Heckingbottom, one of last season's most consistent performers, was all raring to go in the summer but then picked up the problem just before the start of the campaign.
But now the former Bradford star is back in the first team due to the unfortunate incident involving John Hills, who broke his ribs in a car crash.
"It’s not the best way to get back into the side - not at all." Heckingbottom admitted to Footymad, "But I have said to a few others that if you are out of the team, you only get back in by someone else’s ill fortune. I know what happened with John was a freak accident but he could have also been injured in a game, suspended or poor form. It’s something you don’t wish on someone but personally you always want to play and I am always going to take my chances.
"I have felt fine so far. Stoke was my fourth game back but I got a bit of a groin strain but the physio says that I should be ok in a couple of days – so that’s good news. But I have worked hard recently and it’s paying off now because fitness wise I feel good."
From the highs of last season and Cardiff quickly turned to lows though for Heckingbottom although he believes that the only way is forward as he hopes to regain the form which made him a fans favourite towards the end of the 2004/05 season.
"This season has been an absolute nightmare." Heckingbottom added. "The injury was a hamstring but the hamstring tendon right at the back of the knee. Apparently it gets poor blood flow and by all accounts it’s a nasty place to get it as I found out!"
"I have put the layoff behind me though and that’s now in the past but these last three or four months have been some of the lowest times I have had in football by a long, long way. I think when I went to Lilleshall for two weeks that was probably the turning point. I was away from the club and getting down to some hard training every day which was really difficult. I returned from there and got myself fit and now I feel fine."