Friday 27 December 2019 07:06, UK
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry says he has been playing all season with a fracture in his lower back.
The 27-year-old has been plagued by hip pain since the Browns reported to training camp in late July but he has started every game this year, meaning he has yet to miss a week in any of his six seasons in the NFL.
Landry said he was diagnosed with a fractured bone at the base of his spine early in the summer, limiting his practice time throughout this season and potentially requiring surgery to correct the problem.
"Just talking to the doctors and the early scans from OTAs, I began with a fractured sacrum and then, from there, everything else just kind of started going bad," the 27-year-old said.
"My hip has been bothering me since then and it's definitely been a battle. I wouldn't say it's gotten worse. I'd call it nagging, but it definitely is not getting better."
The sacrum consists of two vertebrae that form a large triangular bone at the bottom of the spine, acting as a wedge between the hip bones. Fractures are typically accompanied by significant hip, back or groin pain.
Landry leads the Browns with 81 receptions, 1,092 yards receiving and five touchdown catches, earning him a fifth Pro Bowl selection in six seasons.
"We owe it to each other to go out there one last time for this season and compete to win," said Landry, who walked around the locker room with a pronounced limp on Sunday. "The work we've put in together, collectively as a group, we owe it to each other.
"I think doing the right things throughout the week has allowed me to get to Sunday and just give the best that I have."
