Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington has undergone a sugar injection in his back in a bid to help him quickly rediscover his fitness and form.
Etherington has struggled since the start of the season, and missed Stoke's defeat at Swansea last time out.
Now manager Tony Pulis has sanctioned the injection in his back to try to conquer his recent fitness problems.
"He's had the injection in his back and we are hoping he's OK for the Fulham game on Saturday," said Pulis.
"He's been a bit stiff around the hamstring area, but it's been more back related.
"We're hoping these injections will settle him down and get him up and running again."
Pulis admitted that neither Etherington, right, nor wing partner Jermaine Pennant had regularly reproduced their best form so far this term.
"Yes, we are waiting for Matty and Jermaine to hit top gear. I think we saw signs of it against Manchester United last month that they are getting back to a certain level.
"And getting that consistency is so important to us. They are both very good players and we need them both on top of their game to be an influence in matches."
Pulis says Danny Higginbotham could be challenging for a first-team return by the end of the month after playing 45 minutes for the reserves yesterday.