Tiger Woods’ Back Pain Story
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Tiger Wood back pain started in 2014 and caused him not to play the final round of the Honda Classic. He had lower back spasms, which are involuntary tensing or contraction of the muscles in the lower back.
In general, the health condition ranges from mild discomfort to long-term spasms with pain, which makes it difficult for the individual to more. Typically, back spasms are treated with minimally invasive spine surgery, which is the most effective back pain treatment.
Woods announced that he would miss the Masters’ Championship due to discomforting lower back spasms. Tiger had undergone micro-discectomy surgery for a pinched never to fix the problem, but it persisted. Tiger Woods also had not participated in the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone due to lower back pain.
Woods had three surgeries to relieve pain at the bottom of his lumbar spine. The diagnosis showed that he had a severely narrowed disc, which led to pain in his back and leg. Woods had undergone various conservative treatments such as medication and physical therapy, but none of them worked for him.
Tiger Woods Back Pain Treatment – The Success
Conservative treatments did not work for Tiger Woods. In April 2017, he announced to undergo minimally invasive surgery known as anterior lumbar interbody fusion or ALIF. This minimally invasive surgery is an effective back pain treatment that allows the surgeon to remove the degenerated disc between vertebrae.
In Tiger’s case, it was between the L5 (the last lumbar vertebrae) and S1 (the top of the sacrum). The surgeon was able to restore the proper alignment between his vertebrae and sacrum and then fused the bones.
The surgeon approached the joint from the abdomen, allowing him to spare the nerves, tissues, and muscles in the lower back. There are many benefits of preservation of healthy muscles and ligaments in the lower back, particularly in patients like Tiger Woods, who has an active lifestyle.
The minimally invasive ALIF surgery allows surgeons to place bone graft between vertebrae and restore normal alignment. The surgeon holds the graft material in an interbody device or mesh cage. Over time, the graft material fuses the vertebrae with the sacrum and allows them to grow into a single, solid bone.
Tiger Woods Back Pain – ALIF
An ALIF is a minimally invasive surgery in which the surgeon approaches the spine from the front. The surgeon then removes the disc to relieve pressure on the nerves. The surgeon places a large cage in the space, and insert screws through the cage into the spinal bones to make them stable.
There are many benefits of ALIF minimally invasive surgery, such as treating painful disc degeneration, instability, spondylolisthesis, and spinal imbalance or deformity. ALIF is an effective procedure and leads to faster recovery.
Compared to other spinal fusion surgeries, ALIF allows the surgeon to place a larger cage between the vertebrae, and this provides a stable fusion. Thus, the procedure allows for better correction of spinal imbalance or deformity.
ALIF offers a variety of advantages of the patient, such as less pain and improved quality of life. In general, the outcomes of ALIF are quite good, and research shows that over 80% of patients obtain a better result.
Tiger Wood underwent ALIF and recovered from his back and leg pain. He came back and participated in the 2019s Masters’ Championship, which he won thanks to the minimally invasive back pain treatment. The victory was a happy moment for both the champion and his diehard fans.
Back Pain Treatment at MINSTX
The Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas has licensed, qualified, and experienced surgeons who use advanced imaging and surgical tools to perform ALIF. Our surgeons ensure there is less disturbance to the surrounding structures and tissues.
Our surgeon will access the spine from the front while moving aside the abdomen’s contents, allowing for easy access to the discs. We ensure the neurologic structures, nerves, and muscles in your back do not get disturbed.
Just like the success of Tiger Woods Back Pain treatment, our surgeons also believe in performing the surgery with a high-fusion success rate. We place the bone graft in the front of the spine, which allows for quicker healing and fusing of the vertebrae.
If you are experiencing chronic back and leg pain, you must seek medical guidance because these conditions are treatable. Our surgeons are famous for treating a wide variety of spinal conditions. We provide high-quality and standard back pain treatment in Plano, TX. Just like Tiger Woods Back Pain, you can also get relief from pain through ALIF.
