FORMER bodybuilder Flex Wheeler has provided a worrying health update from hospital as he struggles with “indescribable” back pain.
The retired IFBB professional, 58, revealed an eye-opening insight on his latest issue to fans on social media.
Having already lost a leg and experienced kidney failure, Wheeler has continuously struggled with his health – despite having one of the best bodybuilding physiques in the sport’s history.
But last week, The Sultan of Symmetry shared an emotional update on his current health condition.
Taking to Instagram, he said: “I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to provide you with an update on my current situation.
“Unfortunately, during transitioning from one bed to another, I experienced a traumatic exacerbation of my existing back problem.
“The pain I’m currently enduring is beyond description, and my discomfort has been overwhelming.
“At this moment, my pain level is extremely high, and I find myself cringing, crying, and experiencing intense discomfort.
Wheeler adds that despite the “challenging situation”, medical professionals are “working tirelessly to find a resolution to this issue”.
Included in the post was a screenshot of the description of his current problem.
It details that the American has a synovial cyst at L4-L5 that has raised from the left facet joint and extends into the spinal canal.
The shocking news has triggered an outpouring of love and support from fans and fellow former professionals around the world.
Wheeler’s 17-year professional career brought with it 16 first-place finishes across a number of tournaments.
As a result, he became one of the most respected bodybuilders in the sport.
His most notable victories came at the IDBB Arnold Classic, where he won it a then-record four times in 1993, 1997, 1998 and 2000.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who the tournament is named after, even described Wheeler as one of the greatest bodybuilders he had ever seen.
And Ronnie Coleman, considered the greatest bodybuilder of all time alongside Arnie, said Wheeler was the best bodybuilder he’d ever competed against.
But while The Sultan of Symmetry received glowing reviews and numerous accolades, his life has been full of setbacks.
Wheeler recently revealed some of the mental struggles he encountered whilst he was still competing.
In another heartfelt Instagram post, he recalled one specific day where he woke up and didn’t feel like doing anything or working out.
In a heart-to-heart chat, the legend confessed that even when he did hit the gym, he felt bad and “highly embarrassed”.
But while the former star managed his mental difficulties, it’s his physical one’s that have had lasting effects.
And it’s his current back injury that has become just the latest in a long list of health issues since retiring in 2000.
In 2003, Wheeler underwent nine surgeries and received a kidney transplant that almost cost him his life.
It came four years after discovering he had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a form of kidney disease.
In 2019, Wheeler then underwent sudden emergency surgery to have part of his right leg amputated due to circulatory vascular system problems.
He claimed that the decision was made after the circulation difficulties had become “life-threatening”.
And just last year, Wheeler announced that his donor kidney had started to “show signs of failure.”
While he continues to fight that battle, he’s also simultaneously trying to overcome his excruciating back pain.
Just last month, a bodybuilding doctor died from a cardiac arrest after a massive bleed caused by a liver tumour.
Rodolfo Duarte Ribeiro dos Santos was just 33-years-old when he passed away in a private hospital on November 19.