RNZ reports the Newcastle prop suffered the injury during the Falcons English Premiership season opener against Sale in September.
"I took a bad knock in the game against Sale and spent a few nights in hospital, and when I had my scan results unfortunately things didn't come back too well," he told the Newcastle Falcons' club website.
"I had quite a bit of swelling in the spinal cord, around some really important areas of the neck, and it is just one of those things.
"I was left paralysed for five or six minutes on the field, where I couldn't feel my whole body.
