Chargers’ Joey Bosa will play in a limited capacity against the Saints

EL SEGUNDO — At one point, the pain was so intense that Chargers center fielder Joey Bosa said he slept on an exercise ball he got from the training room at team headquarters. He said he curled up in the fetal position for hours because that was the only way to relieve the pain.

It started with lower back pain that was manageable, but on Friday he said he knew something was wrong the next day Chargers victory over Carolina Panthers September 15. He did everything in his power to get through the week of practice while the team was in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But when he ran onto the field for the Chargers’ game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh the following Sunday, he knew he was risking his luck. He usually said he would run onto the field from the locker room, trying to get ahead of his teammates for pre-game warm-ups. This time he could barely run.

Barefoot perm one game before his left leg gave out and had to leave the field on the bench. The pain in my lower back spread to my left buttock and eventually caused irritation along the sciatic nerve, which runs from the back/hip area down both sides of each leg. In Bosa’s case, it was his left leg.

The pain was excruciating and constant, and after the team returned from Pittsburgh, he was unable to perform rehabilitation exercises. He couldn’t sleep because the pain kept him awake while he was in bed. The only cure for his sleepless nights was to drape himself on a large exercise ball and hope for the sandman to come.

It’s taken more than a month, but the healing process is finally picking up pace, and Bosa said Friday that he will play in the Chargers’ game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. There’s no word yet on how much he’ll play, but he’ll likely make some limited appearances.

“I feel good,” he said in his first public comments since being injured against Pittsburgh on Sept. 22. “It’s been a tough five weeks, but I’m starting to recover. I had three really good days in a row. I gave up (Friday). It was really interesting.

“I told you (reporters) how good I feel and how I miss all these weeks, but it’s finally coming. I had two good practices. I think I’ll get through this week, this game, I think the days will accumulate, I’ll keep improving and hopefully get back to the shape I was in.

“I will definitely be there (Sunday).”

He thanked his family, teammates and coaches, training staff and therapist for lifting his spirit and doing everything they could to help him recover both physically and mentally. He revealed that the strain of injury was often difficult to bear emotionally, given the string of injuries he had suffered in recent seasons.

Barefoot He only played nine games and five last season in the 2022 season.