Carson Daly feels "18 again" after undergoing spinal surgery.

The 49-year-old broadcaster went under the knife seven weeks ago in a bid to fix chronic back pain caused by a snowmobiling accident several years earlier and he is delighted the "real hardcore" procedure - which saw an intervertebral disc removed and replaced with a spacer - "worked".

Returning to the 'Today' show on Tuesday (17.10.22), he admitted he is feeling "great" now.

He joked: "I'm 18 again."

He then added: "It's been quite the recovery. I had some time to sit around and [rest], but it feels great."

But Carson - who has four children with wife Siri - noted there is "a long road ahead" of him making a full recovery and he hopes to explore the journey he's going through on the show in future.

He said: "I hope I get a chance to do a story on it because what I realise now is it's like the iceberg effect. This just isn't a story about people who have back pain and how do you fix it; there's a subtext underneath it all that's very complex that so many of us have to deal with.

"When you're in pain and you're looking to just feel good, that changes your relationship with food and drink and your life. And then when they fix the pain, there are these other complex areas of your life that you need to deal with and realign with. So when I say I'm getting better, I'm getting better in a multitude of ways which is great; which is really great."

Carson has been going on regular walks as part of his recovery, and he's looking forward to getting back on the golf course.

He said: "I'm the Forest Gump of Long Island. I walk everywhere...

"I can chip and putt at 13 weeks so I'm still another six weeks out from that."

Noting Tiger Woods had undergone the same procedure five years ago, he quipped: "I'll probably get condo in Augusta, Georgia first, start visiting, and then I'll start getting to the Masters in maybe four years."