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6 months ago
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Channel Nine footy commentator Danika Mason has shown her fans a shocking photo of what appears to be a serious back injury - but she didn't let the pain stop her from covering Thursday night's game between the Dolphins and Manly.
Mason, 33, shared an Instagram story before boarding her flight to Brisbane for the match, revealing a scan showing what seems to be damage to a disc in her back.
The image had the accompanying caption: 'was wondering why the back was a bit sore the past few weeks....turns out I did a pretty good job on it.'
A second story showed a colleague wheeling her suitcase through Sydney airport because she was apparently unable to, with the caption: 'How good is my work family carrying my bags through the airport'.
Channel 9 footy commentator Danika Mason wasn't going to let a back complaint stop her from covering the Dolphins versus Sea Eagles clash in Brisbane on Thursday
Mason, 33, shared an image of a scan on her back that appears to show painful damage to one of the discs in her spine (pictured)
That was followed by an image of a hot water bottle on her seat and the words: 'No training for a while. And yep I did byo a hot water bottle for the plane'.
Just a few hours later, Mason uploaded a image of her in commentary alongside footy greats Darren Lockyer and Paul 'Fatty' Vautin.
The health blow comes after Mason called off her wedding to Todd Liubinskas last year, with the pair set to marry on October 27.
The exact reasons behind the break-up are not known.
Mason cancelled her nuptials just weeks before the ceremony was due to be held at Greystone Estate in the NSW Hunter Valley.
She has since moved on with Canterbury Bulldogs star Liam Knight after the couple were spotted enjoying a romantic date at The Butler restaurant in Sydney's exclusive Potts Point in February.
'Her demeanour was that of a relaxed woman enjoying a pre-season fling with a younger specimen; his was that of a deer in headlights,' one witness at the restaurant said at the time.
The health blow comes after Mason called off her wedding to Todd Liubinskas last year (pictured announcing their engagement)
Danika Mason is now dating Bulldogs NRL star Liam Knight (pictured together)
The star has been with Nine since the 2012 Olympics in London and also covers other major sporting events like the Australian Open tennis
The popular TV presenter grew up in Sydney's north-west, attending the prestigious Oakhill College.
After completing a degree in journalism and marketing at Wollongong on the NSW south coast, Mason joined Nine ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London.
Mason worked initially as a sports producer before moving into reporting.
Aside from rugby league, Mason is also part of the free to air network's tennis coverage each summer, with the Australian Open at Melbourne Park a key focus.
According to the website better health, the term 'disc' is short for 'intervertebral disc'.
Discs are spongy cushions which separate the bones of the spine, also known as vertebrae.
They provide shock absorption, keep the spine stable and give the vertebrae 'pivot points' to allow movement.
Injuries such as bulging, infected, herniated discs can be extremely painful.
Herniated discs - when the tissue ruptures and can squash the spinal cord - are usually treated without surgery and can take six to eight weeks to heal.
Symptoms of back disc problems:
* The symptoms of an irritated disc can vary according to its location and severity.
* Symptoms may include the following:
*Increased back pain when repetitively bending or with prolonged sitting
*Increased back pain with coughing, sneezing, laughing or straining pain,
*Numbness or pins-and-needles radiating into an arm or leg if a disc has caused irritation of a nearby nerve
Source: VIC Health
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