By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano Nonoperative Knee Treatment Dallas TX There are moments in medicine when clinical judgment is refined not by theory, but by lived experience. This was one of those moments. After a knee injury that dramatically altered my stability, comfort, and function, I found myself standing in front of the mirror one morning realizing something important: My knee finally felt normal again. No guarding. No instability. No persistent

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano “I Was Told Surgery Is the Only Option Left” Patients searching for how to avoid joint surgery often arrive after a familiar sequence: Physical therapy. Steroid injections. A prior PRP injection that “didn’t work.” The conclusion feels inevitable: joint surgery is next. What is rarely examined is whether the regenerative options attempted were biologically sufficient, correctly targeted, or strategically designed to alt

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano The Reflex to “See the Surgeon First” for Your Back Pain For many high-performing individuals, sudden back pain triggers a familiar sequence: “Something is wrong. I need the best. I’ll see an orthopedic surgeon.” On the surface, this feels logical. Surgeons are intelligent, highly trained, and deeply knowledgeable about spinal anatomy. They carry immense responsibility, and patients rightly trust them when surgery is re