The doctor who helped the only NRL player to return from a pec injury without surgery is backing Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo to do likewise this finals’ series.

Ameer Ibrahim, who will be working for the Sydney Roosters when they play against Yeo’s Panthers on Thursday night, played a key role in Michael Gordon returning from a high-grade partial tear of his pectoral in 2017.

Gordon had the option of undergoing surgery, but the earliest he would have been back was 10 weeks. But he was edging towards the back end of his career, and was desperate to resume playing fullback for the Roosters in their run to the finals.

So Ibrahim and the club’s medical team mapped out a plan to have Gordon back playing without surgery. It was successful.

The Panthers confirmed on Monday their inspirational forward Yeo would not require “immediate surgery” on a pec muscle injury he suffered against the Warriors last Friday night. The club said he had already started “rehabilitation in a bid to return to the field” this season.

The plan is to have Yeo back for the start of the NRL finals in five weeks. A better scenario, according to a club spokesperson not authorised to speak publicly, would be for Yeo to return in the final round of the regular season against Wests Tigers – in four weeks – so he can get a run under his belt before the more rigorous tests in September.

Ibrahim was unaware of the extent of damage Yeo had done to his chest, but using Gordon’s recovery as an example, explained what the Penrith leader’s next month might entail.

“Because Michael Gordon was getting towards the end of his career, we rolled the dice a bit delaying surgery, even though surgery was what he ultimately needed,” Ibrahim said.

“If you operate on a tendon, it was a 10-week return to play, so surgery would have all but ruled Michael out of the finals.

“There was research that said we could rehab the pec and get them to 80 to 85 per cent in terms of strength and function.

“He was also playing in the backs, which was another factor in Michael’s favour.

“He did very well in the end when he returned. He had about 85 per cent strength after six weeks.

“Stretching is the worst thing you want to do. You want the inflammation to settle down, and once that settles, by about day 10, you can start isometric exercises to engage the muscle without ripping the muscle tendon. That includes band work, electric muscle stimulators, basic inner range strengthening exercises to avoid straining the tendon.

“By two weeks, he’ll be back running and doing cardio.

“It can definitely be done. You can’t needle the pec, and you just have to hope the rehab is good – and that is lasts. It will definitely go again.

“This isn’t something you’d do at the start of the season, you’d only consider it at the end.”

Ibrahim was also the doctor at Manly when Tom Trbojevic flirted with the idea of trying to play on without pec surgery at the end of 2019, for the sake of featuring in the finals – and potentially Australia’s end-of-year Tests against New Zealand and Tonga – but given Trbojevic’s age, and early part of his career, “Turbo” elected to have surgery.

Yeo, 31, not only wants to help Penrith chase a fifth title in six seasons, but also be fit to captain Australia at the World Cup in October and early November before committing to surgery.