Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt says he’s good to go for Sunday night’s AFC North championship game with the Ravens, after missing the last three games with a lung injury.
“I feel pretty good. Don’t know that I could’ve said that a week ago, but I feel really good about the week of practice, and I’m excited to play,” Watt said on Friday.
Although Watt was officially listed as a limited participant on the Steelers’ practice report, he said he was able to do everything on the practice field, with no limitations.
Watt suffered the lung injury during a dry needling procedure, in which a physical therapist inserts a thin needle into a muscle to relieve pain. A collapsed lung is a rare complication of a needle being inserted too far in the chest. Watt said he and many pro athletes he knows have used dry needling regularly, but he doesn’t plan to do it again any time soon.
“I got the dry needling at the facility, didn’t feel right afterwards, was in a significant amount of pain, ended up going to the hospital, having surgery, and the recovery was just different because it wasn’t something I’m used to,” Watt said.
Now Watt will get back to doing what he’s used to doing, and playing against the Ravens.
