Future NFL Hall-of-Famer, and current Arizona Cardinals defensive anchor JJ Watt is expected to take the field in Week 4--despite barely avoiding some serious heart complications earlier this week.
On Saturday afternoon, Watt took to his Twitter account to get out in front of impending headlines and broke some serious health news ahead of the team’s 4:05 PM ET matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
“I was just told somebody leaked some personal information about me and it’s going to be reported on today. I went into A-Fib on Wednesday, had my heart shocked back into rhythm on Thursday and I’m playing today. That’s it.”
JJ Watt on heart issues on Wednesday
A-Fib, or atrial fibrillation, is a serious situation that the five-time All-Pro is surprisingly making light of. MayoClinic.org explains atrial fibrillation as “an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots in the heart. A-fib increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications.”
The site mentions that while A-Fib isn’t life-threatening, it is a serious condition that requires treatment to avoid the possibility of a stroke. Sometimes, individuals with A-Fib may not notice any symptoms, however, when they do they include chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
In his tweet, the former Houston Texans superstar mentions receiving shocks to his heart to treat his atrial fibrillation on Wednesday. That specific treatment is known as cardioversion and is a “procedure that uses quick, low-energy shocks to restore a regular heart rhythm [via MayoClinic.org].” It is very different than defibrillation, which is a more powerful shock used in emergency situations when the heart stops beating.
Obviously, since Watt is playing on Sunday afternoon the treatment is not something major that requires serious recovery time. But the idea that he will be in a football game just days after receiving shocks to his heart to avoid possible heart failure or stroke is wild. There is no doubt, NFL players are some of the toughest athletes on the planet.
Cardinals vs Panthers kicks off at 4:05 PM ET on Fox.
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