Eddie Van Halen recuperating from surgery

NEW YORK, July 25 (UPI) -- Guitarist Eddie Van Halen of the U.S. rock group Van Halen says he is recuperating from surgery he underwent for pain in his left hand.

The 54-year-old rocker said he was forced to seek medical attention for his hand after slight pain he noticed during a recent Van Halen tour turned into something much worse, Rolling Stone magazine reported Thursday.

"During the last leg of our tour, I started developing pain in my thumb and my pinky. I didn't think much of it at the time," Van Halen said. "It got progressively worse to the point that about three months ago I wasn't able to play at all. My pinky and my thumb were totally locked up and felt like there was something broken."

Van Halen told Rolling Stone he is now facing at least four months of rehabilitation which he is taking slowly to ensure the surgical repairs heal properly.

"Surgery was a success, now I just have to let it heal," he said. "I am totally jazzed that they found the problem, fixed it and in about four months my hand will feel like I am 18 again. Thank God."