TJ Watt's collapsed lung due to dry needling remains mystery 'scary' NFL treatment

Maybe we're wimpy at The Athlete Lifestyle On SI, but T.J. Watt's collapsed lung is still bothering us, especially with how easily it was dismissed as a common NFL treatment gone horribly wrong.

T.J. Watt, TJ Watt — Dec. 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

NFL insider Ian Rapoport had a tweet that seemed callous when reporting the Pittsburgh Steelers star pass rusher's "minor surgery," saying it was "a treatment many, many players do at the team facility to alleviate general soreness."

Dry needling is a treatment many, many players do at the team facility without issue to alleviate general soreness. Following one treatment, TJ Watt was left in extreme pain, and doctors quickly sent him to the hospital.

A harrowing experience. But minor surgery & full recovery. https://t.co/VUXQDM13u8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2025

A common treatment should not lead to a collapsed lung.

The dry needling led to a hole in Watt's lung, which resulted in the minor surgery that NFL insiders are now debating how long the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be out.

Steelers teammate Patrick Queen is 'scared' of dry needling treatment

Buried in the stories explaining dry needling were comments made by Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen on Friday about the "common treatment."

"I don't do the whole dry needle thing," Queen said. "I'm actually scared of dry needling, so I kind of stay away from that stuff."

Queen prefers acupuncture to alleviate pain.

And NFL locker rooms generally don't want to discuss dry needling, with reporters finding it difficult to get any current player on record willing to talk about it.

Another former Steelers' Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Super Bowl champion and legendary tough guy James Harrison, told ESPN in 2015, "It's painful as hell."

So then why would NFL players even risk dry needling for pain relief?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, "stimulating a trigger point with a needle helps draw normal blood supply back to flush out the area and release tension. The prick sensation can also fire off nerve fibers that stimulate your brain to release endorphins, your body’s homemade pain medication."

Queen also added, "It is unfortunate. You could probably get dry needled a thousand times and never have anything happen, and it just probably a half an inch in the wrong direction. So, you never know."

The Cleveland Clinic says the procedure "carries a low risk of complications if performed by a trained provider." Obviously that was certainly the case with Watt, given his older brother, future Pro Football Hall of Famer J.J. Watt, confirmed it happened at the Steelers facility.

But don't let any NFL insider fool you. Even if it is "common" for elite modern day-gladiators that risk their lives every week to do dry needling, it is not normal.

Rapoport, one of the best in the business, described it as, "A harrowing experience. But minor surgery & full recovery."

To be clear, there is nothing minor about the treatment or the resulting collapsed lung.

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