ORTHOBIOLOGIC MYTH #3: “Blind Joint Injections Are Just As Good."
Updated: 38 minutes ago
By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Regen Experts | Dallas and Plano
Short answer: Landmark-based injections do not provide the same real-time view of needle placement as image-guided injections. Ultrasound allows the physician to see the needle and target structures rather than relying on surface landmarks alone. At Regen Experts in Dallas and Plano, Dr. Deborah Westergaard uses ultrasound to assess anatomy and guide joint injections when appropriate.
And that’s the problem. Because to “feel” your way into a joint, you often have to touch bone — or even hit it — to know you’re deep enough. That’s uncomfortable for patients. And it’s imprecise.
If you’ve ever had a joint injection that made you wince, that’s why.
Blind Joint Injections are Not Necessary
Now here’s what’s changed everything in my practice. Since switching entirely to ultrasound-guided joint injections, my patients tell me the same thing again and again:
“That didn’t hurt nearly as much as usual, when other doctors or providers have given me this injection”
They notice the difference — immediately.
Here’s why:
With ultrasound, I can see the needle in real time — I don’t have to hit bone to judge my depth.
I can use finer needles — 25- or even 27-gauge — for routine injections, and still reach the joint precisely.
Even when I need to aspirate fluid with a larger needle, it’s still gentler, because I’ve already numbed the track with a small lidocaine wheal and I can see exactly where I’m going.
And over time, the more you do ultrasound-guided injections, the faster and smoother they become. Efficiency follows mastery. Comfort follows precision.
It's time to Evolve!
If you’re still receiving or performing landmark-based injections, it’s time to evolve.Modern pain and orthopedic care demand accuracy, not approximation.
When your doctor uses ultrasound guidance, you’re not just getting a needle in the right spot —you’re getting precision, comfort, and confidence built on technology and skill.
At Pain Experts, every joint injection is performed under real-time ultrasound or fluoroscopic visualization — because you deserve precision medicine, not guesswork.
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