'DWTS' Val Chmerkovskiy Shares Throwback Images of Intense Neck Injury

Val Chmerkovskiy

Val Chmerkovskiy looked back on where he was at this time last year, and so far, 2024 is off to a comparatively better start.

Last spring, the Dancing with the Stars pro was in the hospital after sustaining a serious neck injury, an incident he hasn't shared much about before.

But in a new Instagram post uploaded on Wednesday, Feb. 21, Chmerkovskiy uploaded a series of photos documenting the multitude of X-rays and hospital visits he underwent last year, along with a snap of the intense scar and bruising on his neck from the surgery.

"This time last year I went through some stuff," he captioned the post, which showed footage of him laying in a hospital bed with a neck brace, as well as close-up X-ray imaging of the bones in his neck.

Chmerkovskiy still didn't delve into any further details about what exactly happened to his neck, though last year, he did admit that he "almost lost my ability to move" due to the injury.

While celebrating his birthday in March 2023, Chmerkovskiy shared an emotional Instagram message about his whirlwind year, including the death of a family member and the birth of his and wife Jenna Johnson's first child, Rome, whom they welcomed in January last year.

"Life is hard, and the older you get the harder it becomes," he wrote at the time. "But nothings more peaceful than tomorrow to a man going through pain today. It all passes, always. I’m happy I got to feel it all."

After sharing his latest post on Wednesday, Chmerkovskiy's friends and family were quick to support him in the comments, with Johnson sending him some love with two red heart emojis.

"What a journey. Sending all love and continued healing 😍" wrote Good Morning America's Ginger Zee, while DWTS alum Amanda Kloots, who seems to have been unaware of Chmerkovskiy's injury, commented, "Whoa!"

"Praying you are golden we all need you," added young internet star Brody Hudson Schaffer.

"To go from that to winning DWTS is amazing !!!❤️🙏🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻," another one of his followers applauded, referring to the dancer's latest run on DWTS when he and partner Xótchitl Gómez took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy at the end of Season 32.

Next: 'DWTS' Val Chmerkovskiy Melts Hearts With Adorable Duet With Infant Son Rome