Al Roker Reveals He Faced Some 'Complications' During Knee Replacement Surgery: 'Toughest One Yet'

Roker underwent a total knee replacement earlier this month.

Al Roker is on the mend after having knee replacement surgery earlier this month, but the road to recovery hasn't been an easy one.

The beloved weatherman virtually joined the third hour of Today on Tuesday, where he gave an update on his recovery and announced his upcoming return to the show.

"I am doing fine. It is good to see all of you. I'm going to be honest. I've had a number of replacements, knee replacements. It’s not a big surprise. This one has been the toughest one yet because they had to take out the old one, which had some complications, and then put in a new one," Roker explained.

The 68-year-old TV anchor then showed off an X-ray of his new knee, to give viewers and his fellow colleagues a look at what's he's working with now that his old knee has been replaced. Roker's recent surgery was a revision of a left knee replacement that he had done 23 years ago. He had a previous right knee replacement surgery in 2016, according to Today.

"It goes all the way up into the femur, down to the tibia, and then there's a hinge between, so they really had to do a lot of work to get the old stuff -- the old hardware out, the new hardware in, plus there's a titanium cone in there for the bone to grow," he continued. "So, this has been more work."

Roker has been in physical therapy rehabbing his knee, and while he said he's feeling good, he admitted that he may have gotten a little overzealous with his post-surgery activity.

"The toughest part has been like -- I was feeling good because the nerve block hadn't worn off yet, so I started cooking. And my doctor saw my Instagram, and he was like, 'No. We're not doing that.' So, the thing is, to actually stay off the knee and to ice and elevate and I'm doing physical therapy," Roker shared. "I just checked in. I just started outpatient physical therapy."

He did get the OK, however, to attend the No Kid Hungry gala, where he was honored with their Champion Award. With the help of a cane and his family, Roker was able to accept the honor for his support of the campaign, which works to end childhood hunger.

The campaign is something that means a lot to the longtime TV personality, who said that Monday's gala marked the first time in two weeks that he put on pants with a zipper.

"I literally iced, relaxed, elevated all day, and put on pants for an hour and came home," he shared.

As for when he's returning to the show, Roker said, "I’ll see you next Tuesday."

Roker underwent the surgery May 9, and while he's doing well now, it's been a tough few months in terms of his health. Roker, who has long been known for his commitment to walking exercise, has had to adjust his wellness routine following long stints in the hospital late last year due to blood clots in his leg that ultimately veered to his lungs. 

After more than two months away from the morning show, Roker made his triumphant return to the program on Jan. 6, when he and Deborah Roberts -- his wife of nearly 30 years -- sat down and revealed he was "very, very, very sick" and that his mere presence in the studio was major because he proved to be "a living, breathing miracle."

"What I will say is, one of the things I learned over the last several months is the power of positive thinking and the power of prayer," Roker recently told ET, reflecting on the changes he's made to his life since his hospitalization. "The number of prayers that came my way and my family's way, for Deborah and my kids, I know made a tremendous difference. And once you have a bit of a health scare, you really realize you can't take it for granted. So, I try and eat a little better [and] exercise a little more."

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