Dear Shoulder,

We've had some pretty good times together. Most of them happy times. You've been with me through plenty of ups and downs these past 21 years, and honestly I don't regret a single one of them. From little league sports beginning at the age of four, to high school and college– you've been by my side (literally) and we've always made a good team. But here's the thing, you've been kind of off lately and it's seriously throwing me off.

I guess your behavior started about a little over a year ago. It was just another normal day. We went to class, took some notes, ate some lunch– you know, same ole same ole. When it came time to practice, you seemed to be alright. During warm-ups, you were perfect. Solid throws to my throwing partner, which was more than I could ask for. However, during real practice is where it began to go downhill. I don't know if you took a wrong angle or what, but after one throw, you were pissed.

Suddenly it was like you were rebelling against me. Whenever it came time to take notes in class, you were screaming no. Unfortunately, my grades were much more important than your stubbornness and you had to suck it up. Which you did not like one bit. You started to get agitated while doing everyday things like sleeping, eating, showering, etc. At first I thought maybe it was just a stage, that maybe you were tired and overworked. And while giving you a long break was near impossible with daily practices, I tried my best to help you in other ways. But I guess that just wasn't enough for you.

Listen, I've tried my best to take care of you. I've stretched you before and after practice, I've iced you after practice. I've even taken some ibuprofen to give you some assistance on your recovery. I started going to the training room to get some extra stretching done. But you were being so stubborn that I was told to get an MRI to see what was going on, to maybe find out just why you were acting out. Doctors are professionals you know, and according to the one who read my MRI scans, you were "perfectly fine." I went through all of this trouble to see if everything was okay with you, and what have you done as a thank you to my help? Absolutely nothing.

You're still a wicked pain and I don't know what else I can do to get you to chill out. While I continue to judge that Doctor's assessment of you, there's nothing I can do but continue to do what I've done. Ice, take of ibuprofen, stretch and hope that you figure your shit out. I don't know what's all up in your joint (or what's not, because hey ligaments, tendons, cartilage and etc), but for the sake of our relationship, I truly hope that you figure it out soon.

You may be royally pissed at me, but like it or not– you're stuck with me forever. So the quicker that you figure out what your issue is, the easier this friendship will be on the both of us.

Your friend and provider,

Kayla.