BTS' Suga Can't 'Raise My Arms' After Shoulder Surgery, Full Recovery Will Take Months

BTS' Suga won't be able to join any of the K-pop group's performances anytime soon as he confirmed he is still on the road to recovery following his shoulder surgery last year.

Suga, 27, missed several appearances and events with BTS, including promotions for their "BE" album, after undergoing surgery in November to address an injury he sustained almost five years ago. During a recent interview with Weverse Magazine, he spoke about his struggle to cope with the complications and pain months after his operation.

"The pain is one thing, but when my shoulders got worse, I couldn't even raise my arms," Suga said.

"I could see the emptiness [onstage] because we've been together as a group of seven for so long. Not necessarily because I'm not there, but because something that should be there is missing," the rapper added.

Suga went on to say that he feels emotionally drained due to his current condition. Much to his dismay, he was informed he has to wait months before he can join his bandmates in performing onstage once more.

"Apparently, it takes several months for a full recovery. But, I'm trying to get better as fast as possible," he continued. "I think it'll get even better once I take off this brace."

A 2018 episode of the series "Burn the Stage" revealed that Suga injured his shoulder in a car accident while working as a deliveryman before BTS' debut in the music scene. His shoulder dislodged, but he didn't tell their management, Big Hit Entertainment, because he wasn't supposed to be working. When the company finally learned about his condition, the label helped him seek treatment.

In November, Suga confirmed that he won't be able to join the band's scheduled activities for the next several weeks due to his shoulder surgery. At the time, he explained that he needed to undergo the operation because his condition worsened after every performance and he had been told by medical professionals that "rehabilitation and shots" are no longer enough.

Suga missed several of BTS' 2020 appearances, including December's Melon Music Awards, the annual SBS Gayo Daejeon Festival and "The Disney Holiday Singalong."

Since he couldn't perform, the rapper was replaced by a hologram type version of him that he dubbed "Fake Suga" for "his" "Life Goes On" performance during the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, which took place on Dec. 6. Suga explained that it was shot at a 3D studio, but he couldn't picture how it would turn out.

"There's this 3D studio where we shot it. I shot, scanned and acted there, but [I] couldn't see the actual result at the studio. I thought a sense of displacement was unavoidable and that was exactly the case," he said laughing.