Al Roker has revealed that he is back to walking one day after he underwent a total knee replacement — his third knee surgery in two decades.
The Today star, 58, took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a video of himself walking down a hallway in the hospital with the help of a walker.
Roker, who went under the knife on May 9, was dressed in a hospital gown and smiling brightly as he got his steps in.
The video also included footage of him practicing walking down the steps with his brand-new knee.
Al Roker, 68, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of himself walking one day after he underwent a total knee replacement
Roker, who went under the knife on May 9, was dressed in a hospital gown and smiling brightly as he got his steps in
The video also included footage of him practicing walking down the steps with his brand-new knee
‘Up and walking this morning on the #newknee #stepbystep thanks to @drdavidmayman,’ he wrote in the caption.
Roker added that he is ‘wearing a negative pressure pump to help facilitate wound healing.’
The weatherman received plenty of support in the comments, including a sweet message from his co-host Dylan Dreyer.
‘Already walking better than before!! Heal quick my friend!!’ she responded.
Roker also paid tribute to his wife, Deborah Roberts, who has been by his side throughout his many surgeries and hospitalizations over the years.
He included pictures of her in the hospital with him, starting with a surgery he underwent in 2016 and ending with his latest procedure in 2023.
‘I’m thinking @debrobertsabc and I have GOT to stop meeting like this!’ he joked.
In 2001, Roker needed surgery on his left knee due to a lingering injury from a car accident that was exacerbated by his struggles with his weight.
Roker also paid tribute to his wife, Deborah Roberts, who has been by his side throughout his many surgeries and hospitalizations over the years
‘I’m thinking @debrobertsabc and I have GOT to stop meeting like this!’ he joked
The video ended with a snapshot of Roberts at his bedside during his latest hospital stay
‘Due to complications, I was in the hospital for 11 days,’ he told Today. ‘And after some tough rehabilitation, back on the air after a month.’
A year later, he underwent gastric bypass surgery after promising his dying father, Albert Lincoln Roker Sr., he’d lose weight.
He also had his right knee replaced in 2016, his hip replaced in 2019, and shoulder surgery in 2021, among other procedures.
On March 15, 2022, Roker celebrated the 20-year anniversary of his gastric bypass surgery, saying he will ‘never forget’ how far he has come since losing more than 100 pounds.
He marked the occasion on Instagram by sharing photos of himself with his old jeans to show how he was half the size he was two decades ago.
‘Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today, I wore these size 54 Levi jeans to my #gastricbypass at 340 lbs and here I am today,’ he wrote in the caption.
‘It’s still a struggle but I’m never going back,’ he added. ‘I have setbacks and struggle every day, but I never forget how far I’ve come.’
In 2001, Roker needed surgery on his left knee due to a lingering injury from a car accident that was exacerbated by his struggles with his weight. He spent 11 days in the hospital after
A year after his first knee replacement and painful recovery due to complications, he underwent bariatric surgery in 2002 (pictured)
Roker had his right knee replaced in 2016 and chronicled his first steps (pictured) for the Today show during his recovery
Roker has been candid about his weight loss over the years, and he celebrated the 20-year anniversary of his gastric bypass surgery on March 15, 2022
He also shared footage of himself trying on his old Levis, which slid up easily without being unbuttoned. The jeans were so big on him that it looked like they could fit another person.
Roker has continued to keep the weight off with regular exercise, including power walking, and healthy low-carb meals.
Last June, he shared that he had lost about 45 pounds by combining a daily walking routine with a low-carb diet.
‘Exercise, and not extreme exercise — we’re doing that 30-day walking challenge — that improves, I think, your mental health,’ he said on the show.
Roker faced a life-threatening health scare late last year after suffering from blood clots and internal bleeding.
He underwent a nearly seven-hour emergency surgery to treat two bleeding ulcers. Doctors had to resection his colon, remove his gallbladder, and fix a tear in his duodenum, the first part of the small intestine that connects to the stomach.
Roker made his triumphant return to the Today show on January 6 following his two-month medical leave, which included a total of four weeks in the hospital.
‘My doctor said the physical condition I was in because of the walking — because of the cardio — that probably helped save my life,’ he explained.
Roker suffered from blood clots and internal bleeding late last year
He endured two hospital stays and a seven-hour surgery to treat his life-threatening health issues
Roker made his triumphant return to the Today show on January 6 following his two-month medical leave
Roker (pictured in March) is undoubtedly looking forward to getting back into his walking routine with his new knee
Roker shared in late March that he was using the ‘exercise snacking’ method to stay in shape as he awaited his third knee surgery, four months after his life-threatening health scare.
He is an avid walker, but he had been relying on small bursts of exercise throughout the day to reach his fitness goals ahead of his knee replacement.
‘My knee is shot,’ he admitted on the show. ‘I haven’t been able to do my normal walking.’
Roker said he had been walking on the treadmill that is in his dressing room, and he also used the NBC fitness center for the first time since the pandemic.
The weatherman sneaked in movement whenever he can, and Today contributor Jill Martin noted that he even walked during meetings.
The method seemed to work for Roker, who celebrated walking a whopping 13,667 steps on his ‘bum knee’ one day that month.
He took to Instagram to post a photo of his Apple Watch to show how many steps he clocked the day before.
‘Yesterday was the #bestdayyet when it comes to my steps on this #bumknee before my #kneereplacementsurgery in late April,’ Roker wrote in the caption.
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