Golfing Injuries – Tiger Woods’ Experiences
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Do you want to know about Tiger Woods golfing injuries? If yes, this article is for you. Back pain is a common condition that affects over 80% of adults in the United States, with numerous episodes every year. Tiger Woods had suffered from back pain for many years, preventing him from participating in several major tournaments.
Because Tiger’s condition has affected his career, the champion golfer has made substantial efforts to overcome his back pain. However, conservative treatments and microdiscectomy procedures didn’t relieve his spinal pain entirely. That’s why Woods underwent ALIF surgery, an innovative approach that treats lower back pain.
Tiger Woods’ Golfing Injuries
Tiger Woods felt a tingling sensation in his right side in 2010. Doctors suspected that Woods might have a herniated disc. However, they didn’t confirm it. In 2014, Tiger Woods felt back pain due to a herniated disc and underwent microdiscectomy surgery. Although Woods relieved his back pain, it occurred again within the year.
Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy procedure and a follow-up surgery to remove the herniated disc. These surgeries allowed Woods to reduce his back pain for some time. Woods participated in a few major tournaments, but his back pain came back again. Consequently, Woods had to withdraw from several golf tournaments due to Tiger Wood Golfing injuries.
Tiger Woods Golfing Injuries – ALIF Surgery
Woods suffered from severe back pain in 2016 and 2017. The champion golfer underwent conservative treatments, including narcotic medication, physical therapy, and exercise, but these treatments failed to relieve his back pain.
Because Woods had undergone three spinal surgeries through a posterior approach, Dr. Richard Guyer, a qualified surgeon, urged him that undergoing another surgery posteriorly can lead to severe complications, including permanent disability.
The primary reason was that Woods’ spine had become severely narrowed, and Woods couldn’t undergo another surgery. That’s why he continued to take medications and performed physical therapy to relieve his pain.
Although medications reduce his back pain symptoms temporarily, Woods could not play golf due to painful episodes. In addition, woods’ back pain and sciatic pain had significantly affected his lumbar spine. So, Dr. Guyer recommended him to undergo ALIF surgery.
What is ALIF Surgery?
According to Dr. Scott Kutz, the founder of MINT and the best spine surgeon Plano TX, ALIF surgery is an innovative approach that involves making an incision in the front instead of the patient’s back. The purpose is to reach the lumbar spine easily without disturbing or damaging the surrounding muscles.
ALIF is a spinal fusion surgery that requires the surgeon to make a tiny incision in the front to reach the L5 and S1 spinal space. In Tiger’s case, Dr. Guyer, the best back surgeon Plano TX, approached the L5 and S1 and removed the damaged disc. Dr. Guyer then inserted a bone graft material with a mesh cage and secured the material with screws and rods.
MINT is a reputable surgery clinic in Plano, TX, and the founder, Dr. Scott Kutz, is an experienced surgeon with a 100% success rate in performing ALIF surgery. If you have lower back pain and sciatic pain, you can consult MINT’s best back surgeon Plano TX to explore your surgery options.
Why is ALIF Surgery Better?
ALIF is a well-tolerated spinal procedure associated with reduced pain, improved spinal mobility, flexibility, and faster recovery than other spinal fusion surgeries. In addition, ALIF allows our best spine surgeon Plano TX to place a much larger cage than other procedures, providing more stability and strength to the spine due to a higher chance of solid fusion.
Besides, ALIF allows for better correction of spinal imbalance and deformity, with much better and long-term outcomes, including improved symptoms, quality of life, and developing the problem again. That’s the reason Woods came back to the 2019’s Masters Tournament and won it thanks to the ALIF surgery.
Our spine surgeon Plano TX can treat Tiger Woods golfing injuries and a wide range of spinal conditions, including painful disc degeneration, spinal instability, spinal imbalance, deformity, and spondylolisthesis through a minimally invasive ALIF technique.
Moreover, ALIF surgery is an advanced technique that leads to less blood loss and reduced trauma during the procedure. It also has a faster recovery time without causing damage to the surrounding muscles, nerves, tissues, tendons, ligaments, and other spinal structures.
If you have lower back pain that radiates to your legs through the buttocks and affects your day-to-day life, ALIF surgery is the best option for you. Contact us today for Tiger Woods golfing injuries.
