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