Melissa Gilbert says she’s ‘turned a corner’ in her recovery from revolutionary spinal surgery after years of pain
She underwent a fourth spinal surgery last month after enduring years of pain.
And on Tuesday, Melissa Gilbert appeared on Good Morning America to share how well her recovery is going.
The Little House On The Prairie star, who’s now 56, was given an artificial disk in pioneering surgery in an effort to resolve 20 years of dealing with neck and back injuries.
Good progress: Melissa Gilbert told GMA anchor Robin Roberts Tuesday that she has ‘turned a bit of a corner’ in her recovery from her fourth spinal surgery after suffering years of pain
‘I turned a bit of a corner this past weekend,’ Gilbert said on GMA three weeks after undergoing the procedure. ‘I woke up Sunday morning and I had sort of leapt forward in my recovery and that’s kind of what the doctor told me.
‘He said two weeks and then four weeks and then three months, and it has been really extraordinary this process and this recovery.’
The actress, who is married to actor and director Timothy Busfield, first underwent surgery on her neck in 2001 and had a second surgery on her spine in 2010 after breaking her back.
Pioneering surgery: Gilbert, 56, was given an artificial disk three weeks ago in an effort to resolve 20 years of dealing with neck and back injuries as well as a failed fusion procedure
Making progress: She said she’s hopeful that she will not have any more spinal issues going forward as a result of the revolutionary technique
She had another fusion procedure in 2016 for two herniated discs in her spine but it failed to work properly.
‘It didn’t fuse and so I had all of this pain, and apparently the hardware was boring holes in my vertebra above and below,’ Gilbert explained.
‘The thing that was different about this (fourth) surgery was Dr. Bray went in and took out a lot of the hardware, and the hardware that didn’t work, and I got an artificial disc, which is very cutting edge,’ she said.
She said she’s hopeful that she will not have any more spinal issues going forward as a result of the revolutionary technique.
Gilbert, pictured after surgery last month, expressed her gratitude for all the support she has received and said she’s happy her story had given hope to others dealing with similar pain
Child star: The actress found fame as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the long-running TV show Little House On The Prairie
She had traveled from her home in New York to California for the surgery and took precautions against COVID-19 throughout her journey.
Gilbert expressed her gratitude for all the outpouring of support she has received from fans and said she was happy that her story had given hope to others dealing with similar pain.
‘That’s been a real driver for me and made this process that much more incredible,’ she shared.
Celebrity couple: Gilbert is married to her third husband, actor and director Timothy Busfield, and the couple reside in new York