Fans Worry About Al Roker After He Returns to 'Today' With a Cane

Viewers of Today missed Al Roker over the last few weeks while he was absent from the popular talk show, but now that he's back, they're even more worried that he's returned with a cane in hand! Understandably, there are now health concerns brewing about the TV personality. So, why does Al Roker have a cane? Scroll down for everything we know!

Al Roker has a cane because he is recovering from hip replacement surgery, which he had to undergo due to osteoarthritis. The 65-year-old previously underwent the procedure on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and luckily for us, he kept his followers in the loop the entire time.

"Well, here we go!! Waiting to get my #totalhipreplacement I’m ready!!" he wrote alongside a hospital selfie before going in. 

Very soon after the surgery, he assured fans he was doing OK post-op. "And we’re back. So far, my #totalhipreplacement is a success. No pain yet. The folks from #physicaltherapy stopped by. Still in a recovery room," he wrote on the social media platform. 

To no surprise, Al was eager to heal quickly, so he returned to Today less than two weeks after surgery on Sept. 30... 12 days to be exact! When he made his comeback to the morning show, he chronicled the experience with his co-hosts.

 "I had no pain,'' he revealed on Today. "All the pain that had been there from the hip, gone." 

His appetite didn't change a bit either. During his time off, he stayed busy sharing all the delicious food he was eating with his followers.

In fact, he was up and moving just a few hours after the surgery (the day after he chatted with the Today cast on video as well). "That's very normal,'' Dr. John Torres, NBC's medical correspondent, revealed. "A lot of people don't realize it. You get up that same day. They want you walking because they found out of it you don't do that, it's going to take a lot longer to recover." 

Al also expressed concerns to Torres about how his hip pain wasn't long term, and instead it went from a twinge to excruciating pain all within three months. “All of a sudden, I started feeling this twinge in my hip — and then my back was acting up,” he previously told Today.com. “It seems like my hip went fairly quickly.”  

Al was smart and underwent the surgery as quickly as he could, but that was only half of the battle. Now, he has to continue with physical therapy.

The proud dad will stick with physical therapy and work his way back to being able to ride a bike, which is one of his favorite activities, again.

We're just glad the anchor, who already had two knee replacements, is taking care of himself and seeing the humor in what could have been a very stressful situation. In fact, before surgery he joked that he's "slowly replacing this body one by one."  

We're wishing you a continued speedy recovery, Al!