I received my invitation to join the greater SLAP tear community courtesy of my enjoyment of volleyball over the past 17 years. I coach and play for the University of Chicago club team and last year didn't take my usual summer break. Instead, I headed out to North Avenue as soon as the weather got nice and played at least 2 days a week. Sometime in late July or August, I noticed some pain in my shoulder on certain attacks. This pain intensified a bit as fall arrived and I found myself playing 4 times a week. If only I had known then what I know now...

Like many people, I don't have the greatest health insurance, so it took a while to get an appointment with the sports medicine doc through the student clinic on campus. I finally was able to see her in mid October and although I explained I had been taking ibuprofen and icing, was told to continue doing so and given some shoulder strengthening exercises (sound familiar?). She thought it could be any number of things and wanted to proceed conservatively, especially since MRIs are so expensive. When I returned from winter break, my first practice felt great and I thought I had taken care of the problem...until my second practice. Nothing had changed.