Former Wallaby captain Stirling Mortlock has dismissed fears that his current injury will end his career in rugby after his recovery took a step backwards this week.
Mortlock will miss this weekend's crucial Super14 clash against the Crusaders and it is looking more and more likely that his next game will be for the Melbourne Rebels in next year's Super 15.
The centre has however not abandoned hope he can fight his way back from the injury to figure in the Wallabies' Tri-Nations campaign.
Even if the Brumbies make it into the play offs it's unlikely that he feature after having to take a Morphene shot this week to dull the pain from a "disc bulge".
"I initially did the disc bulge injury seven or eight years ago but I've been able to manage it pretty well ever since," Mortlock told The Australian.
"Every now and then it would flare up but now it's got to the stage where it's chronic.
"I actually thought I was on top of it the last three or four weeks. I'd feel great at training but then I'd pull up sore.
"But on Sunday night I was in extreme pain, so much so that I had to go to hospital at about 3am to get a morphine shot. It took about five hours to get on top of it."
Mortlock, who turns 33 shortly has dismissed the suggestion that the problem might bring his career to an abrupt end.
"No, I don't think that's the case," Mortlock said.
"The worst-case scenario is that I have to have an operation that would put me out for two to three months.
"I'm very confident that I'll be back at some stage. Hopefully that's the worst-case scenario. "
"And when I am back, hopefully I'll be fully over these issues that have been plaguing me for a fair time.
"At one stage I didn't know what was going on. I only knew my body wasn't right. My body wasn't functioning properly."
"I didn't think it was that bad but when I tried to rest to get it right, it showed its true colours."
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