Ruby Rose has revealed that an injury sustained while filming Batwoman left her with two herniated discs and that she came close to being paralysed. The actress opened up about the injury on the premiere of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.

She left The CW series after its first season, which aired from October 2019 to May 2020. Rose has said she was told she needed emergency surgery because she was at risk of paralysis, and that the two discs were close to her spinal cord.

Rose Opens Up About Injury

In a later interview on Australia's The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she also said she was allergic to the latex in her Batwoman mask. That interview took place in July 2021, more than a year after her exit.

As the first challenge began, Rose said she loved playing an action superstar, but the role had a downside. 'Kicking butt was one of the joys in my life, but it also ended up being the end,' she said.

After choosing to jump feet-first from a helicopter rather than falling backwards into the water like the other competitors, Rose explained what had happened. 'I had an accident in 2019 on set of Batwoman and everything just sort of got bad from there,' she said.

Castmate Candace Cameron Bure asked what was going on. Rose replied, 'I broke my neck, like, twice already, so I've got two replacement discs.' She also said there was 'no bouncing back' and that four years of her life were gone.

The injury affected Rose during a late-night obstacle course when she struggled to hold up a sandbag. She said that feeling she was failing tasks or slowing the group would affect her confidence and belief in herself.

One of the show's directors tried to motivate her, saying, 'I watched you as a superhero, come on!' Rose then reflected, 'I'm not really that action star, am I? I'm just Ruby.' The injury is not her only recent setback.

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Rose said she broke two ribs after an accident at her home in June. In a clip she shared, she slipped near her pool, struck her side against a wall and fell into the water, later writing, 'Straight to hospital.'

Why Spinal Cord Location Matters

A herniated disc occurs when part of the soft, jelly-like centre of a spinal disc pushes through a tear in its tougher outer layer. It most commonly affects the lower back but can also occur in the neck.

Symptoms depend on where the disc is located and whether it presses on a nearby nerve. A herniated disc in the neck can cause pain in the shoulder and arm, along with numbness, tingling or weakness.

Some people with a herniated disc have no symptoms, and most do not need surgery. Mayo Clinic advises seeking medical care if neck or back pain spreads to an arm or leg, or if numbness, tingling or weakness develops.

A Houston interventional spine specialist at Performance Pain & Sports Medicine wrote that herniated discs usually compress nerve roots rather than the spinal cord. Lower-back herniations cannot directly injure the spinal cord because it ends higher up the spine.

Herniations in the cervical spine can cause spinal cord compression in some cases. It is not clear which part of Rose's spine was affected, and the location matters because it determines whether the spinal cord could be at risk.

Sudden loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or rectal area, or worsening weakness can warrant emergency medical attention. Such symptoms can occur with cauda equina syndrome or serious spinal compression.

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