Carson Daly feels “18 again” after undergoing spinal surgery.
The 49-year-old broadcaster underwent surgery seven weeks ago in an attempt to fix chronic back pain caused by a snowmobile accident several years earlier and is delighted with the “really tough” procedure, in which an intervertebral disc was removed. and replaced with a spacer – “worked”.
Returning to the ‘Today’ program on Tuesday (17.10.22), he admitted that he now feels “great”.
He joked: “I’m 18 again.”
He then added: “It’s been a great recovery. I had some time to sit down and [rest]but it feels great.”
But Carson, who has four children with his wife Siri, noted that there is “a long road ahead” to a full recovery and hopes to explore the journey he is going through on the show in the future.
He said: “I hope I get the chance to do a story about it because now I realize it’s like the iceberg effect. This isn’t a story about people who have back pain and how it gets fixed; there’s a subtext under it all. which is very complex that many of us have to deal with.
“When you’re in pain and you’re just looking to feel good, that changes your relationship with food and drink and your life. And then when they fix the pain, there are other complex areas of your life that need to be addressed and realigned. So when I say I’m getting better, I’m getting better in a multitude of ways, which is great; which is really great.”
Carson has been taking regular walks as part of his recovery and is looking forward to getting back on the golf course.
He said, “I’m the Forest Gump of Long Island. I walk everywhere…
“I can chip and putt at 13 weeks, so I still have another six weeks to go on that.”
Noting that Tiger Woods had undergone the same procedure five years ago, he joked, “I’ll probably get a condo in Augusta, Georgia first, start visiting, and then start making it to the Masters in about four years.”
