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Brooke Pryor
PITTSBURGH — Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt had successful surgery Thursday to repair a partially collapsed lung that he sustained after a dry needling session at the team practice facility Wednesday, his brother J.J. Watt said on social media.
“He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes,” J.J. Watt wrote.
Coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that T.J. Watt had returned home and was resting comfortably. Watt will not play in Monday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins, Tomlin said.
Tomlin also said he didn’t have any additional details about the incident that caused the lung injury or who was performing the treatment at the team facility.
Watt was hospitalized Wednesday after receiving treatment at the facility on the Steelers’ day off, and he remained in the hospital Thursday for imaging and tests before the surgery.
The NFL Players Association is aware of the situation and has been in touch with Watt and his representation.
“Our main immediate priority is supporting T.J.’s health and full recovery,” an NFLPA spokesperson said.
With Watt out, the Steelers will rely on a rotation of pass rushers in Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer.
“I think T.J.’s done a great job of being a leader, not just in the room but in the whole building, the organization,” Herbig said. “I think he rubs off on a lot of people in the right way, and I’m not worried at all because we have great guys, great leaders that’ll pick up that slack. I think that he’s prepared not just myself but a bunch of the younger guys in that sense to be able to take on that larger role, not just as a player but as a leader and bringing that energy.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, dry needling is a treatment used for “pain and movement issues associated with myofascial trigger points.” To perform the treatment, providers typically insert thin needles “into or near your trigger points to stimulate muscles, which causes them to contract or twitch and helps to relieve pain and improve range of motion.”
Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said he prefers to utilize acupuncture.
“Kind of two different things,” Queen said of the practices. “One [acupuncture], you got to go to school for a longer period of time. There’s a whole much more scientific thing that goes into it. I don’t do the whole dry needle thing. I’m actually scared of dry needling, so I kind of stay away from that stuff.
“It is unfortunate. You could probably get dry needle a thousand times and never have anything happen, and it just probably a half an inch in the wrong direction.”
Queen said the extra education required to administer acupuncture is why he uses it.
“I just feel, me personally, more comfortable with somebody has a little bit more experience,” Queen said. “Not saying anything wrong about anybody that did it or whatever, but that’s just me personally.”
Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison used dry needling late to prolong his career. He told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler in 2015 that it was a common practice among Steelers players.
“It’s a more invasive form of needling,” Harrison, then 37, told Fowler. “It can be recovery-based and help to heal any injuries that are nagging. … It’s painful as hell. … It makes you sore the next day, but the day after you feel fine. I’m not the only person that does it. Three to five people [in here] do it.”
In 2020, then-Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a punctured lung when a doctor tried to administer pain medication pregame for fractured ribs. Taylor was medically cleared to return a month after the puncture.
Watt had six tackles, including one for loss, and a quarterback hit in the win against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, when he played 68 defensive snaps (88%). The four-time All-Pro and former Defensive Player of the Year, who signed a three-year, $123 million extension in July, has 7 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception this season along with 18 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss in 13 games.
