Matthias Wiederholz, MD
Dr. Matthias Wiederholz, MD, is the Founder of Performance Pain and Sports Medicine, a physician-led interventional pain management practice with offices in Houston, Texas and Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine.
Dr. Wiederholz holds the designation of Master Discseel® Instructor, one of a small handful of Master Discseel® Instructors worldwide, and was the first physician to bring the Discseel® Procedure to both Houston and New Jersey. He is a published researcher with contributions to peer-reviewed journals including The Spine Journal, the official publication of the North American Spine Society.
His clinical focus centers on identifying and repairing the source of chronic pain through minimally invasive and regenerative approaches rather than relying on long-term medication management or surgery. A seven-time Houstonia Top Doctor and international lecturer, Dr. Wiederholz brings both clinical depth and a commitment to advancing the field of interventional pain medicine to every patient he treats.
Education and Training
Dr. Wiederholz earned his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he served as Chief Resident. The Chief Resident role is a leadership position selected from among program residents, reflecting clinical competence and the trust of faculty and peers.
Following residency, he pursued a fellowship in Interventional Pain Management and Sports Medicine in Marietta, Georgia, gaining specialized training in image-guided spine procedures, joint injections, and advanced diagnostic techniques. This fellowship provided the foundation for his current focus on minimally invasive interventional treatments.
Dr. Wiederholz also holds a Master’s degree in Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, which distinguishes his approach from physicians who have adopted regenerative therapies without formal academic training in the field. This degree provides the scientific basis for the metabolic and nutritional optimization strategies he integrates into patient care, particularly for patients undergoing regenerative procedures where tissue healing is the goal.
He has been in private practice since 2008 and established Performance Pain and Sports Medicine in 2009.
Board Certifications
Dr. Wiederholz holds four board certifications, each representing a distinct area of clinical expertise that informs how he evaluates and treats patients.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R)
PM&R is his primary specialty. PM&R physicians are trained to treat the whole person with a focus on restoring function, not just reducing symptoms. This training shapes how Dr. Wiederholz approaches every patient: identifying what the pain is preventing them from doing and building a treatment plan to restore that capacity.
Pain Medicine
Certification through the American Board of Pain Medicine reflects specialized training in diagnosing and managing complex pain conditions using interventional procedures, medication optimization, and multimodal treatment strategies.
Sports Medicine
Sports Medicine certification addresses the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in active patients, from competitive athletes to adults who want to maintain an exercise routine. This background informs his use of ultrasound-guided procedures and regenerative therapies for joint, tendon, and ligament injuries.
Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine
Unlike physicians who have added regenerative treatments to their practice without formal training, Dr. Wiederholz completed a board certification process in this specialty. Combined with his Master’s degree in Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, this credential provides the scientific foundation for the regenerative procedures he performs, including PRP therapy, bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) therapy, and the Discseel® Procedure.
Discseel® Procedure Expertise
Dr. Wiederholz was the first physician in Houston trained to perform the Discseel® Procedure and the first to bring it to New Jersey. He completed his Discseel® training in 2020 under the direct mentorship of Dr. Kevin Pauza, the inventor of the procedure. That training provided not only technical proficiency in the procedure itself, but a deep understanding of patient selection, diagnostic precision through provocative discography, and post-procedure optimization that comes from learning directly from the source.
Today, Dr. Wiederholz holds the designation of Master Discseel® Instructor, one of a small handful of Master Discseel® Instructors worldwide. This role means he does not only perform the procedure for patients; he trains other physicians in the technique internationally. When patients choose Dr. Wiederholz for Discseel®, they are choosing the physician who teaches other doctors how to perform this procedure correctly.
The Discseel® Procedure uses a biologic fibrin sealant to seal damaged spinal discs and stimulate tissue regeneration. It is a non-surgical, outpatient treatment designed for patients with degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, or annular tears who have not found lasting relief from conservative treatments but want to avoid spinal fusion. The procedure takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes with no general anesthesia required, and most patients are discharged the same day.
Dr. Wiederholz performs the Discseel® Procedure in Houston and also offers Discseel® in Lawrenceville, providing Master Instructor-level expertise at each location. He has also personally undergone the Discseel® Procedure, giving him a firsthand understanding of the recovery timeline and what patients can realistically expect during the healing process.
Clinical Specialties and Procedures
Dr. Wiederholz’s clinical practice spans several areas of interventional pain medicine, each informed by his training and board certifications.
Interventional Spine Procedures
Interventional spine procedures form the core of his daily practice. He performs epidural steroid injections (transforaminal, interlaminar, and caudal approaches), facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, sacroiliac joint injections, and peripheral nerve blocks using fluoroscopic and ultrasound guidance for precision. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is used to interrupt pain signaling from specific nerves, providing sustained relief for patients with facet-mediated or joint-related pain.
