Evergreen Cronulla forward Luke Lewis has revealed he has been playing through the pain of a pinched nerve in his neck which has seen his arm go numb during games several times this year.
Lewis, 34, will next year tie the all-time record for most seasons in the NRL when he runs around for his 18th year - a mark he will share with fellow Sharks greats Andrew Ettingshausen and Paul Gallen.
Like most players heading into September, Lewis is feeling every bump and bruise after a rigorous season.
For most people, a numb arm would be an alarming ailment and Lewis admits it is something that could strike at any point.
But he says it is no big deal, nor is it a sign that his body is breaking down.
"I've just got a bit of a pinched nerve in my neck which isn't anything major, it's nothing that needs surgery," Lewis said.
"It's just one of those things that if you get in the wrong spot, your arm goes dead for a couple of minutes.
"But I'm getting on top of it slowly. We'll just see how it goes.
"If I make a tackle on the weekend it could come back. Last weekend it was excellent against the Roosters. I didn't get any pain."
He said it was no cause for alarm and would die down with some rest and rehabilitation in the off-season.
"I've done it a lot of times, everyone in the game's probably done it," Lewis said.
"It's a bit of a burner sort of feel. But nothing's really distressing me about it at the moment.
"We've had scans come back pretty good. I know what we need to do and what we need to work on and I suppose it's just about being diligent with my rehab."
