What Does It Really Mean to Age Well? A few days ago, a video appeared in my TikTok feed featuring Bryan Johnson, the technology entrepreneur who has become famous for his efforts to reverse biological aging. Johnson was discussing how some measurements of his cardiovascular and respiratory fitness resemble those of an 18-year-old. My immediate thought was: What about his joints?

My pain is gone and I'm doing great in both knees. Robert was a candidate for knee replacement in both knees. I treated both knees several months apart with intraosseous bone marrow concentrate. Along with PRP to selected soft tissue structures. It has been about eight months since we treated his first knee and about four months since we treated his second.

Orthobiologics continues to evolve at the intersection of biology, biomechanics, technology, and clinical judgment. This week’s five stories range from a question I never expected TikTok to make me investigate, whether what we eat could affect our own PRP, to long term intraosseous BMC data in ankle osteoarthritis, tendon health, robotic blood draws, and the increasingly important question of when medical testing is thoughtful medicine rather than “too much.”

ORTHOBIOLOGICS DIGEST™ September 28, 2026 | No. 4 Research. Evidence. Perspective. Curated and interpreted by Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Orthobiologics Digest™ brings together research and news about regenerative medicine, joint and spine preservation, and musculoskeletal health. I explain what the evidence shows, where its limits remain, and how I think about it as a physician in practice since 1989 with experience in anesthesiology and image-guided procedures. This issue con

Dr. Deborah Westergaard examines emerging osteoarthritis research, PRP and bone marrow concentrate stem cell guidance, spine injection precision, GLP-1 muscle and tendon questions, and myofascial pain. This Orthobiologic Digest explores what the evidence means for patients considering joint and spine care in Dallas and Plano.

I want women to know their options while they still have options. Dr. Deborah Westergaard explains why she placed an advertisement in D Magazine and what women in Dallas and Plano should ask about PRP, bone marrow concentrate and personalized joint preservation before considering joint replacement or spine surgery.

ORTHOBIOLOGIC DIGEST™ September 14, 2026 Research. Evidence. Perspective. Curated by Deborah Westergaard, MD Orthobiologic medicine is moving quickly. Every week, new studies, media stories and social-media claims appear about PRP, bone marrow concentrate, stem cells, joint preservation and regenerative medicine. Some are genuinely exciting. Some raise more questions than they answer. And sometimes an interesting piece of science becomes a much bigger claim by the time it rea

September 8,2026 | Curated clinical and regulatory news with commentary from Deborah Westergaard, MD About the Orthobiologic Digest The Orthobiologic Digest is a patient-friendly review of research and news in regenerative musculoskeletal medicine, joint preservation, PRP, bone marrow concentrate, cell therapy, and related regulatory developments. I select stories that I think matter, explain what they actually show in plain language, and add my perspective as a physician in

What happens when lumbar degenerative disc disease begins taking away your sleep, mobility, work, and time with your family?

By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano What to Know About Sedation for PRP and Bone Marrow Concentrate Procedures You have probably had the experience of describing something about your own body and watching it get filed away as background noise. Something aches. You mention it. You get told it is arthritis, it is age, it is what happens. Somewhere in there, the thing you actually said stops being information and starts being a complaint. I think a

Artificial intelligence may be learning to design new proteins. But it still cannot look at your knee, understand the life you want to protect, and decide which structure may actually be driving your pain. By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano Can Technology Help Preserve Your Joints? Lately, I have noticed something interesting. My patients are asking me about artificial intelligence—not with fear, but with genuine curiosity. Recently, a patient

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Imaging guidance helps confirm that a spinal injection reaches its intended target. Fluoroscopy can show needle depth and contrast spread, while ultrasound provides information about surrounding soft tissues. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard reviews imaging and performs an examination to assess whether regenerative spine treatment may be appropriate for selected patients.

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Treating a nerve may not address the joint problem causing chronic knee pain. Hydrodissection may help selected patients with nerve irritation, while bone stress, ligament instability, or meniscal injury may require a different approach. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard uses examination, MRI review, and ultrasound to evaluate potential pain sources. If the Nerve Carries th

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Hydrodissection may be appropriate for selected patients with peripheral nerve entrapment, but diagnosis must come first. Similar symptoms can arise from the spine, multiple compression sites, or surrounding musculoskeletal structures. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard evaluates the nerve pathway and potential contributing structures before deciding whether hydrodissection

By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano Perhaps buying a convertible in middle age or while heading toward retirement is not a crisis after all. Perhaps it is simply a very enjoyable reason to get outside, put the top down, and experience the morning light. That does not make a convertible a medical treatment. But morning light, healthy sleep, regular movement, good nutrition, and metabolic health all contribute to the environment in which your body

By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano Sometimes. Knee arthritis involves more than cartilage. The bone beneath the cartilage, the joint lining, the meniscus, and the ligaments can all contribute to pain. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard uses MRI, ultrasound, and examination to identify which structures may be involved before recommending treatment. Treating Knee Arthritis in Dallas For decades, the conventional explana

By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano If you've been told that nerve burning—also known as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or rhizotomy is your next step for chronic back pain, you may wonder whether it is your only option. For many years, I performed these procedures myself. Today, I do not. That decision was not based on a single study or a single patient. It came from experience gained in practice since 1989, an evolving understanding of spinal b

By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano Many patients come to my office after months—or years—of pursuing treatments designed primarily to reduce pain. Pain relief matters. But if your goal is to avoid surgery, preserve function, and maintain an active lifestyle, an important question must be asked: Are we treating pain, or are we identifying the structures responsible for the pain? For many patients, those are not the same thing. About Dr. Westerga

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Focusing only on cartilage may overlook other contributors to knee arthritis pain. The bone beneath cartilage, meniscus, ligaments, and joint lining can also affect symptoms and function. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard uses examination and imaging review to assess the whole joint before discussing appropriate treatment options. What If We Have Been Treating the Wrong Par

By Deborah Westergaard, M.D. Dallas | Regen Experts Dallas & Plano If I Could Go Back to 2008... If I could travel back to 2008, I would ask my younger self one simple question. "Should I have one more conversation before having hip surgery?" At that time, the procedures I perform today simply weren't available. The landmark intraosseous bone marrow concentrate research hadn't yet been published. Physicians weren't discussing subchondral bone as an important contributor to os