haole1~! i would think any 'normal' (or usual) damage from a tear would repair itself by now... have you asked for any X-rays or MRI ? i know i dislocated a rib having an MRI in a very small machine, and didn't get it taken care of in time, and it never did heal right (that was about 8 yrs ago). the chiro i saw a yr later scolded me, but said there was no way to fix it... i hope the same isn't true for you ~!