T.J. Watt’s wife, Dani, said it’s been a very hard couple of days after the star Steelers pass rusher was hospitalized with a lung issue that required surgery on Thursday.
In a note posted to her Instagram story, Dani explained that TJ — whose brother, former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt, said he’ll be expected to be discharged from the hospital Friday — underwent a successful surgery.
“[Thursday] T.J. completed successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered early Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility,” Dani wrote.
Dry needling is a treatment technique in which thin needles are inserted at myofascial trigger points, stimulating muscles and causing them to contract or twitch. It helps to relieve pain and improve range of motion, per the Cleveland Clinic.
“It has been a very long, hard couple of days but he will be home soon to recover. Thank you all for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers, and support the past couple of days. And praise God for the amazing medical teams at both hospitals!”
The 31-year-old Watt, who currently leads the team with seven sacks, will miss the Steelers’ matchup with the Dolphins on Monday night.
The lung injury occurred during treatment at the team facility on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
J.J. corroborated that report in a post on X, saying that T.J.’s recovery timeline is “to be determined.”
It comes after Pittsburgh’s win over their AFC North rival Ravens, 27-22, to secure the top spot in the division.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin addressed Watt’s health after practice on Thursday.
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“I’m a little bit cautious about what I say, because I am not a medical expert,” Tomlin said. “But to make a long story short, he was experiencing some discomfort when he was at the facility yesterday. So, we took him to the docs and they’re going through some procedures. He stayed overnight in the hospital. He has a lung situation that’s being addressed. I think he has some testing and so forth ahead of him this afternoon, and that’s all I know at this juncture.
“He and I communicated last night, he was comfortable, and that’s all I have really at this point. His status for Monday night is really up in the air. I think what transpires this afternoon is going to provide more information for us. I just don’t have a lot as I stand here today.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
