A WORCESTER Warriors player feared he would never walk again following a serious injury.

Michael Fatialofa admits he still has a long way to go after suffering a serious spinal injury against Saracens in the Premiership in January and spent more than two weeks in intensive care.

The 27 year-old has spent the last three months in hospital but is now able to walk unaided.

He said: "Walking is the tip of the iceberg with these types of injuries.

"My hands are probably the hardest thing for me - getting my hands functioning. My left hand pretty much does nothing.

"From my neck down, I couldn't feel anything or move anything. It was pretty scary, and I was really short of breath because what I did was the spinal cord was compressed and anything below the spinal cord is affected and that includes my lungs and I was just kinda trying

to breathe."

He added his time in hospital was traumatic, saying he had several fellow patients die near where he was lying.

He said: "It's a time that's tough to think about. I heard some people die next to me. It was quite traumatising. All I could hear was a beeper go off, everyone rush in and then I have a new roommate the next day."

Earlier this month, the Warriors lock walked for the first time since his injury, which came in his side's 62-5 defeat to Saracens.

He was diagnosed with a spinal contusion, a serious condition which causes compression on the spine and had surgery to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord caused by bruising and swelling.

Fatialofa spent four weeks in London’s St Mary’s Hospital – three of which were in intensive care – before moving to Stoke Mandeville Hospital’s world-renowned spinal injury unit.