And his club have now stated that he will miss several months of action as he undergoes surgery and rehabilitation.
The 25-year-old will now miss Cardiff's end of season run-in which includes a tough trip to Ospreys next followed by a home clash with Ulster.
And Warburton is not the only Wales star that is facing an injury lay-off from Cardiff's remaining fixtures.
Warburton will join Leigh Halfpenny on the sidelines after the full-back had successful surgery on his shoulder last week.
"Following MRI scans and consultations with specialists, Warburton will have an operation and is expected to miss several months of action," said a Cardiff Blues statement.
"Everybody at Cardiff Blues wishes Sam and Leigh all the best during their rehabilitation."
The Blues currently sit in tenth place in the RaboDirect PRO12 league four points ahead of Treviso and the same distance behind seventh placed Newport Gwent Dragons.
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