I just found out I have a Type II SLAP injury of my pitching shoulder. I don't want to miss the rest of the baseball season. Can I put off surgery until then?

Maybe not. A type II SLAP tear of the labrum in the shoulder means the fibrous rim has pulled away from the bone along with a piece of the biceps tendon where it attaches to the labrum. The joint is unstable without the biceps anchor.

The joint can become loose or lax and further injury can occur. Chronic instability leads to tears of the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint and keep it in the socket.

Take the advice of your doctor. If surgery is advised you can start a rehab program as early as one week after the operation. The program of motion and exercise will gradually progress the first four weeks. Strengthening can be added in most cases after four weeks.

Sport-specific exercises can be prescribed four months after the surgery. If all goes well, by six months, you'll be back on the playing field as good as new.