By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano Why “It’s Just the Disc” Is an Incomplete Diagnosis and How to Avoid Back Surgery Many patients seeking to avoid back surgery in Dallas are told their pain is caused by a “bad disc.” This conclusion is usually based on MRI findings alone with disc bulges, degeneration, or annular tears. The challenge is not that discs are irrelevant. The problem is that they are rarely the only pain generator. Disc changes are common wi

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano CMC joint arthritis can quietly erode capability long before pain becomes the main complaint. Among high-performing individuals who depend on precision—surgeons, executives, athletes CMC joint arthritis can quietly erode capability long before pain becomes the main complaint. For one surgeon, the issue wasn’t dramatic swelling or inability to work. It was something far more concerning: subtle grip changes thumb pain dur

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano Myth #11: Going Along to Get Along — Why Playing It Safe with Steroid Shots and Surgery Can Cost You Your Joints There’s an old Southern phrase, "Go along to get along.”I t means you keep doing what everyone else does… not because it’s working, but because that’s what’s familiar. But when it comes to your health and mobility, “going along to get along” can cost you something you can’t get back: your joints. For decades

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano Muscle Mass Longevity is Important and Why Muscle Mass Declines With Age In...

By Deborah Westergaard, MD Board-Certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology Regenexx-Affiliate Pain Experts Dallas–Plano Back pain...