Houston Texans running back Arian Foster likely will undergo a heart procedure in about a month after an irregular heartbeat reappeared and forced him out of a Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings, NFL Network's Alex Flanagan reported Thursday.
Foster has had an issue with his heart since he was 12 years old and has had about eight incidents where his heart began to race uncontrollably. Week 16 was the first time it happened during a game, Flanagan reported.
The most significant effect is a shortness of breath. Doctors told Foster that former NBA player Hakeem Olajuwan had the same ailment. His spells were brought on by drinking cold water. They're trying to figure out what triggers the episode for Foster. He thinks it could be stress.
The procedure is called an ablation.
Heart surgery is always a scary thing. That's especially worrisome for a professional athlete who's dependent upon his body functioning at a high level. Hopefully, stress isn't the issue because there's plenty of that in the NFL -- even for a three-time Pro Bowl selection such as Foster.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.