Stoke have sent Robert Huth to a knee specialist in Spain in a bid to get him fit for Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Huth faces a race against time to make Sunday's showpiece at Wembley after suffering suspected ligament damage during Sunday's 3-1 over Arsenal.
The injury was sustained as several players fell on the 26-year-old's knee following a set-piece.
The German defender has now undergone a thorough inspection in Spain and received a sugar injection to accelerate his recovery.
"I think there has been a bit of a response to the treatment, but it's far too early to reach any conclusions," Stoke chairman Peter Coates told the Stoke Sentinel.
"He has seen a specialist we have used before and have full confidence in. He will then be coming back to us - then we just have to wait and hope.
"He will be desperate to play at Wembley, like any footballer would be, and it will be a terrible shame if he does miss out.
"It's going to be a very difficult judgment to make about whether he plays - for the player, the medical staff and, ultimately, Tony Pulis."
Huth tried to soldier on after treatment but was eventually forced to come off, adding to the Potters' injury problems.
Danny Higginbotham (knee) and Ricardo Fuller (Achilles) have already been ruled out, while influential winger Matthew Etherington is battling to recover from a torn hamstring in time to feature on Saturday.
"When Robert first came off I was just hoping it was a precaution," Coates added. "But knowing what a tough competitor he is, you did then start to fear something wasn't right.
"It is a credit to everybody at the club that we had kept everybody so fit this season, but then at a crucial stage of the season we've now had all these setbacks.
"We are disappointed, but most of all we are disappointed for the players themselves because it is such a huge event to play in a cup final at Wembley."
