A little over a week ago, I stood up at my desk after a long day of working from home. I had probably been hunched over the keyboard for far too long. I clasped my hands behind my back and pulled my shoulders back sharply. This often results in a slight popping sound that makes the muscles in my shoulders relax and feel better. This time, however, my right shoulder produced a much louder pop.

Since then, when I move my right arm across my body in the front and then bring it back to my side, I hear a similar popping sound (and so does anyone else in the room) and the feeling of a tendon possibly slipping past a muscle or bone. Raising my right hand and arm above my head also results in a similar pop. Sometimes it hurts a little, but sometimes it hurts a lot. I’ve managed to avoid a trip to a doctor’s office for over four years, but my wife convinced me that a week of a painfully popping shoulder merited a trip to a physician.

My doctor thinks that most likely I have a torn rotator cuff, but he can’t be sure without an MRI. Not only is this a somewhat painful injury that will probably result in weeks or months of rehab, I don’t even have a good story, like coming in as a surprise relief pitcher for the Oakland A’s and pitching too many innings without warming up properly. No, all I can say is that I was stretching at my desk. There will be no purple heart for me. I’m just stuck with naproxen, ice packs, and trips to the physical therapist. And, no, there is no useful moral to this story.