Non-Surgical Shoulder Osteoarthritis Care In Chicago, IL

Regenexx procedures are non-surgical alternatives that use precise image-guided injections of your body’s own natural healing agents to treat shoulder injuries.

Shoulder arthritis impacts nearly 25% of adults, yet many of the other treatments still used today deliver less than ideal results. Research has shown that surgery is unreliable and that commonly used nonsurgical alternatives can do more harm than good. For example, steroids can break down cartilage1 and kill cartilage cells in arthritic joints.2

Shoulder joint anatomy graphic with labels.
Shoulder joint anatomy – arthritis pain

618 W. Fulton St.
Chicago, IL 60661

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Doctors

Dr. Tambar is the owner of Chicago Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine, where he helps people recapture their future by improving their musculoskeletal health with state-of-the-art, non-surgical treatments for arthritis, tendinitis, injuries, and back pain.

His professional interests include newer regenerative medicine treatments for chronic musculoskeletal problems, including the use of platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow concentrate, which contains stem cells, for tendinitis and arthritis.

Dr. Tambar is also interested in learning about newer treatments for autoimmune diseases, including for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

He owns GoodFxn, an online functional medicine and wellness program that focuses on nutrition to improve gut health and inflammation, resulting in weight loss, reduced pain, and better energy.

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

Regenexx patients benefit from reduced pain and improved function, helping them avoid shoulder surgery.

Am I a candidate?

A 2015 study looked at 100 shoulders 13 years after they were treated surgically. The research found that the operated shoulders had just as much arthritis as that reported by other studies in patients who didn’t get surgery.3

Moreover, shoulder replacement is a major surgery involving amputation of the shoulder joint and insertion of a prosthesis. Such an invasive surgery involves a long recovery time and the risk for serious complications. In addition, 40% of shoulder replacements in patients younger than 55 fail within 10 years.3

Regenexx’s procedures for degenerative arthritis of the shoulder joint can be a better alternative for people looking to avoid surgery, lengthy recovery, and overuse of prescription pain medication. Best of all, Regenexx procedures spare normal body biomechanics helping you to remain active for your lifetime.

The cartilage in your shoulder is there to help reduce the friction in the joint and to cushion the bone. When cartilage starts to wear down or is injured by metabolic syndrome (i.e., overweight, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides), that’s called arthritis. It leads to chronic shoulder pain, stiffness, limited shoulder function, and decreased mobility.

What might surprise you is that it’s not the lost cartilage that causes the pain but rather the chemicals your body releases in response to inflammation.

Research suggests that those who have shoulder osteoarthritis before rotator cuff surgery for massive tears are at greater risk for retears and a much higher risk for progression of arthritis after surgery.(3) Additionally, a percentage of patients who don’t have shoulder arthritis prior to rotator cuff repair will develop it after the surgery.

When a bone begins to get spurs (osteophytes) — extra extensions of the joint that are your body’s reaction to instability — it is trying to stabilize the joint. So removing spurs is rarely a good idea

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