Tiger Woods’ Latest Surgery
Image by Keith Allison CC BY-SA 2.0 from Wikimedia Commons
Arthroscopic knee surgery was Tiger Woods’ latest surgery. The famous golf player underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair minor cartilage damage. According to Tiger Woods, it was not a serious surgery, and could return to practice soon. Tiger said that the arthroscopic knee surgery would not affect his plant to return to Zozo Championship.
Tiger Woods won the Masters’ tournament in 2019 after his successful sports back pain treatment, a minimally invasive surgery known as ALIF. Tiger Woods’ back pain was alleviated with ALIF surgery. However, Woods did not finish among the top players in the FedEx Cup standings.
Anyway, Woods had his first knee surgery in 1994, which involved the removal of two benign tumors and scar tissues. After the 2002 season, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove cysts and fluid from his knee.
He also had another operation after the Masters’ tournament in 2008. It was an arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage. After winning the U.S Open two months later, he underwent reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament. Tiger Woods’ latest surgery was not a serious procedure because it was all about repairing minor cartilage damage.
What is Knee Arthroscopy?
Knee arthroscopy was Tiger Woods’ latest surgery to repair minor cartilage damage. In general, it is a surgical technique used to treat knee joint problems. The procedure requires the surgeon to make a small incision in the knee to insert an arthroscope.
An arthroscope is a small camera that allows the surgeon to view the knee’s internal structure on the screen. The surgeon diagnoses the problem and corrects the issue using small devices or instruments within the arthroscope.
It is a surgical approach used to diagnose several knee problems, including torn meniscus and a misaligned patella. The surgery technique can also be used to repair the joint’s ligaments.
Arthroscopic knee surgery can diagnose and treat problems associated with knees. These include torn posterior and anterior cruciate ligaments, fractures in knee bones, baker’s cyst removal, out of position patella, torn meniscus, swollen synovium, damaged cartilage, etc.
Anyway, Tiger Woods latest surgery was not serious at all. It was a minor procedure to fix the damaged cartilage in his knee. Tiger had previously undergone complex spinal surgeries, such as two discectomy procedure, a follow-up procedure, and the most recent back surgery was ALIF.
ALIF – Sports Back Pain Treatment
ALIF is a minimally invasive approach that involves making a small incision in the abdomen to approach the lumbar spine and remove the damaged or narrowed disc. The surgeon then places a small bone graft material between the space using a mesh cage, screws, and rods.
The bone graft material then fuses the two vertebrae into a single, solid bone. Tiger Woods’ back pain was treated with ALIF surgery. In 2017, Tiger Woods complained of discomfort in his lower back and pain radiating through his leg.
Various back surgery treatment options were presented to him. However, Woods chose to undergo ALIF, innovative minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Richard Guyer performed the surgery by making a tiny incision in the abdomen to reach the L5-S1 vertebrae. The surgeon then removed the damaged disc and placed the bone graft material.
Usually, the graft material fuses the two vertebrae into a solid bone within three to six months. Tiger Woods underwent a rehabilitation period of six months to recover from back and leg pain.
Benefits of ALIF Surgery
ALIF is an effective surgical technique that allows the surgeon to follow an anterior approach instead of a posterior one. Because Tiger Woods had previously undergone back surgeries, it was not a good idea to use the posterior approach because it could damage his back’s delicate neurological structures.
On the other hand, ALIF follows an anterior approach and allows for less or no retraction of lumbar spine muscle, ligaments, tissues, and nerves. It is a minimally invasive sports back pain treatment that leads to less blood loss, fewer scars, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery. MINT has qualified, experienced, and skilled neurosurgeons who can perform ALIF, PLIF, XLIF, discectomy, laminectomy, foraminotomy, and other minimally invasive surgeries.
Here at MINT, we use high-quality bone graft material and the latest technology tools to perform ALIF surgery accurately. ALIF is an efficient surgical method used by MINT surgeons to treat painful disc degeneration, instability, spinal imbalance, deformity, and spondylolisthesis.
Lastly, arthroscopic knee surgery was Tiger Woods’ latest surgery. He underwent it to treat his minor cartilage problem. His fans should not worry about it because Woods had previously undergone much more complex surgeries, including ALIF surgery. MINT has experienced surgeons who use the latest tools and techniques to treat spinal issues. If you have back pain, contact MINT today!
