Dundee boss John Brown has revealed Nicky Riley travelled to London last week to see a specialist in a bid to ease a long-standing back problem.
The winger’s trip down south coincided with the Dark Blues having a free weekend because of the William Hill Scottish Cup third-round ties.
The rest and recuperation has also helped another three key players return to the fold as Dundee prepare for a series of vital fixtures against fellow promotion challengers Raith, Falkirk and Hamilton.
Brown said: “It was good for some of the lads like Iain Davidson and Jimmy McAlister to have a wee rest.
“Jimmy was struggling with his ankle and probably shouldn’t have played in our last game against Livingston but he will play through anything.
“Nicky Riley had an injection in his back in London last Monday. He has had problems in the past with his back but he has now got it sorted.
“You are supposed to leave it for six days after the injection to let things settle and he is now back in training and looking the part. Craig Beattie was still suffering from his groin problem last week but he also managed to train.
“The boys have had three days off so there was a freshness about them in training and we want to build up for Saturday’s game.”
That match is against a Raith side sitting in second in the Championship table, two points ahead of Dundee.
Grant Murray’s men are on an 11-game unbeaten league run and are also through to the Ramsdens Cup Final, where they will face Rangers.
However, Brown admitted after the first meeting between the sides in Kirkcaldy earlier in the season, he is not surprised how well Rovers are doing.
He said: “It is a massive game for us on Saturday against a Raith Rovers side who have had a fantastic season so far. They have only been beaten once on the first day of the season against Hamilton.
“We had a tough game over there and Raith will come here full of energy. They press really well high up the park and against us they won the majority of second balls, which I wasn’t happy about.
“They were well organised and they don’t give teams time and space on the ball. If you continually do that, then you can be hard to beat.
“The biggest thing for me is how hard they work for each other. Joe Cardle is lively for them and Gordon Smith has been sticking in the goals.
“We know it will be a tough afternoon for us but it is a home game and we have managed to win four out of five at Dens. They should be coming here knowing they are in for a hard game.”
Meanwhile, Brown distanced himself from suggestions Celtic’s Lewis Toshney, who had a spell at Dens last season on loan, would be coming back to the club.
The manager added: “Toshney did well for us last season and he is a local boy but that’s news to me.”