How did Phil Collins sustain spine injury? 2007 accident explored as singer shares concerning update amid health struggles

Drummer-turned-singer-songwriter Phil Collins, best known for hit tracks like "Another Day in Paradise" and "In the Air Tonight," recently opened up about his health struggles and shed light on his ongoing health crisis, according to The New York Post.

The legendary musician, who was once a member of Genesis, revealed that he is being taken care of by a 24-hour nurse due to his current health condition. The 74-year-old British singer, Collins, who appeared on one of the latest episodes of the BBC Eras podcast, hosted by Zoe Ball, said:

"I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do. I've had challenges with my knee ... I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me."

While Collins mentioned that only one of his knees currently works, he has gone through a total of five knee surgeries. He continued and said:

"I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, clutches or whatever."

Phil Collins, who retired from going on music tours in 2022, talking about how heavy drinking took a toll on his health, said:

"I enjoyed coming off tour. Coming off the road … I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do. I guess I had too much of it. I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me, and I spent months in hospital."

He added:

"It’s just been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years,” Collins admitted. “But it’s all right now.”

As Phil Collins revealed his current health condition on the BBC podcast, in 2007, the You'll Be in My Heart singer, while touring with his rock band Genesis, sustained a serious spine injury, which left him with a dislocated vertebra in his neck, causing nerve damage in his hands, according to the Daily Mail. After the injury, he couldn't play drums anymore. Mentioning how his doctor told him to return to his drum kit and practice, Collins said:

"After the surgery, though, the doctor said to me that my vital signs were all there. He said to me 'If you want to play drums again, all you have to do is practice.'"

Phil Collins talked about his health crisis in Phil Collins: Drummer First

Collins, who considers himself a drummer first and then a singer, also discussed his health issues in Brandon Toews' 2024 documentary film, Phil Collins: Drummer First. In the documentary film, he talked about how his health issues impacted his drumming capabilities. Collins, in the documentary, said:

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"I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock,” he said. “If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything. If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack at it. But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles."

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