TV star Melissa Gilbert shares big smile after successful spinal surgery

Actress Melissa Gilbert was all smiles after her "wildly successful" spinal surgery.

The 56-year-old television star, who has battled with neck and back injuries since 2001, shared a photo on Instagram with a caption explaining the procedure.

"Surgery was wildly successful! Dr. Bray was able to remove all the old hardware, shave off bone spurs causing numbness in my right hand and, and, and, he was able to give me the artificial disc," she wrote. "So now I focus on recovery and remaining Covid free. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. I send so much love back to you all. Happy Thanksgiving indeed!!! Love and love and love...MG."

Dr. Vik Patel, an orthopedic surgeon with UCHealth, told ABC News about the success rate of the procedure.

"I'd say in the range of 10% of patients might have that failure of that fusion," he said. "Sometimes the body just doesn't heal. And it can be for a variety of factors. But if it doesn't heal, then those bones, instead of fusing together and becoming solid, they continue to move."

Gilbert was rushed to the hospital in 2012 after suffering from whiplash during "Dancing with the Stars."

Last week, Gilbert said she underwent a third spinal fusion surgery in 2016, only to find out just last year that it had failed.

"The hardware was boring a hole in my C7 vertebra and I would need another surgery," Gilbert said. "The catch was that I had about six months. Double catch, hello COVID-19."

Gilbert grew up on Americans' television screens starring in the massively popular show "Little House on the Prairie" as Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was affectionately called "half pint."

She leaned on that character for inspiration as she went into her latest surgery, she wrote in a social media post.

"I'm channeling my inner Half pint. The one who believes anything is possible. The one with courage and moxie to spare!!"