Al Roker has revealed he will be able to walk again one day after undergoing 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 him walking down a hallway at the hospital using a walker.
Roker, who went under the knife on May 9, was dressed in a hospital gown and smiled brightly as he retraced his steps.
The video also included footage of him practicing walking down the stairs with his brand new knee.
Al Roker, 68, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of himself walking one day after undergoing a total knee replacement
Roker, who went under the knife on May 9, was dressed in a hospital gown and smiled brightly as he retraced his steps
The video also included footage of him practicing walking down the stairs with his brand new knee
“Out and about on the #newknee #stepbystep this morning thanks to @drdavidmayman,” he wrote in the caption.
Roker added that he “wears a negative pressure pump to facilitate wound healing.”
The weatherman received a lot of support in the comments, including a sweet message from his co-host Dylan Dreyer.
Running better than before!! Heal quickly my friend!!’ she replied.
Roker also paid tribute to his wife, Deborah Roberts, who has been by his side through his many surgeries and hospitalizations over the years.
He took pictures of her with him in the hospital, starting with a surgery he underwent in 2016 and ending with his last procedure in 2023.
“I’m thinking of @debrobertsabc and I MUST stop meeting like this!” he joked.
In 2001, Roker required 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 through his many surgeries and hospitalizations over the years.
“I’m thinking of @debrobertsabc and I MUST stop meeting like this!” he joked
The video ended with a snapshot of Roberts at his bedside during his final hospital stay
“Complications left me in hospital for 11 days,” he told Today. ‘And after a heavy rehabilitation after a month back on the air.’
A year later, he underwent gastric bypass surgery after promising his dying father, Albert Lincoln Roker Sr., that he would lose weight.
Among other things, he also had his right knee replaced in 2016, his hip replaced in 2019 and shoulder surgery in 2021.
On March 15, 2022, Roker celebrated the 20th anniversary of his gastric bypass surgery, saying he will “never forget” how far he’s come since losing more than 100 pounds.
He marked the occasion on Instagram by sharing photos of himself wearing his old jeans to show how he was half the size he was 20 years ago.
“Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today, I wore these size 54 Levi jeans to my #gastricbypass weighing 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 struggles every day, but I never forget how far I’ve come.”
In 2001, Roker required surgery on his left knee due to a lingering injury from a car accident that was exacerbated by his struggles with his weight. He then spent 11 days in the hospital
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 wrote his first steps (pictured) for the Today show during his recovery
Roker is candid about his weight loss over the years and he celebrated the 20th anniversary of his gastric bypass surgery on March 15, 2022
He also shared footage of himself trying on his old Levi’s, which easily slipped up without being unbuttoned. The jeans were so big on him it looked like they could fit another person.
Smoker has continued to lose weight with regular exercise, including power walking and healthy low-carb meals.
Last June, he said he lost about 100 pounds by combining a daily walking routine with a low-carb diet.
“Exercise, and not extreme exercise — we do that 30-day walking challenge — that, I think, improves 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 emergency surgery lasting nearly seven hours to treat two bleeding ulcers. Doctors had to remove his colon, remove his gallbladder and repair 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 Jan. 6 following his two-month medical leave, which included a total of four weeks in hospital.
“My doctor said the physical condition I was in because of the walking — because of the cardio — probably saved my life,” he explained.
Smoker 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 problems
Roker made his triumphant return to the Today show on Jan. 6 after his two-month medical leave
Roker (pictured in March) is no doubt looking forward to getting back into his running routine with his new knee
Roker shared in late March that he used the “workout snack” method to stay in shape while waiting for his third knee surgery, four months after his life-threatening health scare.
He’s an avid walker, but he relied on small bursts of exercise throughout the day to reach his fitness goals prior to his knee replacement.
“My knee was shot,” he admitted on the show. “I haven’t been able to walk normally.”
Roker said he ran on the treadmill in his locker room and also used the NBC fitness center for the first time since the pandemic.
The weatherman sneaked into motion whenever he could, and Today contributor Jill Martin noted that he even walked during meetings.
The method seemed to work for Roker, who walked a whopping 13,667 steps on his “butt knee” in one day that month.
He posted a photo of his Apple Watch to Instagram to show how many steps he clocked the day before.
“Yesterday was the #bestday yet when it comes to my steps on this #bumknee before my #kneereplacement surgery at the end of April,” Roker wrote in the caption.