Travis Barker is revealing the reason he was recently hospitalized after the famed drummer shared a candid picture of his stay alongside his wife, Kourtney Kardashian.
“I had surgery yesterday,” Barker, 50, shared via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, October 7. “My arm, hand and fingers have been numb since a show I played last month. I did a nerve test Monday after my show and turns out I need a cubital tunnel release to fix a nerve.”
A cubital tunnel surgery involves releasing the tight ulnar nerve — or funny bone — that crosses the elbow, per the Mayo Clinic.
The Blink-182 member originally raised concerns among fans after posting photos of himself in a hospital bed while wearing a medical gown on Tuesday, October 6. Barker’s wife, Kardashian, and daughter Alabama Barker accompanied him while he was hospitalized.
“I wanted to get ahead of [this injury] and get it over with so that I keep playing the way I play for a long time,” Barker clarified in Wednesday’s Instagram post. “Should be good in a few weeks.”
Alongside an explanation for his hospitalization, Barker shared a photo of a smiling Kardashian, 47, at his bedside.
“Not sure why my wife looks so happy about this,” he joked.
Barker has endured a series of major health scares throughout the years.
The musician survived a 2008 plane crash that killed four of the six people on board — though he experienced third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body and underwent 26 surgeries to treat his injuries. He later compared his recovery to going through rehab, saying in 2021 he was in “better shape than I’ve ever been” due to his dedication to physical therapy. (Barker’s friend and collaborator DJ AM also survived the crash but died at age 36 of an accidental overdose in August 2009.)
“People are always like, ‘Did you go to rehab?’” he told Men’s Health at the time. “And I [say], ‘No, I was in a plane crash.’ That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn’t in a crash, I would have probably never quit.”
Blink-182 were forced to postpone their “Kings of the Weekend” concert residency at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas in June 2018 when Barker developed blood clots in both of his arms. During his hospitalization, he was diagnosed with a staph infection and a skin condition called cellulitis. (Cellulitis is caused by “bacteria entering through a break in the skin” and can make the affected area swollen, painful and warm, according to the Mayo Clinic.)
“I am recovering, I have blood clots,” Barker told E! News later that month. “I have, I think, like 30 in my right hand and arm and I have about 10 in my left so I’m just waiting for them to clear up. I’m on blood thinners.”
More recently, Barker temporarily required the use of crutches in December 2025, when he injured his tibia while training for the Los Angeles Marathon. Barker is an avid runner, having founded his own Run Travis Run events where he undertakes 5K runs along with his fans.
