Instagram post

Vasco Rossi told followers on Instagram on 18 October 2026 that he had torn the ligaments of his left shoulder, on top of a back problem that had already required surgery. The post showed him smiling in a photo with a brace on his left arm. The disclosure came a few weeks after a lumbar decompression, which he had announced in September. He closed the post by sending fans a hug and joking about his run of bad luck.

How the injuries began

The chain of injuries started after he returned to Zocca from a tour. On a walk through the woods he slipped on a wet trail, fell into a hole and grabbed a root with his left arm, which left his shoulder in severe pain. He finished the full tour before stopping and initially kept the injury to himself. Leg pain followed, which he linked to a problem in his back, while swimming and home treatment eased the shoulder.

“I finish a whole tour and risk finishing myself off on the first walk.”

Spinal surgery and a second fall

A dynamic MRI in Bologna, reviewed with Professor Alessandro Gasbarrini and with Professor Beppe Monetti, the developer of the technique, led to the decision to operate on his spine. The plan was admission on a Monday and surgery on the Tuesday, and he later said he woke from the operation with his back and shoulder both in pain. The following Saturday he went cycling again, slipped on the wet road and struck his left elbow, which he described as a second blow to the same shoulder. He said he had already been in severe shoulder pain when he was admitted.

“All that was missing was for them to ask for an encore!”

Next steps for the shoulder

The most recent ultrasound showed significant injuries to the shoulder. Professor Porcellini recommended a further operation, which Rossi said he was still weighing. Physiotherapy is the immediate plan, and he described his recovery as ongoing. He framed the situation with his usual irony, saying he was a little battered but still rock.

“For operating rooms, for now, I have used up my subscriptions.”