Dancing With The Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba is starting the holiday season with surgery. Inanba is set to go under the knife this morning to relieve pressure and stiffness in her neck caused by spinal stenosis.

“I have arthritis. The space around my spinal cord has become compressed,”the tough-talkin’ Inaba — a former dancer and founder of The Dizzy Feet Foundation — told PEOPLE.com overnight. “I have been locked. My neck was so stiff. We’re hoping this procedure will relieve that. I’ll be fine, and if this surgery goes well, I may have another one in the future.”