The 25-year-old had been carrying the problem for several weeks and was forced off during France's World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain, having reportedly been unable to continue as the pain became too much to bear.
According to L'Equipe, Saliba and the Arsenal hierarchy have now agreed that conservative treatment is the preferred route rather than an operation, despite earlier concerns that surgery could be required.
The exact length of his absence remains uncertain and will depend on how his recovery progresses, but he is expected to be sidelined for several months. It represents a significant blow for both Arsenal and the France national team, with Saliba having been one of Didier Deschamps' first-choice central defenders throughout the tournament before his injury forced him out of the third-place play-off against England as well.
The issue is understood to have first flared up before the World Cup, with Saliba managing the pain through the closing weeks of last season rather than seeking surgery at the time. Scans carried out after the Spain game reportedly showed that the injury had not been made significantly worse by the incident, which will have offered some reassurance to both club and player as they settled on the non-surgical route.
Arsenal's pre-season is already under way, with the club due to face Girona on August 1 before further friendlies against Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como, and a Community Shield meeting with Manchester City on August 16 ahead of the Premier League opener against newly-promoted Coventry City on August 21 — fixtures Saliba now looks set to miss in their entirety as he begins his rehabilitation.
Arsenal will be hopeful that a settled treatment plan, rather than surgery and the associated recovery timeline, gives their defender the best chance of returning to full training as early as possible once the new campaign is under way.