Avoid Unnecessary Back Surgery | Calm Pain Before You Decide
- cassis101
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
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 sympathetic nervous system—our biological alarm system—and it’s designed to demand action. But this same mechanism often pushes people to make permanent decisions based on temporary chaos.
For decades, I’ve watched patients in high-functioning roles—executives, entrepreneurs, physicians—grapple with unbearable pain and rush toward surgery as the only solution. But in many cases, they could have avoided unnecessary surgery for back pain had the pain been managed quickly and precisely enough to allow for reflection.
And the science supports this.
In a 2016 study researchers found that acute pain activates the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex—areas of the brain tied to emotional processing, urgency, and fear-based decision-making.¹ Once pain was relieved, cognitive control centers reengaged and patients began to make more rational decisions.
A separate 2011 study confirmed this: the sympathetic nervous system surges in acute pain, amplifying distress and urgency, and often leading to exaggerated responses.²
So if you’ve ever found yourself in severe pain thinking, I’ll do anything to make this stop—even surgery, you’re not alone. But there’s a smarter path.
How to Avoid Unnecessary Surgery for Back Pain by Calming the Nervous System First
As a physician who trained under some of the most rigorous mentors in interventional spine care, I was taught to listen to pain—but not let it lead.
In my early years, we didn’t have the precise image-guided tools I use today. But even then, I saw how stabilizing pain could restore dignity and decision-making power to my patients.
Now, with advanced diagnostics and treatments like fluoroscopy-guided and ultrasonically-guided nerve blocks, orthobiologics, and targeted derivations of processed platelets for injections, I can help patients break the feedback loop of panic and pain—quickly and safely.
And that’s when transformation becomes possible.
In fact, that’s the essence of my practice: helping high-functioning individuals who value their performance, presence, and autonomy avoid unnecessary surgery for back pain, and instead choose a smarter, more strategic path to recovery.
This isn’t about “alternative” care. This is elite orthopedic strategy backed by data and delivered with precision—for people who know that time, clarity, and quality outcomes matter
Don’t Let Pain Decide for You
If you’re in sudden, severe pain—and especially if someone has told you surgery is your only answer—I invite you to pause.
You don’t need to make a life-altering decision from a place of fear. At Pain Experts, I’ll help you calm the pain, regain control, and evaluate your options with strategy and confidence.
This is where transformation begins. This is how we honor excellence—not just in treatment, but in timing. This is how you protect your most valuable asset: your capacity to lead, move, and live fully.
Because you are not your diagnosis. And pain should never outrun your wisdom.
Let’s work together to restore your command—not just of your spine, but your entire life.
Schedule a consult today. We offer same-week appointments for new patients who need urgent yet strategic care.
Stay strong. Stay mobile. Stay powerful.
Deborah Westergaard, MD
Board-Certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology
Regenexx-Affiliate
Pain Experts Dallas–Plano
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