“The Young and the Restless” star Eileen Davidson is recovering from surgery after a painful accident involving a cold plunge left her with a fractured kneecap.
The 67-year-old soap veteran, who has played Ashley Abbott on and off for more than four decades, revealed Friday that she slipped while climbing out of a cold plunge and fractured her patella.
“I sure won’t be making those moves anytime soon!” Davidson wrote in an Instagram post showing the aftermath of the accident.
She said she will be “down for the count for quite a few weeks” while recovering from surgery and thanked the EMTs who helped her, along with the medical team at Los Robles Hospital.
Davidson also shared photos showing significant swelling around her knee and her injured leg secured in a brace.
Fans can see Davidson’s original Instagram post.
The actress managed to poke fun at the painful situation by contrasting the injury photos with a shot of herself dancing at a celebration marking 20 years of the “Real Housewives” franchise.
The accident quickly drew messages of support from across both the soap and Bravo worlds.
Her “Young and the Restless” costar Lauralee Bell wished Davidson a speedy recovery and joked that she would eventually “get your groove back,” while Melissa Claire Egan sent hugs and support. Bravo’s Andy Cohen and former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” castmate Camille Grammer were also among those who reached out.
Davidson did not provide details about exactly what type of surgery she underwent or how severe the fracture was beyond saying that her patella had been broken.
A fractured patella is more serious than an ordinary bruised knee. The patella, commonly known as the kneecap, protects the front of the knee joint and plays an important role in allowing a person to straighten the leg.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, some simple kneecap fractures can heal with a cast or brace. More complicated fractures in which pieces of bone move out of position frequently require surgery to stabilize the kneecap.
Recovery can also be lengthy.
The AAOS says many patients are able to return to normal activities within roughly three to six months, although the timetable depends heavily on the severity of the fracture, the treatment required and the patient’s rehabilitation. Davidson herself has only said publicly that she expects to be sidelined for “quite a few weeks.”
The injury comes during another busy period in Davidson’s long daytime television career.
She originated the role of Ashley Abbott on “The Young and the Restless” in 1982. CBS continues to list Davidson as a member of the current cast, and she won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the role in 2018.
Davidson is also famous to soap fans for her work on “Days of Our Lives,” most notably as Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks
