Travis Barker Reveals Reason For Recent Hospitalization: ‘My Arm, Hand and Fingers Have Been Numb’

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker sparked concern this week when he posted a picture of himself on a gurney in what looked like a hospital room. And while Barker didn’t offer any additional information in his first post, on Wednesday (Oct. 7) he provided some additional context on what sent him to the OR.

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“I had surgery yesterday,” Barker, 50, wrote in an update on his Instagram Story in which he reclined in his hospital bed with wife Kourtney Kardashian laying right beside him. “My arm, hand and fingers have been numb since a show I played last month,” he added, without saying which show it was or if this was a new issue.

“I did a nerve test Monday after my show and turns out I needed a cubital tunnel release to fix the nerve,” he explained, of the surgical procedure used to treat a pinched nerve in the elbow that typically causes numbness in the hands or weakness/poor function in the hands.

Barker explained that he “wanted to get ahead of it and get it over with so that I can keep playing the way I play for a long long time. Should be good in a few weeks,” he promised. The post ended on a funny note, with Barker adding in an aside, “not sure why my wife looks so happy about this,” in reference to Kardashian’s smile in the snap.

This isn’t the first time the drummer has had a hand or arm issue to deal with. Back in 2023 he underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments and a dislocated ring finger he sustained during rehearsals, which led to Blink postponing some tour dates. In addition, in 2018, he developed dangerous blood clots in both arms, a staph infection and cellulitis, which also forced the group to call off some dates.

Barker will have time to heal as Blink are on a break from the road, with plans to return next year with a handful of European festival dates in June at Rock For People in Czechia, Rock im Park, Rock am Ring and Waldbühne in Germany, as well as I-Days IPPODROMO SNAI SAN SIRO in Italy, before wrapping up at Plentitude Arena in Paris on June 15.