achievement Award
- 2019 EMEDS Above and Beyond Award, Camp Bullis, TX
- 2019 Military Health System Female Physician Leader
- 2019 San Antonio Best Doctors & Dentists, SA Scene, San Antonio, TX
- 2018 SA Scene 2018 Rising Star Doctor, San Antonio, TX
- 2018 Emerging Leaders Program, American Society for Surgery of the Hand
- 2017 AAOS Best Poster Overall, 2017 AAOS Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA
- 2017 AAOS Best Poster in Pediatrics, 2017 AAOS Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA
- 2017 Mid-America Orthopaedic Association Education Grant, 2017 MAOA Annual Meeting, Amelia Island, FL
- 2016 Best Nerve Repair Award, Advances & Best Practices in Upper Extremity Nerve Repair, Indianapolis, IN
- 2016 Olson Award for Research, University of Missouri, Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery
- 2016 Alan Menard Leadership Award, University of Missouri, Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery
- 2016 MOI Nursing Administration Award for Outstanding Orthopaedic Resident, University of Missouri
- 2016 Dedicated Dozen Award, University of Missouri, Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery
- 2016-Present Emerging Leaders Program, American Orthopaedic Association
- 2016 AAOS Resident Assembly Delegate
- 2011 Alpha Omega Alpha, national medical honor society
- 2009 Alpha Sigma Nu, honor society of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
- 2007 Omicron Delta Kappa, national leadership honor society
- 2007 Alpha Eta Society, national honor society for allied health professions
- 2006 Eleanor Garm Hemminger Merit Scholarship, International Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
- 2004-2007 Alpha Epsilon Delta, national pre-medical honor society
- 2003-2007 Dean’s List, Saint Louis University
- 2003-2007 Saint Louis University Presidential Scholarship, full-tuition merit scholarship
- 2003-2007 Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship, merit scholarship from the State of Missouri
Military Awards and Decorations
- 2021 Meritorious Service Model
- 2020 Air Force Commendation Medal
- 2020 Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
- 2020 59 MDW USAF Outstanding Unit
- 2020 59 MDW AF Organizational Excellence Award
- 2019, 2020 959 MDW ACS NSQIP Meritorious Status/Top 10% Hospital
- 2019 Air Force Achievement Medal
- 2007 National Defense Service Medal
- 2007 Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- 2007 Air Force Training Ribbon
Publications
- Phillips R, Choo S, Fletcher B, Nuelle JAV.
Dry Wrist Arthroscopy: Technique and Rationale. Arthroscopy.
2023 Aug;39(8):1779-1780. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2023.02.002. PMID: 37400165.. - Nuelle C, Ohnoutka CJ, Oladeji LO, Ewing MA, Nuelle JAV, Pringle LK.
Primary Repair of Peroneus Longus Myofascial Herniation With Symptomatic Superficial Peroneal Nerve Compression.
Arthroscopy Techniques. 2023 Mar 3;12(4):e459-e463. - McDermott E, Bowers Z, Nuelle JAV.
Application of Hyaluronic Acid/Alginate Sheet to Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon Repair to Prevent Adhesion Formation: Second Look.
Cureus. 2022 Dec;14(12): e33147. doi:10.7759/cureus.33147 - McDermott E, Roward Z, Joyce M, Henley J, Cardenas D, Aden J, Nuelle JAV.
Improving Care by Decreasing Wait Times: A Military Health System Quality Improvement Project.
Military Medicine. 2022 Aug 20:usac254. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac254. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35986603. - Nuelle JAV.
Editorial Commentary: Artificial Intelligence for the Wrist: Moving to the Forefront of Diagnostic Imaging for TFCC Injury.
Arthroscopy. 2022 Aug;38(8):2425-2426. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2022.05.016. PMID: 35940740. - Nuelle JAV, Fishman F, Agnew S.
Challenges for Women in Hand Surgery: Our Perspective. Journal of Hand and Microsurgery.
2022 Aug 16. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1744209. Online ahead of print. - Nuelle JAV, Bozynski C, Stoker A.
Innovations in Peripheral Nerve Injury: Current Concepts and Emerging Techniques to Improve Recovery.
Missouri Medicine. 2022 Mar/Apr;119(2):129-135. - Nuelle JAV.
Editorial Commentary: Symptomatic Distal Radioulnar Joint Instability After Distal Radius Fracture Fixation: Improved Outcomes With Arthroscopic Management Are Still Possible After a Trial of Nonoperative Treatment.
Arthroscopy. 2022 Apr;38(4):1154-1155. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2022.01.018. PMID: 35369918. - Anderson KD, Rask DMG, Bates TJ, Nuelle JAV.
Overall Safety and Risks Associated with Blood Flow Restriction Therapy: A Literature Review.
Mil Med. 2022 Mar 12:usac055. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac055. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35284924 - Gelman D, Bates T, Nuelle JAV. Septic Arthritis of the Proximal Interphalangeal Joint after Rattlesnake Bite. Journal of Hand Surgery. 2021 May 25:S0363-5023(21)00209-4.
- Nuelle JAV, Coe KM, Oliver HA, Cook JL, Hoernschemeyer DG, Gupta SK. Effect of NSAID Use on Bone Healing in Pediatric Fractures: A Prospective, Randomized, Blinded Study. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. 2020 Sep;40(8):e683-e689.
- Cancio JM, Jones KA, Stanley B, Truax C, Nuelle JAV. Design and Fabrication of the Cubital Tunnel Control Orthosis. Journal of Hand Therapy. 2020 Aug 24:S0894-1130(20)30119-8.
- Bates T, Nuelle JAV, Pierrie SN. The Flexor Carpi Radialis Brevis: A Description of an Anomolous Wrist Flexor and Surgical Exposure Technique. Techniques in Orthopaedics. July 29, 2020 - Published Ahead of Print - doi: 10.1097/BTO.0000000000000482
- Nuelle CN, Nuelle JAV, Balldin BC. Open Reduction Internal Fixation of a Traumatic Osteochondral Lesion of the Patella With Bioabsorbable Screw Fixation. Arthroscopy Techniques. 2019 Nov;8(11)e1361-5.
- Bates, T, Nuelle JAV, Pierrie, S. The Flexor Carpi Radialis Brevis: A Description of an Anomalous Wrist Flexor and Surgical Exposure Technique. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2019 Apr;33(1)Ib106.
- Carroll JJ, McClain WD, Nuelle JAV. Treatment of a Subacute Locked Thumb Metacarpophalangeal Joint with Sesamoid Entrapment. Case Reports in Orthopedics. 2019 Mar 24; 2019:2136540.
Click here to access a complete list of Dr. Nuelle’s publications