‘Dancing with the Stars 16’: Aly Raisman’s partner Mark Ballas injured, may not dance

The injury bug has bitten another member of the “Dancing with the Stars” cast, though on this occasion we’re talking about a pro rather than a celebrity contestant.

In a new post on his weekly USA Today blog, Mark Ballas revealed that he is currently battling with a new injury to his back, and the after-effects of this could very well keep him from performing any routines at all with Aly Raisman during the live show on Monday night:

“While trying a lift, I compressed two discs in my lower back and could hardly move for two days. The timing couldn’t be worse, being that we have to know four dances this week even though we will only be performing two.

“I am writing this blog in rehearsal, on Saturday, right now, as I have been sidelined for most of the week. Luckily Henry Byalikov has stepped in, and may possibly dance for me on Monday if I can’t compete.”

Last season, Mark was in a little bit of a reverse position, as he stepped in to help his pal Derek Hough train Shawn Johnson after he went out with an injury, but Derek was able to eventually return to the competition to finish up the season.

One of the things that often goes unnoticed by many casual fans of the series is the wear and tear doing this show puts on some of the pros. Twice a year, they put their bodies on the line by working with untrained dancers, which is much more challenging in some ways that working with another pro. While the moves may not be as complex, there is much more of a capacity that things could go completely and totally wrong at some point.

Do you think that Mark’s injuries are going to impact Aly’s performance on the show coming up in any way? If you want to see where she is placed in our recent contestant rankings, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ABC