If you have been told you need shoulder or knee surgery and you are not certain, that is a good reason to have it looked at again. A second opinion here is a proper review of your imaging and your examination by Don Buford, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine fellowship-trained, with more than twenty-five years operating in Dallas — not a sales appointment for a different operation.
The reason to bring it here specifically: this practice performs both the operations and the orthobiologic injections that are often the alternative. A second opinion is only worth having from someone who has more than one answer available.
When a second opinion is genuinely worth getting
Not every recommendation needs re-examining. These situations do:
- The operation was recommended quickly, off a scan, without much of an examination.
- Nobody explained the non-operative options, or they were dismissed in a sentence.
- The finding on the scan is common in people without symptoms — a degenerative meniscal tear, a labral tear, mild cuff changes. These show up on imaging in plenty of pain-free shoulders and knees.
- You were told it is your only option and that does not match what you have read.
- You have been offered a stem cell or biologic treatment and want an orthopedic surgeon's read on whether it is likely to help your specific problem.
- The proposed operation is one this practice does not perform — a joint replacement, for instance. That review is still useful, and if replacement genuinely is the right answer you will be told so plainly. See concierge care direction.
What the visit involves
- Your imaging is read directly. The actual images, not just the radiology report. Those are not the same thing, and the difference is frequently where a second opinion earns its keep.
- You are examined. Which movements reproduce the symptoms, where the weakness is, whether the joint is stable and whether the finding on the scan matches the finding on the table.
- The recommendation you were given is addressed on its merits. Not whether the other surgeon was wrong — whether the operation is likely to change how your joint works.
- Every option gets named, including the ones this practice does not provide.
- You leave with a plain answer about what you are dealing with and what the reasonable paths are.
Sometimes the answer is that the operation you were offered is the right one. That is a useful result too — it is worth knowing before you commit to a recovery.
What to bring
- The actual imaging, not only the report. A CD, a disc, or a link to an online portal all work. If you can bring the images themselves, bring them.
- The radiology report, if you have it.
- Any operative note or clinic letter from the surgeon who made the recommendation, including what procedure was proposed.
- What you have already tried — injections, physical therapy, time, medication — and what each one did or did not do.
- What you need the joint to do. The right answer for a competitive athlete is often not the right answer for someone who wants to walk the dog without pain, and that is a legitimate input rather than a soft one.
Call (877) 777-8883 and the office will tell you the easiest way to get your imaging here before the visit.
What this is not
It is not an attempt to talk you out of surgery. Dr. Buford operates, and if an operation is what your joint needs he will say so — and can perform it, if it is within the shoulder and knee sports medicine scope of this practice.
It is also not a route into a biologic injection by default. Orthobiologics help some problems and not others, and a page that claimed otherwise would be doing the same thing the recommendation you are questioning may have done.
Why it matters that both are on the table
Most practices in this market do one thing. An injection clinic cannot operate, so an injection is the only recommendation available to it. A surgical practice frequently does not offer well-prepared orthobiologics, so that conversation never really happens.
Dr. Buford does both. He performs the operations on this page, and he performs platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow concentrate injections himself, under ultrasound guidance, in the office. That means the question at the consultation can be the right one — what does this joint actually need — rather than a question shaped by what the practice is equipped to sell.
Sometimes the answer is an operation. Sometimes it is a biologic. Sometimes it is neither, and you will be told that too.
Request an appointment or call (877) 777-8883.
Common questions
Do you provide orthopedic second opinions in Dallas?
Yes. A surgical second opinion here is a review of your imaging and your examination by Don Buford, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who is sports medicine fellowship-trained. Because this practice performs both shoulder and knee sports medicine surgery and orthobiologic injections, the review is not limited to one kind of answer.
When should I get a second opinion before orthopedic surgery?
When the operation was recommended quickly off a scan without much examination; when the non-operative options were not explained; when the finding on your scan is one that shows up commonly in people without symptoms, such as a degenerative meniscal tear or a labral tear; when you were told it is your only option; or when you have been offered a stem cell or biologic treatment and want a surgeon's read on it.
What should I bring to a second opinion appointment?
The actual imaging rather than only the radiology report - a disc or a portal link both work. Also the report itself if you have it, any clinic letter or operative note from the surgeon who made the recommendation, a list of what you have already tried and what it did, and a clear sense of what you need the joint to do.
Will you just tell me not to have surgery?
No. Dr. Buford operates, and if an operation is what your joint needs he will say so and can perform it when it falls within the shoulder and knee sports medicine scope of this practice. It is equally not a route into a biologic injection by default - orthobiologics help some problems and not others.
Can you give a second opinion on an operation you do not perform?
Yes. The review is still useful, and if the proposed procedure - a joint replacement, for example - genuinely is the right answer, you will be told that plainly and then helped to get to the right surgeon for it.
Is a second opinion worth it if the first surgeon was recommended to me?
It can be. A second opinion is not a judgement on the first surgeon. It is a check on whether the proposed operation is likely to change how your joint works, and whether the options were laid out completely. Sometimes the answer is that the operation you were offered is the right one, which is worth knowing before you commit to a recovery.
