X JAPAN's Tour Postponement Explained

According to Tokyograph, reactivated Japanese rockers X JAPAN postponed their previously announced shows in France, Taiwan and New York City after drummer/mainman Yoshiki Hayashi's chronic disc herniation (also known as a "slipped disc") and tendinitis worsened, forcing him to stop all activities until further notice.

For several years, Yoshiki has been advised by his doctors to wear a corset during live performances to help address the problem, though he disregarded that advice for X JAPAN's reunion concerts at the Tokyo Dome in March. Despite suffering a separate injury during the first of those shows, he continued his energetic performances, and at the 10th-anniversary edition of the annual Hide Memorial Summit (a two-day tribute festival to the band's late guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto, who committed suicide in May 1998),he re-triggered the herniated disc.

According to one source, Yoshiki is at home in Los Angeles receiving medical treatment and is mostly immobilized. The extent of the injury this time is said to be serious. Yoshiki has previously had to take extended time off due to his condition, spending half a year in recovery in 1990 and nine months in 1996.

X JAPAN had scheduled concerts for Paris (July 5),Taiwan (August 2),and New York (September 13),with additional shows being planned. However, ticket sales have now been stopped. It is not yet known if and when the shows will be rescheduled.

A herniated disc is a spine condition that occurs when the gel-like center of a disc ruptures through a weak area in the tough outer wall, similar to the filling being squeezed out of a jelly doughnut. Neck or arm pain may result when the disc material touches or compresses a nearby spinal nerve. Conservative nonsurgical treatment is the first step to recovery. With a team approach to treatment, over 90% of people improve in about six weeks and return to normal activity.

Japanese TV report on the X JAPAN tour postponement: