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

Ashley Judd, who has suffered trauma following her mom’s death, once broke her leg in four different places while she was off traipsing in the jungle. Here’s all we know about her healing process. 

Ashley Judd is no stranger to trauma. The most recent one she has had to endure came when she entered her 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, and she also spoke about how it mentally traumatized her. However, it is not the first time this beautiful lady is suffering trauma. 

Ashley Judd during the “Feminism: A Battlefield Report” segment at the 10th Anniversary Women In The World Summit on April 11, 2019, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

WHAT HAPPENED TO ASHLEY JUDD’S LEG? 

Long before her mom’s tragic demise, Judd had had to endure yet another huge trauma — this time physically — when she broke her leg in the middle of the jungle. In February 2021, Judd revealed that she almost developed a disability following a nasty fall she had in the jungle. 

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

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

As a result, 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 had between her teeth 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. 

CAN ASHLEY JUDD WALK AGAIN?

After the fall, Judd was hospitalized, and she lost her ability to walk for the next couple of months. Her healing process began with an eight-hour-long surgery followed by long gruelling hours of physical therapy that prepared her to learn how to walk with the injured leg again. 

After that, she endured 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 involved in her recovery one way or the other and revealed that she had started walking again. 

Judd also added that her leg was not brand new 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 work well, but that experience was one she will never forget for as long as she draws her breath. 

Anomama