Debra M Parisi, MD

Dr. Debra Parisi’s Approach to Patient Care

I treat people, not X-rays. What I mean by that is I sit down and listen to my patients to understand how the problems they’re having are affecting their lives. Once I understand that, I can recommend treatment options. For example, a patient’s X-ray may show arthritis, and the typical recommendation may be a surgical fusion. But if the patient needs to be able to do a particular motion because of the requirements of their work or personal life, fusion will not be the best option for them. In those cases, the patient and I will work together to find a solution that will work for their specific needs.

I try to take the most conservative approach first, because nature and the human body do an amazing job of healing a lot of things. But if the problem doesn’t heal over time, then we start talking about interventions. We start with simple things like wearing a brace, doing some physical therapy, or taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines. If that fails, we look at doing injections. And if all those things fail, we discuss surgery and see if surgery is a good option for the patient.

Dr. Debra Parisi’s Care Philosophy

For me, medicine is about knowing how to approach and solve problems. The human body is nuanced, and the practice of medicine is often more an art than a science. Physicians practice this art in the service of their patients. It’s wonderful to see patients happy because their function is no longer compromised and they are finally pain-free. I think that’s the most rewarding aspect of what I do.

I try to be compassionate and listen. It’s important to sit down and have a conversation with the patient and meet them where they are.

A lot of times, I’m meeting people who are at a very difficult point in their lives: they’ve had a fracture, they’re in pain, and they don’t know what impact healing from the fracture or healing from surgery is going to have on their lives. My team and I want to try to help coach patients through that process. My goal is to understand patients and their individual needs, come up with a solution that works for them, and coach them through treatment by helping them understand what the next couple of months are going to look like for them.

Dr. Debra Parisi’s Outside Interests

I have two young teenagers and spend a lot of my free time attending sporting events and performances. As a family, we love to travel. One of the most special things we do is volunteer as part of One World Surgery, where we join the team that travels to Honduras to perform surgery for underserved communities there. I volunteer my surgical expertise, and my husband and children have also been able to volunteer with everything from painting and construction at the orphanage located next to the One World Surgery site to stocking supplies at the surgical clinic. That has been a very rewarding experience for all of us.

In my free time, I enjoy skiing. I have also started playing tennis — I am not the most skilled player on the courts, but it keeps me active, which is important to me.

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