By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts powered by Pain Experts The Problem: A Diagnosis That Often Leads Straight to Surgery He walked into my Dallas clinic with a familiar story. A high-performing individual. Disc degeneration on imaging. Pain beginning to interfere with movement, travel, and performance. And the message he had already started to hear: “This is degenerative disc disease… and eventually, you may need surgery.” This is where many patients feel their option

Deborah Westergaard, MD Board-Certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology Regenexx-Affiliate Pain Experts Dallas–Plano Why High Performers Rush to the OR When pain strikes suddenly and severely, something primal happens—even to the most composed and capable among us Your nervous system goes on high alert. Your heart races. Your thoughts narrow. The brain’s survival systems take over. You’re not being irrational; you’re being human. This acute response is driven by the sympa