Kyle Long undergoes surgery to alleviate neck pain

Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long has had surgery to alleviate neck pain.

The three-time Pro Bowl lineman tweeted a picture of himself wearing a neck brace in a hospital room late Tuesday night and wrote that he "crushed surgery today." He called the operation "an important procedure that will lead to much relief."

Bears coach John Fox said Wednesday that Long underwent the surgery for a herniated disk in his neck.

Long, 29, has ended the past two seasons on injured reserve.

He posted a timeline of his injuries on Twitter.Long tweeted that he was "nowhere near" 100 percent coming into this season and that a shoulder injury led to the neck problem. He wrote that "now is time for me to fix myself."

He opted to play in 2016 after tearing his left labrum in the preseason. Long was planning to repair it after that season, but a major ankle injury late in the year required surgery and prevented him from fixing his shoulder. Heis expected to undergo additional offseason procedures to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Additionally, Long suffered a left hand injury that caused him to miss time before the club eventually shut him down for the year.

Long has four years remaining on the lucrative extension he signed prior to the 2016 season. His 2018 base salary and roster bonus (over $7.3 million) combined becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the upcoming league year.

ESPN's Jeff Dickerson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.