Adam Smith faces three months out of action despite Bournemouth discovering that his knee injury was less severe than first feared.
The versatile defender went down holding his right knee after feigning to take a free-kick against Newcastle United earlier this month in a bizarre incident, with Smith subsequently stretchered from the pitch following a lengthy stoppage.
But concerns that the Cherries man would miss the remainder of the Premier League season have proven premature.
Editors' Picks
Smith has undergone surgery on torn cartilage but is now pencilled in for a return in mid-February.
A club statement on Monday read: "Bournemouth defender Adam Smith will be sidelined for up to three months by a knee injury sustained earlier this month.