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.

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

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

Knee Arthritis Dallas: Still active, but your knees are starting to dictate your life? Many high-performing people reach a point where they are told that knee replacement is the next logical step. For some, that may ultimately be true. But many patients wonder an important question first: "Have I explored every reasonable option before replacing my joint?" Recently, I saw a gentleman with a physically demanding job who had been informed that he was a candidate for knee replac

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts powered by Pain Experts Deborah Westergaard, MD is a double board-certified physician in practice since 1989, with 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 m

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Precision BMAC may be an option for selected patients considering nonsurgical knee care. Bone marrow concentrate is placed under imaging guidance into specific structures, including the bone beneath cartilage, rather than treating every knee identically. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard reviews imaging and performs a biomechanical examination to assess candidacy. Why “Bas

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Shoulder preservation begins with identifying the structures contributing to pain and impaired movement. Rotator cuff problems, instability, arthritis, muscle imbalance, and cervical spine issues may contribute in different combinations. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard evaluates shoulder structure, mechanics, and functional movement before discussing nonsurgical options f

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

By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano Short answer: Improvement in knee pain does not necessarily mean the underlying joint problem has resolved. Inflammation may settle while changes in cartilage, ligament support, or joint mechanics remain. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard evaluates knee structure, stability, and muscle support to determine whether joint preservation strategies may be appropriate. The Comfortable Illusion