Tiger’s Back Surgery in Plano – The ALIF Experience
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Tiger Back Surgery in Plano is a minimally invasive surgery. ALIF surgery is one of the best MIS techniques to treat back pain, especially the one that occurs in the lumbar spine and radiates to the leg.
Tiger Woods had a long history of back pain. In 2014, he complained of pain in his spine. Woods took medication and attended physical therapy sessions for some time. However, these conservative treatments didn’t provide relief.
Woods underwent his first spinal surgery in 2014. It was a microdiscectomy procedure, a surgery to reduce pressure on the spinal nerve and treat a herniated disc. Tiger had another microdiscectomy surgery in 2015 and follow up surgery one month later.
Although the surgeries provided him some relief, Woods complained of back spasms and sciatica in January 2017. It caused him to withdraw from several major golf tournaments. Tiger could barely walk and thought his professional career is over.
However, he won the Masters Championship for the 5th time – thanks to Dr. Richard Guyer, an experienced, professional, and skilled neurosurgeon. Dr. Guyer is the surgeon who performed the ALIF surgery and saved Woods from back pain. Woods is thankful to Dr. Guyer for saving his career with ALIF surgery in 2017. Read on!
Tiger Back Surgery in Plano
Tiger Woods had previously undergone three back surgeries. Although it provided him some relief, he was looking for a permanent solution. After all, it was all about his health and professional golf career. That’s why he consulted Dr. Richard Guyer.
Dr. Guyer told Woods that he could undergo another microdiscectomy surgery. However, it would not benefit him or treat his back spasms and sciatic pain. The reason Dr. Guyer presented was that microdiscectomy or any other minimally invasive surgery could damage his strong and thick muscles in the spine.
So, he recommended him to undergo Tiger Back Surgery in Plano, a minimally invasive surgery known as ALIF surgery. Most experts talked about ALIF surgery is not effective for people with active lifestyles. However, Dr. Guyer thought it would be best if Woods undergo ALIF surgery.
Dr. Richard Guyer is a surgeon who has won the United States best doctors award. He is a popular neurosurgeon who has made substantial efforts in spinal surgery research. Let us now talk about how Dr. Guyer performed the surgery. Continue reading!
ALIF Surgery – the Best Minimally Invasive Approach
Dr. Richard Guyer performed Tiger Back Surgery in Plano in 2017. He cut through Tiger’s abdomen and pushed his organs aside to approach the lumbar spine. The surgeon then cut out the damaged disc that was causing spasms, pain, and sciatica.
The surgeon removed the disc between Wood’s L5 and S1 and replaced it with a cage that contained the bone graft material. The material the surgeon used was STALIF M-Ti. Next, Dr. Guyer used screws to secure the cage between L5 and S1.
The primary goal of the ALIF surgery was to relieve pressure on the compressed nerve. The bone graft material fuses over time into a single, solid bone. According to Dr. Guyer, Woods had gradually begun his rehabilitation after he recovered from ALIF surgery.
After the rehabilitation period, Wood return to competitive golf and won the Masters Championship in 2019. Woods announced on his official website that the surgery and rehabilitation had gone very well. He was quite optimistic about his return to golf.
Minimally Invasive Surgery at MINT
Compared to open back surgery and other interbody fusion procedures, ALIF requires the surgeon to make a small incision about half or one inch in the belly button. That’s why this procedure leads to less blood loss and fewer spinal complications. It does not cause the risk of infection and avoids damaging the spine’s sensitive tissues and nerves.
During open surgery, a larger incision can cause increased abdominal or back pain. It also leads to a longer recovery time. On the other hand, a minimally invasive surgery like Tiger Back Surgery in Plano has shorter hospital stays and recovery times. Many patients return to their homes on the same day as the ALIF surgery.
The Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas (MINT) is a reputable spine health clinic in Plano, TX. We have experienced, licensed, and skilled surgeons who use the latest technology tools to perform ALIF surgery and other spinal procedures.
At MINT, our surgeons are steadfast in their commitment to providing patients with safe and alternative solutions to traditional open back surgeries. Our board-certified neurosurgeons are skillful enough to perform Tiger Back Surgery in Plano, TX.
