ABOUT WELLWARD
Healing Beyond Medicine.
Wellward is built for individuals who want to understand what is driving their pain — and treat it with intention. We go beyond symptom relief to uncover the real source of pain and build a personalized plan for lasting function, resilience, and long-term joint health.
We go beyond symptom relief to uncover the real source of pain and build a personalized plan for lasting function, resilience, and long-term joint health.
OUR MISSION
To help people move better, feel better, and live better through precise diagnosis, thoughtful treatment, and whole-person care.
WHY WE EXIST
Too many people are told to simply live with pain. We exist to change that by identifying the true source of pain and helping people move forward with confidence.
OUR PROMISE
We listen. We investigate. We partner with you to create a plan that is sustainable and built around your life.
Our Story
Wellward has served the Bluegrass and Southeast Kentucky for over 30 years. The practice was founded in 1992 by Dr. Maz Mazloomdoost, a board-certified anesthesiologist, and Dr. Shirazi, a psychiatrist — two physicians who believed that pain required more than suppression and that patients deserved a practice built around understanding.
The practice continues under the direction of their son, Dr. Danesh Mazloomdoost. Dr. Danesh trained at Johns Hopkins and completed fellowship training in complex pain at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His work focuses on diagnostic precision, regenerative strategy, and long-term clinical judgment — the same values the practice was built on.
The HEAL Framework
At Wellward, healing begins with understanding why the body is struggling to repair. The HEAL Framework organizes care around four interconnected domains that shape recovery: Health — your biology and tissue integrity; Energy — your nervous system and stress response; Activity — your movement patterns and body mechanics; and Lifestyle — the daily habits that support long-term healing and healthspan. By looking at pain through these connected layers, Wellward individualizes care to better understand your needs and optimize the role of regenerative treatment within a more complete path to recovery.
HEALTH — Tissue Biology & Structural Integrity
Your joints are stabilized by passive structures — ligaments, joint capsule, cartilage, and connective tissue — that provide support without active effort. When these degrade or are injured, muscles compensate, but compensation is not a substitute for structural integrity — a process that starts the slow progression toward arthritis, end-stage joints, or surgery. The biological state of tissue determines whether regenerative care is appropriate and what it can realistically accomplish.
ENERGY — Nervous System & Stress Response
Persistent pain rewires how the nervous system processes signals. The autonomic nervous system shifts toward fight-or-flight, interrupting rest and repair cycles and leading to mood disruption, heightened pain sensitivity, and an inhibited healing response. When this is present, tissue-level treatment alone often does not hold — collaborative, multi-domain care is needed.
ACTIVITY — Movement Quality & Load Tolerance
Pain changes how you move — it creates guarding, compensation patterns, and asymmetries that over time become their own source of strain. Rehabilitation at Wellward is sequenced alongside structural and biological work, re-educating the body to move on a more stable foundation rather than compensating for one that was never addressed.
LIFESTYLE — Recovery Capacity & Health Coaching
The body’s ability to repair is shaped by hormones, sleep, nutrition, activity patterns, and daily habits that either support or undermine healing. Wellward offers comprehensive support through BHRT and testosterone pellets, health coaching, and programs designed to help you sustain recovery and extend the quality of your active years — what we call healthspan.
Pain Mapping™
We combine advanced diagnostics, clinical expertise, and your unique story to create a clear map of your pain.
Symptoms
Exam Findings
Imaging
Function
Diagnostic Procedures
Pain Mapping
Clarity
Pain Mapping™
We combine advanced diagnostics, clinical expertise, and your unique story to create a clear map of your pain.Symptoms
Exam Findings
Imaging
Function
Diagnostic Procedures
Pain Mapping
Clarity
What Makes Wellward Different
- Focus on symptom suppression
- Repetitive injections and temporary fixes
- One-size-fits-all recommendations
- Fragmented care and poor communication
- Focus on root cause and long-term function
- Tissue preservation and precision treatments
- Personalized, data-driven care plans
- Integrated, whole-person approach
Meet the Team
Experienced specialists, united by purpose.
Common Questions
Most diagnostic and evaluation services are covered by insurance. Regenerative therapies — such as PRP, prolotherapy, and biologic injections — typically involve out-of-pocket costs, as they are not yet universally covered. Before proceeding with any treatment, we review insurance participation, expected coverage, and financial considerations aligned with your goals.
Candidacy depends on the confirmed pain generator, the biological state of the affected tissue, imaging findings, symptom history, and your goals. Regenerative therapies are not appropriate for every condition or every patient — they are selected when the diagnosis and tissue environment support a repair-focused approach. Evaluation comes first.
Prior treatment failure does not mean nothing can help. Often the issue is that the pain generator was not clearly identified, the treatment was not well-matched to the source, or rehabilitation did not address movement and load tolerance alongside the structural problem. A more complete evaluation frequently reveals what was missed.
Timeline depends on the condition, tissue quality, chronicity of symptoms, and which treatment pathway is appropriate. Some patients see meaningful improvement in weeks. Others — particularly those with longstanding degeneration or complex pain — improve over months. We set realistic expectations at the outset and track progress against them.
No. Wellward is a non-surgical practice. When surgical evaluation is warranted — due to progressive neurologic deficit, severe structural compromise, or failure of appropriate care — we triage the case clearly and refer to trusted surgical colleagues in the community.
Where are you in your HEAL I N G journey?
