The Technique Behind Tiger Woods’ Back Surgery Success
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Do you want to know what led to Tiger Woods’ back surgery success? If yes, you are in the right place. Lower back pain is a common condition that affects over 80% of Americans at some point in their lives. Although Tiger Woods has seen many successes throughout his career, he had also suffered from various injuries.
Woods had undergone three spinal surgeries, including two microdiscectomy procedures and a follow-up procedure before underwent a minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Richard Guyer recommended Woods undergo a minimally invasive ALIF surgery to treat his lower back and leg pain. Read on!
Tiger Woods’ Back Surgery Success
Tiger Woods withdrew from several major golf tournaments due to severe back pain, tingling, and discomfort. Woods said that he had undergone conservative treatments, such as medications, epidural injections, and physical therapy exercises. However, these treatments could not relieve his lower back pain.
Woods’ doctor said that undergoing another back surgery would damage his delicate spinal structures, including muscles, ligaments, and nerves, causing him to say goodbye to his golfing career. That’s when Dr. Richard Guyer, an experienced surgeon, recommend Woods to undergo ALIF surgery.
Woods had a damaged disc between his L5 and S1 that forms a triangular formation in the pelvic area. Woods announced that he would undergo ALIF surgery to treat his lower back pain. ALIF surgery is one of the best back surgery alternatives.
ALIF is one of the most common back surgery alternatives because it follows an anterior approach, meaning Dr. Guyer made an incision in the abdomen to reach the affected area between L5 and S1. Dr. Guyer removed the damaged disc and placed a bone graft material with a larger mesh cage.
Moreover, Dr. Guyer secured the mesh cage with rods and screws to ensure the bone graft fuses the two bones (L5 and S1) into a single vertebra over time. A posterior approach, such as PLIF, could cause damage to Tiger Woods’ back muscles. As a result, Tiger could not have returned to golf. Thanks to Dr. Richard Guyer’s recommendation, the ALIF procedure led to Tiger Woods Back Surgery Success.
What is ALIF Surgery?
ALIF is one of the best back surgery alternatives for people with back pain who could not undergo the posterior approach. PLIF is a popular posterior approach for spinal fusion. However, if you have undergone major surgeries, our MINT neurosurgeons don’t recommend it. The reason is that PLIF can cause significant damage to your spinal anatomy, increase the risk of infection, and affect your spinal strength.
On the other hand, ALIF surgery is more effective because it requires the surgeon to make a tiny incision in the abdomen to approach the affected area. The surgeon removes the damaged disc and places a bone graft material to fuse the two bones into a single vertebra. As a result, the patient’s normal spinal alignment is restored, allowing him to return to his daily activities within 3-6 months without feeling pain.
Benefits of ALIF Surgery
ALIF surgery led to Tiger Woods Back Surgery Success. It is a minimally invasive approach that spared Woods’ back muscles from damages, allowing him to return to the 2019 Masters’ tournament.
Because it is a minimally invasive approach, it does not lead to blood loss, infection, damaged muscles, and soft tissues and allows the patient to have shorter hospital stays. Unlike open-back surgery, the minimally invasive ALIF surgery has relatively fast recovery rates and a quick rehabilitation process.
It is one of the best back surgery alternatives for people with an active lifestyle. Suppose Tiger Woods had undergone the PLIF approach. In that case, the surgery would have damaged his muscles, nerves, and ligaments. That’s why it wise to undergo a minimally invasive ALIF procedure. ALIF surgery can treat a wide range of spinal conditions, including:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Flatback syndrome
- Scoliosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spinal instability
- Spinal imbalance
- Spinal deformity
ALIF surgery allows for a larger spacer or bone graft material placement, providing more strength and support to the spine. At the same time, a larger spacer device has higher chances of fusion. Similarly, it causes less disruption to the lumbar spine muscles.
Contact MINT Today!
MINT has licensed and skilled neurosurgeons with many years of experience performing successful minimally invasive operations, including ALIF. We have an advanced facility equipped with innovative equipment and tools, allowing our neurosurgeons to perform an accurate surgery. MINT has a success rate of over 98%, and if you want something like Tiger Woods Back Surgery Success, contact MINT today!
