Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., conducts a news conference within the U.S. Capitol after the senate luncheons on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday he has been released from the rehabilitation facility where he had physical therapy for a concussion attributable to a fall earlier this month.
The 81-year-old Kentucky Republican said in an announcement released by his office that he’ll do business from home for the subsequent few days. The Senate is scheduled to be on break for the weeks of April 3 and April 10.
McConnell was at dinner on March 8 after a hotel reception for a campaign committee aligned with him when he tripped and fell. Along with the concussion, he also had a rib fracture.
He was released from the hospital on March 13 and, upon the recommendation of his doctor, moved to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for physical therapy and to proceed his recovery.
Concussions could be serious injuries and take time for recovery. Even a single incident of concussion can limit an individual’s abilities during that period.
“I’ll follow the recommendation of my physical therapists and spend the subsequent few days working for Kentuckians and the Republican Conference from home,” McConnell said within the statement. “I’m in frequent touch with my Senate colleagues and my staff. I stay up for returning in person to the Senate soon.”
Almost 4 years ago he tripped and fell at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery. The Senate had just began a summer recess, and he worked from home for some weeks as he recovered.
In his early childhood, he had polio and he has acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs.
McConnell was first elected in 1984. In January, he became the longest-serving Senate leader when the brand new Congress convened, breaking the previous record of 16 years.