Jamaal Lascelles has lifted the lid on his injury issues this season.
The Newcastle United skipper limped off during the win over Bournemouth after cracking his tibia in November.
But after a two-month lay off he is back in contention for Premier League action this weekend against Chelsea.
He said: “It's tough. It was a bit of a freak injury, really, and it was kind of in a weird place on my leg, as well.
“So, it's been tough because for the majority of my injury, I've not felt any pain at all.
“I felt like I could go and join in (with training) but, with bones and chipped bones, you have let them heal, otherwise you could have a worse or a longer problem.
“So, it was just finding the right balance of when to start running on grass.
“Now I've finally come over all that, I'm just excited to be back.”
