Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider revealed that he broke his shoulder while playing basketball with his kids, according to a video shared on Instagram. The singer previously stepped down from the band’s upcoming comeback tour due to health issues and was replaced by Sebastian Bach. He provided fans with an update on his condition in the video.
In the video, Snider explained how the injury occurred during a game with his sons, reflecting on the moment with a mix of humor and honesty.
“Hey, it’s me, Dee Snider. I wanna bring you up to speed on some of the things that are going on here with me, in particular my broken shoulder,” Snider said. “So, a bit of words to the wise. Fathers, mothers with kids, when they’re young and we play with them, we tend to dominate them. It’s a fun thing. We tower over them, we let them win, but they know we’re letting them win because we’re so much bigger, and they feel so quietly intimidated. They’re laughing, they’re having fun with us, but the fact is we are these larger-than-life individuals.”
Snider went on to describe the moment of the injury itself, tying it back to his earlier point about children eventually growing bigger than their parents.
“There will come a time they are our size or bigger than we are. They will dominate us. This will be their revenge. Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, they’re out to get even with us and watch us laying on the floor writhing in pain. And they say, ‘That’s what you get for being a son of a bitch when I was a little kid.’ Not saying my kids did that to me, but we were playing basketball on the basketball court, and I got checked, I got knocked over, and I went down like a ton of bricks. Slammed my whole right side. I could’ve sworn out of the corner of my eye I saw one of my sons doing a victory dance. Broke my shoulder, broke the bone in my shoulder.”
He then detailed the day-to-day challenges of recovering from the injury, including the difficulty of adjusting to life with a dominant arm in a sling.
“You may have seen my tweet. It was posted on Facebook as well. The toughest thing about the break besides the discomfort, pain, the annoyance of wearing the sling, sleeping’s a b*tch if it’s the hand you favor. I’m a righty, broke my right shoulder. That switchover is a b*tch on every level — the good, the bad and the ugly, let your imagination run wild.”
Snider also outlined his treatment plan going forward, including surgery. He explained why he chose to share the update through audio rather than text.
“I’m gonna be in a sling pretty much for the next eight weeks. And then there’s the physical therapy and all that stuff like that. And then after that, I gotta go in for a surgery. They’re gonna do a replacement. That’s a b*tch, and that’s one of the reasons I’m doing this, is because typing on social media has become really tough. So, I decided to do some audio stuff as well.”
He closed the video on a lighter note, reassuring fans of his overall well-being.
“That’s all I got on this one for you. Don’t cry for me, Argentina. Other than that, I’m doing great, all things considered, and it’s just a real pain in the ass, a.k.a. shoulder. All right? So talk to you soon.”
Snider’s injury and the plan for how he’ll deal with it fit into a broader story about his health struggles this year, which have already reshaped Twisted Sister’s touring plans.
The break is specifically on Snider’s right side, which happens to be his dominant hand. This makes even basic daily tasks a challenge during recovery. Once the eight-week sling period ends and physical therapy wraps up, doctors plan to perform a shoulder replacement surgery to fully address the damage.
This injury comes on the heels of an already difficult year for the frontman. Snider stepped away from Twisted Sister’s 2026 comeback tour back in February, citing health concerns that made it impossible for him to commit to the demands of touring.
In his absence, the band turned to former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach to take over vocal duties for the summer and fall 2026 shows. This ensured Twisted Sister could still deliver on its comeback tour promises to fans.
Snider now faces months of recovery on top of his earlier tour withdrawal. Questions remain about his long-term involvement with the band, and about whether he’ll be able to return to the stage himself.
