How Did Ashley Judd Break Her Leg? Actress Shares Her Journey to Healing

Ashley Judd, who is dealing with the traumatic loss of her mom's death, once broke her leg in four different places while she was traipsing in the Congo rainforest. Here's all we know about her healing process.

Ashley Judd is no stranger to trauma. The most recent one was when she entered mom Naomi Judd's bedroom to find that she had taken her own life with a firearm.

She made the revelation in a GMA interview with Diane Sawyer on May 12, 2022, and spoke about how it mentally traumatized her. However, it is not the first time this beautiful lady has suffered from trauma.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ASHLEY JUDD'S LEG?

Long before her mom's tragic demise, Judd endured a huge trauma — this time physically — when she broke her leg in the middle of a jungle. In February 2021, Judd revealed that she almost lost her leg following a nasty fall she had in a jungle in Congo.

According to the actress, she and some Congolese researchers had been out early searching for bonobos when she tripped on a log and landed horribly on her leg, shattering her tibia.

Her leg broke in four places, and she was bleeding internally, but fortunately, those she was with took it upon themselves to ensure her survival.

The actress was grounded for close to five hours with a "badly misshapen leg" that had to be worked on by one of her colleagues. He maintained his composure while she was "howling like a wild animal" despite the stick she was biting down on to help her manage the pain.

When they got her in good enough shape to be transported, they fashioned a hammock to carry her out of the rainforest and back to their camp in a rescue mission that lasted for about 55 hours.

Her right leg reportedly had "no pulse," and she "desperately needed a blood transfusion" after the difficult rescue. She described it in an Instagram post as a "catastrophic" incident that almost cost her her leg.

GETTING TO WALK AGAIN

After the fall, Judd was hospitalized, and she couldn't walk for the next couple of months. Her healing process began with an eight-hour-long surgery followed by long grueling hours of physical therapy that prepared her to walk with the injured leg again.

After that, she went through osteopathy and employed the use of yoga to maintain her sanity and strengthen her resolve to overcome the obstacle she was facing.

In an appreciation post she shared via Instagram, Judd thanked all who were involved in her recovery and revealed that she had started walking again.

Judd added that her leg would never be the same and that each time she walked, she was reminded of exactly how much stamina she would have to rebuild. However, while she knew that she still had a long way to go, the actress was ready. She wrote:

"This is the road ahead. But I am up to the daily tasks!"

Judd has since been able to walk well, but that experience is one she will never forget for as long as she draws her breath.