Joanna Gaines may be best known for transforming rundown properties into dream homes, but behind the success of Fixer Upper and the Magnolia empire, she has also dealt with a painful health issue stretching back decades.
The designer and television personality has publicly revealed that an old back injury followed her from her teenage years into adulthood and eventually required two surgical procedures. Years later, however, Joanna shared an encouraging update about feeling stronger than she had in a long time.
Who Is Joanna Gaines?
Joanna Gaines rose to national fame alongside her husband, Chip Gaines, through HGTV’s Fixer Upper, which followed the couple as they renovated homes around Waco, Texas.
Their television success ultimately grew into a much larger lifestyle business under the Magnolia name, including retail, publishing, hospitality, food and Magnolia Network.
Joanna and Chip are also parents to five children, and fans have followed both their professional projects and pieces of their family life for more than a decade.
But one part of Joanna’s story began years before television fame: a lingering back injury dating to high school.
How Did Joanna Gaines Injure Her Back?
Joanna has said she originally hurt her back while participating in cheerleading as a teenager.
She described the accident as a basket toss that turned into a back injury. A basket toss is a cheerleading stunt in which teammates launch a flyer into the air before catching them.
Joanna has not publicly provided extensive medical details about exactly what happened during the stunt, but she has said the injury created back problems that continued for years afterward.
Eventually, those problems became serious enough to require surgery.
Joanna Gaines Has Undergone Back Surgery Twice
Joanna revealed that she underwent her first microdiscectomy in 2001.
The timing created an unusual connection to the beginning of her relationship with Chip: Joanna said she actually had to cancel their second date because she needed the procedure.
More than two decades later, her back problems resurfaced.
In December 2022, Joanna underwent another microdiscectomy, this time involving a different spinal disc.
A microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive spinal procedure commonly used for a herniated disc. The goal is generally to remove material that is placing pressure on a nearby nerve and causing symptoms such as pain, weakness or numbness.
Joanna shared photos from the hospital and her recovery afterward, acknowledging that the timing—right before the holidays—was far from ideal.
Still, she chose to look at the forced downtime differently.
Rather than focusing entirely on the inconvenience, Joanna said she became grateful for the opportunity to slow down during what would normally have been one of the busiest times of her year.
Joanna Later Shared an Encouraging Health Update
One of Joanna’s most encouraging updates came in January 2025, when she revealed that she and Chip had started exercising regularly with a personal trainer.
Initially, Joanna’s history of back trouble still affected how she viewed certain exercises.
When asked to do push-ups at the beginning of the program, her first instinct was essentially that her back wouldn’t allow it.
But several months later, something had changed.
Joanna proudly revealed that she completed 50 push-ups and said she had “never felt stronger.”
The achievement was particularly meaningful because she acknowledged allowing age, her previous injury, a busy schedule and the passage of time to become reasons for avoiding exercise.
Instead, she and Chip began approaching fitness as something they could do together.
The couple said they wanted to remain active and strong for their children, making the new workout routine another shared chapter in their marriage.
How Is Joanna Gaines Doing Now?
Joanna has not publicly disclosed a new major back-related medical setback in the more recent material reviewed for this story.
Her January 2025 fitness update remains one of her clearest public statements about how much stronger she felt following her earlier surgery and years of dealing with the old injury.
She also remained active professionally and personally in 2026, continuing her work with Magnolia and sharing updates about family life and projects.
That does not necessarily provide a complete picture of her medical health, which is private unless she chooses to discuss it publicly. But based on what Joanna herself has shared, her story has shifted from managing a longtime injury to focusing more intentionally on strength and staying active.
Joanna Gaines’ Back Story Shows a Side Fans Rarely Saw on TV
For viewers who watched Joanna handle demanding renovations and build a major lifestyle brand, it may be surprising to learn that back trouble had been part of her life since her teenage years.
Two surgeries separated by more than two decades show just how long that injury affected her.
But Joanna’s later milestone—going from worrying that her back would prevent her from exercising to celebrating 50 push-ups—gave fans a far more encouraging chapter in the story.
