Amanda Balionis rocks a white top as she shares an update on her "herniated disc"

CBS reporter Amanda Balionis is taking some time off to recover from a herniated disc. In September, she had a hectic schedule, traveling to eight cities in three weeks, staying in seven hotels, covering three NFL games, and attending two golf tournaments. The busy travel took a toll on her spine, which she recently shared on Instagram.

On Thursday, October 9, Amanda Balionis shared a clip sitting by the ocean in a white top. She revealed that a scan in New York confirmed a bilateral herniated disc in her C7 and said she is lucky the pain is only on her left side.

“We did another round of steroids. That helped so much. And also, my schedule has slowed down a lot, thank the Lord, because I think that was absolutely adding to all of this,” she added.

She also stressed the importance of listening to her body.

“A forced physical, emotional, you know, mental break that was absolutely needed. I haven't worked out for a month...Slowing down matters. Listen to your body, everybody,” she said.

Balionis captioned her story with a reminder for her followers:

“One day I'm going to learn this lesson without doing it the hard way - Slowing down matters - You can't lie to your body - If you ignore it; emotional pain = physical pain.”

Stills taken from Amanda Balionis' Instagram story (via @balionis)

In a following story, she further explained how she recognizes physical signs of stress and takes steps to manage them. She emphasized journaling, meditation, and long walks as ways to release tension and prevent further injury. Balionis called this self-awareness a “super power,” while noting it’s still a work in progress.

Earlier, she had shared her struggle with a pinched nerve in her neck, caused by compression at the C4/C5 vertebrae. The herniated disc is connected to these ongoing spinal issues, making rest and recovery essential.

Amanda Balionis opens up about her "horrific" work nightmare

Amanda Balionis recently shared a relatable confession after waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about covering an NFL game. Despite her experience across both golf and football, Balionis admitted that her mind struggles to switch off from work, even on her days off.

In an Instagram story posted on October 6, Balionis revealed that she had another “horrific” work-related dream early Monday morning. She said that every time she gets a rare weekend off, she ends up dreaming about her job. This time, the nightmare involved being on NFL duty but completely unprepared for one of the teams.

Balionis described waking up drenched in sweat after the dream and even added a poll asking fans if they experienced similar work-related nightmares. Her caption read:

"A tradition unlike any other: every time I have a weekend off I have a horrific work nightmare this one? Was covering an NFL game and completely forgot to prepare for one of the teams. Like knew 0 about them. Woke up in a full sweat. Happy Monday!"

This is not the first time Amanda Balionis has opened up about the challenges of balancing golf and football coverage. Speaking with Golf’s Jessica Marksbury before Super Bowl LIII, she explained how preparation for the two sports is completely different.

"It could not be any more different. I mean, even just down to the logistics of golf, I'm at the same spot or two spots the entire week. And you have time to prepare, do the research, get your questions ready. It's a very organized process,” Balionis said. (via Daily Express) "With football, it's not so organized. On any given play a player can go down and be injured. At any given time something just crazy can happen, and you're constantly having to pivot.”

Amanda Balionis has steadily built her career since graduating from Hofstra University in 2008. She began covering high school sports for Verizon Fios Channel 1 and MSG Networks before joining the PGA Tour in 2011 as a digital reporter. In 2016, she signed with Callaway Golf and moved to CBS the following year, becoming a full-time member of their broadcasting team in 2018.

Edited by Sonali Verma