Danesh Mazloomdooost MD (Dr. Danesh) Anesthesiologist and Regenerative Specialist
Dr. Danesh is a native Kentuckian and second generation of physician running Kentucky’s first multidisciplinary pain clinic. He trained in anesthesiology from Johns Hopkins and Interventional Pain from MDAnderson before post-fellowship training in Musculoskeletal and Regenerative medicine. He speaks, consults, and advocates on reform in pain management and orthopedics minimizing opioid exposure and surgical needs. He is best-selling author of Fifty Shades of Pain: How to Cheat on your Surgeon with a Drug-free Affair and his latest book Orthobiologics Book is his foray into pain and orthopedics reform. Dr. Danesh is Medical Director of Wellward – a living laboratory for innovation in pain and orthopedic care.
Dr. Maz (retired) ANESTHESIOLOGIST AND PAIN SPECIALIST
Manoochehr Mazloomdoost, M.D. (known as Dr. Maz) is a board certified Anesthesiologist and Pain Specialist. He is a pioneer in pain management and among the leaders in forefathers of this field since 1983. After serving as the Director of Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Maz came to Lexington to start the Department of Pain Management pain department at the Veteran’s Veterans’ Administration. In 1992, he and his wife, Dr. Shirazi, began one of the first comprehensive pain practices in the country. Together they began the legacy practice that is now called Wellward Medical, one of the oldest practices in Kentucky focusing on sustainable treatments for pain.
Dr. Shirazi PSYCHIATRIST, Founding member of Wellward
Camellia Shirazi, M.D. has a unique background combining anesthesiology and psychiatry to bring greater insight to the cause and effect of mental health problems, particularly in the context of physical pain. Dr. Shirazi began her medical career in anesthesiology, focusing on the physiology and biochemistry of the body. Her interests quickly evolved to include the chemistry of the brain and how mood affects body function. Ultimately, she found her calling in psychiatry. She is a pioneer in this field and was one of the founders of the practice that is now Wellward Medical.
Dr. James Escaloni, DPT
Dr. James Escaloni, DPT serves as a physical therapist and movement specialist at Wellward Medical. He is board certified, residency, and fellowship trained in orthopedics. Originally from Rochester, N.Y., he is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Regis University programs in physical therapy. In addition to identifying the cause of pain in the most complex patients, Dr. Escaloni teaches around the world on topics like differential diagnosis and manual therapies.
Dr. Escaloni is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic and Manual Physical Therapists. He holds a post-graduate Diploma in Osteopractic, as well as certifications in Spinal Manipulative Therapy, Dry Needling, Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, Vestibular Rehabilitation, Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, and Selective Functional Movement Screening and Assessment. He has also taken on the duties as a musculoskeletal sonographer for Wellward. Dr. Escaloni has served on the State Board for the Kentucky Strength and Conditioning Association. Most importantly, he loves to spend time with his family, exercising, and helping coach wrestling in Woodford County, KY.
Dr. Patrick Campbell
Dr. Patrick Campbell attended Life University and has been practicing for over 20 years as a chiropractor, focusing on spinal mobility and balance. His unique take on the body’s ability to heal itself coupled with regenerative medicine knowledge makes him an asset to our integrative team.
Travis Bridges, D.O Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Travis Bridges, DO, is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist. He is a native Kentuckian who completed medical school at Campbell University followed by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation training at Virginia Commonwealth University where he developed his passion for non-surgical treatment of pain/musculoskeletal conditions. In addition to his physiatrist knowledge, he also has extensive training in ultrasonography and electrodiagnostic testing to further aid in diagnosis and treatment. Returning home to care for fellow Kentuckians was always his goal and he was excited to find a rewarding opportunity in Lexington. Travis is also active in the community and serves as a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation consultant at several rehab facilities in the community.
Trevor McHardy, PAC-Orthopedics Specialist
Trevor McHardy is a Physician Assistant who trained at St Louis University after years of working in the operating room, specializing in orthopedics. Despite his extensive surgical knowledge, Trevor believes that noninvasive therapeutic modalities should always be pursued first, which is what drew him to Wellward and our mission to optimize the body’s potential for healing. Trevor and his wife moved from St. Louis to Lexington this summer, and we are thrilled to have him as a new addition to our team.
Megan Begley, LCSW
Megan Begley is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in somatic (mind-body), depth psychology (subconscious), and transpersonal (psychospiritual) approaches for mental health disorders and identity growth. She joined Wellward to be part of an integrative healthcare team, apply her skills to the progressive field of ketamine-assisted therapy, and collaborate in the development of innovative treatment models for chronic pain, chronic illness, and addiction. Previously, she worked in correctional mental health, community mental health, opioid addiction treatment, and private practice with specialization in trauma therapy. Along with training in a variety of treatment modalities including EMDR, and Internal Family Systems, Megan has a 25-year personal background in Eastern spirituality and holistic wellness.
Patricia Rust
Patricia Rust earned her Human Nutrition and Dietetics degree from the University of Kentucky and is currently educating individuals on how nutrition affects our mental and physical health. She has taught nutrition to K-12 students in the homeschool community through Bluegrass Homeschool Learning Cooperative and Red Oaks Forest School. She was a founder of Bluegrass Homeschool Learning Cooperative and moved toward educating adults in nutrition as her kids grew older. She views food not only as a way of connecting with friends and family, but also a way to help our bodies heal physically and mentally. She chose to begin a new career at Wellward as the mission statement spoke to her, she has moved into a role that fits her passion of nutrition education. She sees education as a process of meeting people where they are and encouraging small changes at a time to get the results desired. She encourages everyone to view life's challenges as a new adventure, learn something new on the way, and have fun doing it.