After two knee reconstructions, the gun midfielder is struggling with hamstring issues, and is in Germany being treated by the doctor who cured Geelong premiership player Max Rooke's troublesome hamstring.
Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wolfhart has a long string of success on the sporting field after injecting players with extract of rooster crest and honey or calves' blood.
Coach Terry Wallace told richmondfc.com.au he was delighted to have Coughlan about to return to Punt Rd.
"He'll come back after the weekend, so early next week he'll be back in town," he said. "He's just about finished the course over there. He's got about three or four days more training to do over there, and then he'll be back home.
"Then he'll just work himself back up to try to get back to full fitness."
Meanwhile, Andrew Raines is close to returning from his knee injury, a dislocated patella suffered in round two.
"He's coming along well. If there was a VFL game, which there isn't, this weekend he would have been a chance. But obviously with no game, he's likely to be one more week."
With the Tigers coming off a six-goal win over Essendon, Wallace said changes were unlikely, leaving Kane Pettifer in the side and Greg Tivendale out.
"I was really pleased with him (Pettifer) – he was out leading goal-assist player on the evening, so he did his job well, and he had three tackles in the game.
"[Tivendale] is playing some fantastic footy in the reserves. We haven't made any bold statements about our players – and won't make any – if they play well enough, and there's an opening in the senior lineup, they'll get opportunity.
