'Dance Moms' Star Abby Lee Miller Gives Concerning Health Update

By Anna Rumer

Abby Lee Miller has been through a long and "horrible" journey with her health since undergoing spinal surgery in April 2018 that left her in need of a wheelchair ever since. The Dance Moms star, 55, opened up to HollywoodLife Wednesday about two more surgeries she underwent recently and additional complications that have left her struggling with mobility.

"[During COVID I had] another surgery on my spine — my lumbar region that was the original problem years ago — and that's why I went to that doctor because my leg was going numb when I was driving in all this LA traffic so I knew something was wrong," Miller said. The reality TV personality then developed Spondylolisthesis "worse and worse," a painful condition in which one of the lower vertebrae slips forward onto the bone directly beneath, according to HealthLine. 

In order to relieve the condition, she had to go into in-patient rehab and undergo restorative surgery. While in Florida, she then broke her leg in two places, which resulted in her having to go to the Level One trauma unit and her doctor prescribing no weight bearing on the leg for three months — yet another setback. Today, Miller is "standing in place" and "marching," while before her second surgery and broken leg she was able to take 150 steps with a walker. 

The Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition alum plans to get back to that place again, joking, "I need me to coach me. I need an Abby Lee person to whip my butt into shape and make me the best I can be." Miller's new goal is to use her walker for her first steps "after the holidays." It's been a "very emotional" journey for the dance teacher, but she's staying hopeful. 

"I need to get back to that 150 steps and standing without my hands and standing with brushing my teeth. I'm starting that now — all that stuff," she told the outlet. Miller also struggled with Burkitt lymphoma — a rare form of cancer — after her spinal surgery, but was declared cancer-free in May 2019. 

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