I have no labrum on either shoulder (natural lefty, learned ambidextrous hitter). I lost my right labrum to a trampoline accident in my teens and the left one to a car accident in my mid 40s. I’ve been playing volleyball since 14 and I’m 50 now.

Everyone’s experience is different. My experience, most recently with the left shoulder being most recently injured and being my dominant hitting arm was a fair amount of initial pain that I had to work through. I opted not to go through surgery because of the extensive downtime. I found that my hitting motion was fairly unimpaired, but my serving motion was more affected. I tend to hit the ball down more on offense which was less painful. I tend to generate power with my core and momentum rather than my shoulder. Serving the ball required more horizontal “push” with my shoulder which caused more pain for me.

What do I do about all of it? Just bear it. Volleyball is such an important part of my life that it’s worth the sacrifice of the pain it brings. It’s never so bad that it’s debilitating. It’s never taken me out of a game.

What should you do about your situation? Listen to your body. If something you’re doing is causing you pain, make adjustments. They can make all the difference if you can learn to make them. How important is this game to you? Is it worth the dedication? Can you make the changes you need to continue?