Hi, i am an 18 year old who is suspect to a SLAP tear and am not sure whether i will need surgery.

Back in March, i tried out for the varsity baseball team for my school, unfortunately i believe i hurt my shoulder during tryouts, because it was never the same after.  I started about 4-5 games, but couldnt go any longer with the pain i was experiencing when throwing, and sometimes even hitting.

I had an x-ray of my shoulder and was recommended to a physical therapist.  I completed about a month to a month and a half of physical therapy and progressed well.  Once i tried to go back on the field to try to regain my throwing strength, it was no longer than a week before i experienced pain again. 

The doctors short term cure to this was a cortisone shot for my shoulder. So i got the shot to see if i could get back on the field.  The cortisone never helped out my shoulder and no pain ever subsided.  Unfortunately i watched from the bench when my team lost in the state finals and had nothing to say about it, this being my senior season. 

After the cortisone did not help, i decided to completely rest my shoulder from about beginning of June til early September.  I kept all my activities very limited.  A couple weeks ago i tried to workout again with my shoulder.  It definitely did not feel right.  A couple days later i found myself in the emergency room for Chest Wall Pain.  It is caused by a chest muscle strain.  I am not sure whether a weakened shoulder could have caused it, because my chest muscles were makin up for the lack of production from my shoulder.

 I went back to my doctor a few days ago and after a 5 minute examination, he believed i had a SLAP tear and maybe a possible rotator cuff tear.  I am going to get an MRI this week and am hoping for the best, but all signs seem to point in the wrong direction.  I read into SLAP tear recovery steps, 1. Physical Therapy, 2. Cortisone or Anti-Inflammatory Medicine, 3. Rest, 4. Surgery.  I have done the first 3 and no pain has gone away it just aches more than ever, is there any chance i can fix my shoulder without surgery, or is it the best choice to have it if i need to because it will be well worth the recovery time in the long run?

Thanks, Jon