St Kilda key forward Fraser Gehrig is keen to return to the AFL but is unsure if his body will let him.

Speaking publicly for the first time since going on the long-term injury list, Gehrig said he would use the eight-week lay-off to see "whether the hands can come back" from arthritis.

The 32-year-old had a short-lived retirement at the end of last season before returning to the Saints.

But he has only kicked nine goals in five games and is well off the form that made him the Saints' leading goalkicker for the last five years.

He is struggling with arthritis in his hands and this week coach Ross Lyon revealed Gehrig also had groin trouble.

"With my age and the amount of time I've been playing, it all came to a head on Friday (the loss to Collingwood), I've decided to go on the long-term injury list and try to get everything up and running for possibly down the track," he told the Saints Central website.

"I've got a pretty good relationship with the coach, it was pretty obvious to him with a few things with my hands that I couldn't do out on the ground.

"I'm not too sure whether they're going to get any better or not, but it gives me an opportunity to have a bit of a break."

Gehrig added he was undergoing "a lot of scans" and seeking medical advice on his ailments.

During his absence, he plans to keep training as much as his body will let him and also to work with the St Kilda forwards.

Apart from scotching any suggestions of immediate retirement, Gehrig again stressed he had no regrets about his comeback.

"If you don't buy a ticket, you're not going to win Tattslotto," he said.

"Obviously the goal was to come back and play finals footy and hopefully (win) a premiership, which I've never been involved with.

"That's probably a fair way off at this stage, but you never know what's around the corner.

"If I don't come back and play, I'm going to do everything to help the team get up and play some good footy."

Gehrig joked that it had been "a pretty big week", given the intense media scrutiny about his future.

"The body wasn't really holding together to play at an acceptable level, I guess.

"It's a pretty hard game and with the hands and a couple of other little things, it's made it pretty hard to compete."

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