Actor and Iraq war veteran J.R. Martinez, considered a favorite to win this season of Dancing with the Stars, refused to take a cortisone shot Monday night to relieve his injured ankle.

J.R. Martinez sprained his right ankle during rehearsals and unfortunately he re-twisted the same ankle during the dance on Monday's semi-finals. His partner Karina Smirnoff said she tried to convince J.R. to take a cortisone shot after dress rehearsals but he refused.

"I was trying to convince J.R., who does not like any kind of drugs," Smirnoff said, according to TV Guide. "But he said no. And at that point, even if he did get the medicine, it would've been too late for it to act."

The injury affected his performance and sent him second to last in the scores' chart.

A cortisone shot may have helped him relieve pain and inflammation in the ankle. The shots usually include a corticosteroid medication and a local anesthetic.

Last night he and Smirnoff had to dance to an Argentine Tango that involves a lot of lifting.

"In the lifts, I had to support her weight and my weight as well," said Martinez. "That was tough," TV Guide reports.

"All athletes go through this. I don't think I've had a season without a cortisone shot because you pull muscles, you strain muscles, you rip muscles. It's part of dancing." Smirnoff said.

U.S. soccer star Hope Solo also had a shoulder injury but it didn't affect her performance Monday Night.

J.R. Martinez ended second to last with 56 points Monday night, far behind top contender Ricki Lake and Derek who stood at the top with 67 points. Hope Solo was last with 49 points. Rob Kardashian and his partner Cheryl ended in 2nd place with 65 points.

Watch J.R. Martinez’ tough Tango performance: