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Shoulder Labrum Tear Treatment – Litchfield Park, AZ

13575 West Indian School Road, Suite 700 Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

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Patient FAQs

The labrum is a cup-shape rim of cartilage that lines and reinforces the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder. It’s the lip of the socket of the ball and socket joint. It helps to connect the socket part of the scapula with the head of the humerus. It makes the socket deeper, creating space for the bones to move, and coats the surface of the socket area with soft cartilage, enabling the shoulder to move more freely and painlessly.

A shoulder labrum tear can be caused by a direct injury to the shoulder or as the result of prolonged wear and tear.1 While labral tears can occur in big traumas, like a car crash or a serious fall, shoulder instability is a cause often missed. 2 Instability can slowly increase after an old injury or a seemingly less traumatic event.

Imagine that the ball of the humerus is a bowling ball and that the labrum a barrier between the lane and gutter.  When the shoulder is stable, the ball stays on the lane. When the shoulder is unstable, the ball continuously goes towards the gutter and hits the barrier (labrum).

Shoulder joint anatomy highlighting the labrum
Labrum – shoulder joint anatomy

The common surgical intervention for labral tears often involves an invasive procedure to reattach the biceps tendon at another location. Labral repair tends to be followed by a long, painful recovery with extensive physical therapy — often with no improvement in mobility and function. Also, labrum surgery frequently fails to address the subtle instability of the shoulder joint that caused the tear, so the shoulder remains unstable and subsequent injuries may occur. 

There has only been one high-level study that compared surgical labral repair compared against a fake surgery. It did not show any difference in outcome between the labral repair surgery and the fake procedure 3. In another study looking at posterior shoulder instability, surgery edged out physical therapy, but the patients knew what procedure they were getting 4. We don’t have much solid evidence that a shoulder labral repair procedure works.

13575 West Indian School Road
Suite 700
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

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Doctors

As the medical director and founder of Active Life Physical Medicine and Pain Center, Innovative Surgery Center, and Regena Spa, Dr. Lundquist has great enthusiasm toward regenerative medicines and a special interest in sports medicine and pain. She loves her work and feels blessed to be entrusted to help patients by alleviating painful ailments.

Her desire is to uncover methods that are more healing and less of a “band aid,” which has led her to become a leader in regenerative medicine technologies. She feels strongly about the importance of seeking methods to help alleviate pain on every level – holistically.

Originally a massage therapist and, later, an osteopath, she has a strong foundation to alleviate patient’s pain. She is a “hands on” physician who implements osteopathic techniques when appropriate with other tools.

She is dual board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation along with pain management, as well as a diplomat with the American Board of Pain Medicine.

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Dr. Bonilla is a double board certified physician (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Interventional Pain Management) with over 20 years of experience treating musculoskeletal conditions and spine injuries in the state of Arizona. Dr. Bonilla prides himself on using the most important tools in Physical Medicine, listening carefully to his patient, and using his hands to perform a careful physical exam. He thoroughly educates his patients on their conditions and treatment options and is a very caring and personable physician, always ensuring his patients are as comfortable as possible.

Dr. Bonilla’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science Engineering from Alfred University in New York. He initially worked as a production engineer for DuPont Electronic Materials Inc. for four years. Although he enjoyed his work as an engineer, his passion was always in medicine. As an avid and passionate skateboarder, Dr. Bonilla witnessed and suffered many injuries in his younger years. He witnessed first hand how devastating injuries could be on an active person and he decided to switch careers and study medicine to be able to help people who suffer life changing injuries. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Bonilla attended and graduated from University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. He then moved to Pittsburgh, PA to complete his internship at UPMC-Mercy Hospital, followed by his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Bonilla has been performing Regenerative Medicine for more than 18 years. He is trained and highly experienced in the use of ultrasound and fluoroscopy guided injections. He is also trained in the use of PRP and bone marrow concentrate, which contains your own stem cells, to promote the body’s natural ability to heal. Dr. Bonilla works part time at the Phoenix VA Hospital and enjoys helping Veterans with their musculoskeletal issues. He is married and has one son, currently serving as an US Army Honor Guard. He also has 3 step children and 2 grandchildren. As a passionate Mountain Biker for the last 20 years, Dr. Bonilla understands first hand how an injury can affect an individual’s lifestyle. He also enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors.

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Areas Treated

Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Shoulder, Thoracic Spine

*This provider is NOT authorized by Regenexx to treat the C0-C1 or C1-C2 levels of the neck or CCI (craniocervical instability).

Woman in telemedicine consult with physician to see if she's a candidate for Regenexx for knee osteoarthritis.

Treat Labral Tears Without Surgery

Regenexx procedures are non-surgical treatments that use your body’s own healing agents to treat shoulder labral tears. Our patients benefit from reduced pain and improved function, helping them avoid shoulder surgery.

Am I a candidate?

Regenexx’s percutaneous labralplasty is a nonsurgical procedure that uses precise imaging guidance and your own healing cells to promote natural healing. Regenexx procedures can be a better alternative for people looking to avoid surgery, lengthy recovery, and overuse of prescription pain medication. They use either platelet-rich plasma or bone marrow concentrate (which contains stem cells). 

The nature and severity of your labral tear (classification type) generally determines if the treatment is right for you. An evaluation by a Regenexx physician is the first step.

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Labral Tear Repair Patient Stories

I tell people about it all the time, and they find it so hard to grasp…100% and no scars, no downtime….I am so happy with my results and just wanted to say THANKS once again.”

Pilates lover with an active lifestyle – Full patient story

Number 8 [at 3 minutes and 35 seconds] is Matt scoring the winning goal for Penn State lead over Cornell. He had 2 great goals! THANK YOU…he feels great:)”

Mother of a college athlete – Full patient story

Note: Like all medical procedures, Regenexx procedures have a success and failure rate. Not all patients will experience the same results.

Visual representation of regenerative medicine

Webinar: Alternatives to Shoulder Labrum Surgery

Learn the latest about regenerative medicine, and how Regenexx procedures can treat your shoulder labrum injury.

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Popular Articles On This Topic

Yes, not everyone experiences pain when their labrum is torn. In 2016, a study performed MRIs on patients without shoulder pain who were 45-60 years old, a staggering 55-72% of these people had labral tears. 5 

Yes. When the tear is in the upper part of the labrum, the area where the biceps tendon attaches to the lap of the socket is also commonly torn. When this happens, it’s called a SLAP tear (Superior Labral Tear from Anterior to Posterior).

u003ch2u003eGet started to see if you are a Regenexx candidaternu003c/h2u003ernu003cpu003eTo talk one-on-one with one of our team members about how Regenexx may be able to help your orthopedic pain or injury, please complete the form below and we will be in touch with you within the next business day.u003c/pu003e

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