Adele reveals ‘painful’ spinal issues

Go easy on her.

Adele opened up about her health during her 32-show “Weekends with Adele” Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace Colosseum.

The 34-year-old British singer revealed to the audience that she has been performing with a disintegrated disc in her spine.

“Is anyone else kind of my age starting getting bad knees? I have got really bad sciatica in my left leg and my L5 disc is not f—king there anymore. It’s worn away,” Adele said, according to The Evening Standard.

According to Mayo Clinic, sciatica is a sharp, shooting pain that runs from the lower back down the side or the back of the leg, and it’s typically caused by a compressed L5 vertebrae nerve.

The L5 spinal nerve gives sensation to the outer side of the lower leg, the upper part of the foot, and the space between the first and second toe, and it also controls hip, knee, foot and toe movements, according to Cleveland Clinic.


Adele performs onstage during the "Weekends with Adele" Residency Opening at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada
“Weekends with Adele” is planned to continue until March 25, 2023, at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AD

Spinal discs — which are rubbery cushions between the vertebrae — tend to wear out as people age and affect almost everyone after age 40, according to Cleveland Clinic, and lead to back pain in about 5% of adults.

As the cushions wear away, the vertebrae rub together and can cause pain and other issues.

This isn’t the first time Adele spoke about her health issues on the stage at the Colosseum.


Adele, winner of Best Pop Solo Performance for "Easy on Me," poses in the press room at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles.
Adele revealed to the audience that she has been performing with a disintegrated disc in her spine.
Jae C. Hong/Invision/AP

During her New Year’s Eve show, the “Someone Like You” singer shared that she had to “waddle” due to her chronic back pain.

“I’ve just got to get over to the other side of the stage,” the crooner was seen saying in a video obtained exclusively by the Daily Star. “I have to waddle these days as I have really bad sciatica.”

Adele has dealt with back pain for almost two decades, telling the Face that the back issues started when she was 15 after slipping a disk while sneezing.


English singer-songwriter Adele poses with the award for Best Pop Solo Performance for "Easy on Me" in the press room during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023.
Adele opened up about her health during her 32-show “Weekends with Adele” Las Vegas residency.
CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images

“I’ve been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life, really. It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture,” she told the publication.

She also shared that her weight loss and intense exercise regime helped alleviate some of the issues.

“Weekends with Adele” is planned to continue until March 25, 2023.