Neuromodulation
Neuromodulation is an area where Dr. Wiederholz offers advanced options for patients with chronic pain that has not responded to other interventions. He implants spinal cord stimulators, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulators, peripheral nerve stimulators, and intrathecal pain pumps. His involvement as a clinical trial investigator for wireless neuromodulation devices reflects his engagement with the latest technology in this field.
Endoscopic Spine Surgery
Dr. Wiederholz is one of a small number of physicians in the region trained in endoscopic discectomy and endoscopic rhizotomy, ultra-minimally invasive techniques that use a small endoscope to remove disc fragments or ablate pain-generating nerves through a single small incision.
Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine extends beyond the Discseel® Procedure to include platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) therapy for joints, tendons, and spinal structures. His board certification in Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Functional Medicine and his Master’s degree in Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine provide the formal foundation for these treatments.
Dr. Wiederholz was also the first physician in Texas to perform the Superion interspinous spacer procedure for lumbar spinal stenosis, reflecting a pattern of early adoption of advanced, minimally invasive technologies throughout his career.
Research, Publications, and Professional Leadership
Dr. Wiederholz has contributed to peer-reviewed medical research in interventional pain medicine, with publications in journals recognized by the North American Spine Society and the pain medicine community.
His research contributions include a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial published in The Spine Journal (2025) evaluating the safety and procedural competency of percutaneous sacroiliac joint fusion performed by interventional pain physicians. The study enrolled 276 patients across multiple ambulatory surgery centers and demonstrated low complication rates (3.3%), supporting the role of trained interventional pain physicians in performing advanced spine procedures. Dr. Wiederholz was a co-investigator at the Performance Pain and Sports Medicine site (Chin et al., The Spine Journal, 2025).
He is also a co-author on a case series published in Pain Medicine Case Reports (2024) examining wireless cervical peripheral nerve stimulation for the treatment of occipital neuralgia. The study reported a 78.3% reduction in pain scores at one-year follow-up, adding to the evidence supporting wireless neuromodulation at the cervical level (Abd-Elsayed et al., Pain Medicine Case Reports, 2024).
Beyond published research, Dr. Wiederholz serves as a clinical trial investigator. Performance Pain and Sports Medicine is an active study site for a double-blinded randomized controlled trial (NCT03877653) evaluating wireless peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic knee pain, reflecting the practice’s commitment to advancing evidence-based pain treatment.
Dr. Wiederholz has participated in advisory boards for Medtronic covering both targeted drug delivery systems and spinal cord stimulation. He also serves as a teaching faculty member for Curonix, instructing other physicians on spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation techniques.
He lectures internationally on advanced spine treatments and regenerative medicine, with presentations in Germany on multiple occasions and in Israel. He also serves as a consultant for several medical device companies, contributing to the development and refinement of interventional pain technologies.
Awards and Philosophy of Care
Dr. Wiederholz has been named a Houstonia Top Doctor seven times: in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2025. The Houstonia Top Doctor distinction recognizes physicians for clinical excellence in their specialty.
His approach to patient care is grounded in a single principle: identify and repair the source of pain rather than masking symptoms with long-term medication. For patients who have spent months or years cycling through treatments that provide only temporary relief, this means a thorough diagnostic evaluation to determine exactly which structure is generating the pain, followed by the least invasive intervention that can address it.
Performance Pain and Sports Medicine operates as a physician-led boutique practice, not a high-volume clinic. Patients work directly with Dr. Wiederholz throughout their care, from the initial evaluation through treatment and follow-up. The practice welcomes patients aged 12 and older, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Locations and Scheduling
Dr. Wiederholz sees patients at two Performance Pain and Sports Medicine locations:
Houston, Texas
Address: 4126 Southwest Freeway, Suite 1700, Houston, TX 77027
Landmark: T-Mobile Tower, 17th Floor
Phone: 346-217-1111
View the Houston office
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Address: 3705 Quakerbridge Rd. Suite 206, Hamilton, NJ 08619
Landmark: University Plaza 2, across from K9 Resorts and Subzi Mandi Farmers Market
Phone: 609-588-8600
View the Lawrenceville office
Consultations can be scheduled by phone or through the online appointment request. For patients considering the Discseel® Procedure, a dedicated intake form is available to begin the candidacy evaluation.
Schedule a Consultation With Dr. Wiederholz
Whether you are exploring non-surgical options for chronic pain, considering the Discseel® Procedure, or seeking a second opinion on a recommended surgery, Dr. Wiederholz is available at both the Houston and Lawrenceville offices.
Take the first step toward relief:
- Call Houston: 346-217-1111
- Call Lawrenceville: 609-588-8600
- Online: Request an appointment
- Discseel® candidates: Complete the Discseel® intake form
The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual results may vary. Consult with your physician to determine the best treatment plan for your specific condition.
Last medically reviewed: April 2026 by Matthias Wiederholz, MD