The 22-year old reported to the medical team after last Friday's LV= Cup win over Gloucester with neck symptoms and investigations this week have shown that the player faces time on the sidelines and possible surgery.
Ospreys Head Physio, Chris Towers, confirmed:
"We've had Joe scanned and initial discussions, given the nature of his injury, is that he is going to be unavailable for a lengthy period of time and is likely to require surgery.
"We are looking at the best options to treat and resolve the symptoms and will be in a position to update further once we've completed the consultancy process and can identify all available options."
The news comes while fellow tighthead Aaron Jarvis is away on international duty, and Adam Jones remains sidelined with a knee problem. Speaking about Adam, Towers added:
"Although Adam remains unavailable due to the knee injury he re-aggravated in the Leicester match, we are happy with the progress he is making in his rehab. In line with the initial rehab plan, he still requires a further six weeks to get him back to the condition required to reach a position where he will be able to return to playing."
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