By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts powered by Pain Experts Deborah Westergaard, MD is a double board-certified physician with over two decades of advanced experience in minimally invasive, image-guided spine and musculoskeletal procedures. She specializes in precision-guided orthobiologic and regenerative medicine approaches designed to help selected patients pursue non-operative options for joint and spine conditions. Orthobiologic Joint Maintenance There is a momen

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts powered by Pain Experts For much of my medical career, my mission was straightforward: Find the pain signal. Calm the pain signal. Help the patient suffer less. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Interventional pain management can be life-changing for people in severe pain. Nerve blocks, epidural procedures, spinal cord stimulation, and radiofrequency treatments have helped many patients regain function, sleep, mobility

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts powered by Pain Experts Avoid Back Surgery Dallas: When a More Strategic Evaluation Changes the Decision Being told you need back surgery can feel like a final answer. An MRI shows a disc bulge, degeneration, or stenosis—and the path forward appears defined. But high-level decisions—especially irreversible ones—deserve a more complete view. The spine is not a single structure. It is a dynamic system of discs, joints, ligaments, and s

Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano The Problem: Why Many Patients Struggle to Avoid Surgery As a specialist, I routinely evaluate patients who have already consulted highly skilled and respected surgeons. These physicians do extraordinary work, and I continue to refer to them when surgery is appropriate. However, many patients seeking to avoid surgery arrive after consultations constrained by time which is an unavoidable reality of insurance-driven medicine

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano Recently, a patient shared that during his MRI, a radiology technologist told him, “PRP really doesn’t work for most people.” The statement wasn’t malicious but it was incomplete. And for patients trying to make informed decisions, incomplete information is often the most damaging kind. “PRP Doesn’t Work” A Misinterpretation of Technique, Not Science When you hear that PRP is unreliable, the issue is almost never the

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano Orthobiologic Myth #7: “Older Adults Don’t Respond to PRP” There’s a persistent myth that once you cross a certain age, regenerative medicine is off the table. That your platelets are “too old” or your body no longer knows how to repair itself. That simply isn’t true. It’s accurate that platelet viability and stem-cell activity gradually decline with age, and that certain medications (like platelet inhibitors or anti-in

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano “PRP is just spinning blood and injecting it.” A colleague of mine once called and asked how much blood I draw for a PRP knee procedure.I was honestly flabbergasted—because that question misses the entire point. That’s like asking, “How much anesthesia do you give?” Any experienced physician knows the answer depends on the patient, the pathology, and the plan. When a patient comes in with knee pain, I don’t simply inje

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano The Umbilical Stem Cell Myth: What the FDA Really Says The Myth: You’ve probably heard it. “Umbilical stem cells are the most powerful, youthful cells you can get. Why use your own when you can have younger ones?” It’s a seductive story, especially in an era obsessed with quick rejuvenation. Clinics across the country promote umbilical, placental, and amniotic products as if they were a medical revolution already blesse

And that’s the problem. Because to “feel” your way into a joint, you often have to touch bone — or even hit it — to know you’re deep enough. That’s uncomfortable for patients. And it’s imprecise. If you’ve ever had a joint injection that made you wince, that’s why. Blind Joint Injections are Not Necessary Now here’s what’s changed everything in my practice. Since switching entirely to ultrasound-guided joint injections, my patients tell me the same thing again and again: “Tha

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano When Should I Worry About Back Pain—And Is Surgery the Only Answer? Back pain is common—but not always harmless. If you’ve been told you might need back surgery, you may feel like there’s no other choice. But here’s what most people aren’t told: Surgery is not always the only option—even when it’s been recommended. At Pain Experts, we’ve seen many patients told they “needed surgery” when what they really needed was a de

And every morning: 8 miles. But here’s the problem no one is telling her — and no one is telling him, either (and many of our gentlemen patients deeply care about their wife’s vitality, even if they don’t know what to say): Running that far, that often, may be silently accelerating joint wear and aging the very tissues that give you the graceful, youthful movement you want to preserve. The Problem: Running Joint Damage After 60 — What’s Happening on the Inside? At Pain Exper

But here’s what most people aren’t told: Those same small nerves don’t just carry pain signals. They also provide input to critical stabilizing muscles of your spine—particularly the multifidus muscles. These deep muscles form a core part of your spine’s functional stability system. When they atrophy, the architecture of your spine weakens, leaving you vulnerable to progressive degeneration, instability, and worsening pain over time. This isn’t theoretical. We now have clear

Can AI Help Your Joints Heal Smarter? Episode 3 Just Dropped We’ve officially entered the part of the story where a multi-agent AI named Robin scans literature, formulates hypotheses, and identifies new uses for existing drugs—all without a single late-night espresso. In this third episode of The Clinical Singularity, I discuss how "Robin," a multi-agent AI, helped uncover a potential treatment for macular degeneration—and why this matters for regenerative medicine, especiall

By Deborah Westergaard, MD Pain Experts The Problem: Will Robots Replace Interventional Physicians? Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed many areas of medicine, from assisting surgeons in operating rooms to analyzing complex diagnostic imaging. Recent reports even showcase robots performing precise surgical tasks, like needle manipulation and suturing, with skill comparable to human doctors. While we don’t yet have robots performing intervent

Deborah Westergaard, MD Pain Experts While Cindy may need hip replacement surgery at some point in her future, for now, she’s enjoying the ability to stay active and with better pain control without invasive procedures. Disclaimer This video is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as specific medical advice. The testimonials featured on this website reflect the personal experiences of Regenexx patients. However, these accounts are not necessari

Join Dr. Deborah Westergaard at Pain Experts as we harness the power of orthobiologics to revolutionize back and joint pain treatment. Using bone marrow-derived stem cells and advanced imaging, our approach offers targeted relief and transforms your health. Ready to move beyond pain and reclaim your life? Contact us today and restore your vitality! #PainExperts #Orthobiologics #RevolutionizeYourHealth #BackPainRelief #JointPainRelief #AdvancedHealing #PrecisionMedicine #MoveB