The Magic Behind Tiger Woods Back Surgery
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Being a famous athlete, everybody might know about Tiger Woods back surgery. The champion golfer made one of the most stunning comebacks in sports in recent history for his 2019 Masters victory. For those who are not aware of Tiger Woods surgery history, he had his fourth surgery in 2017.
Tiger Woods’ surgeon recommended that they undergo a minimally invasive procedure for his back.
What is Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery?
Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery or MIS is a less invasive open surgery procedure used for the same purpose. MIS is redefining the field of surgery today. Methods involve laparoscopic tools and remote-controlled manipulation of surgical devices with the observation of the surgical field via a microscope or endoscope.
Surgeons have to make large incisions to be able to operate and access the area. This is with traditional open neurosurgeries. The difference with MIS is that surgeons can simply make a few small slits or openings of usually no more than ½ inch and use state-of-the-art video equipment to do the operation.
What are the Benefits of MIS?
The different MIS procedures cause less trauma for the patient and the surgical area. Likewise, it causes minimal pain and scarring. It helps speed up recovery and reduces the risk of post-surgical complications.
Minimal Pain
MIS procedures cause less post-operatic pain and discomfort. Patients also report decreased usage of post-surgery pain relievers.
Shortened Hospital Confinement
Patients who have undergone a surgery that is minimally invasive will experience reduced trauma to the surgical site. Hence, they can return to their normal routine and be discharged from the hospital sooner.
Smaller Incision
With the smaller incision needed for MIS procedures, the risk of infection is minimized. Plus, the procedures will leave smaller scars compared to traditional open neurosurgery.
Muscle Sparing
Techniques used for MIS procedures allow the muscle to be pulled or retracted to the side rather than cut through to reach the operative area. Sparing the muscle tissue will enable faster recovery of the patient. There is also far less pain after the operation.
Accuracy
The video-equipped tools used in M|S procedures allow a surgeon with improved visualization and magnification of the patient’s brain and spine while surgery is ongoing. This means procedures become more accurate and effective.
In MIS of the brain, surgeons use endoscopes that have thin pieces of tubing that provide the detailed video image of the brain through the incision, which is just as wide as your thumb. Surgeons can use smaller instruments for cutting, retrieving, or destroying abnormal brain tissues or tumors. These are then passed through the tubes, thereby allowing complex surgery to be done with little to no trauma to the surrounding areas.
Furthermore, neuro-endoscopes help reduces the size of scalp incision by just having one or two small incisions. With traditional brain surgery procedure, the skull has to be opened entirely and usually accompanied by a 10-inch scar across the scalp. We are putting the patient at high risk, while an endoscopic approach will only require one or two small holes.
Equipment Needed for MIS
Special medical and surgical equipment are needed to help the surgeon. These include:
- Miniature video cameras
- External video monitors
- Fiber optic cables
- Special surgical instruments
Tiger Woods Spine Surgery
Woods was presented with different surgical options available to reconstruct his lumbar spine. He opted for the Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion or ALIF because of its medical benefits compared to posterior surgery through the back.
With the option to do spinal fusion, Tiger was operated on in April 2017. He complained of continuous debilitating pain on his back and legs.
The popular golfer relied on his spine surgeon to help him choose the right implant to be used for his back. The Centinel Spine anterior lumbar fusion implant was chosen for Tiger Woods’ fusion operation because of the brand’s long history of excellent quality, reliability, and high clinical success rate.
The ALIF procedure at Woods’ L5/S1 lumbar vertebrae level used the STALI M-Ti fusion implant from Centinel Spine.
Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery in Texas
If you are currently in Texas, suffering from painful pain issues, and you’re interested in finding more about the procedure Tiger Woods underwent, you might want to check out the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas. The medical staff is headed by Dr. Scott Kutz, who decided to focus his practice of medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal problems like spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spinal tumors, herniated discs, and other spinal disorders.
We are a reputable clinic in Texas, and we offer different Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery procedures depending on what condition you have. Some of the techniques include:
- Sacroiliac Joint Fusion
- Lumbar Foraminotomy/Lateral Discectomy
- Lumbar Laminotomy/Discectomy
- Posterior Cervical Facet Fusion
- Cervical Laminoforaminotomy
- Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion
- Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion
- Percutaneous Spinal Instrumentation
One of the conditions we try to correct here at Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery facility is the herniated spinal disc. This condition can be a cause of debilitating pain. A person suffering from a herniated disc may experience excruciating pain or numbness along his back. The pain may extend to the limbs too.
The spinal disc is a rubber-like cushion found in between the vertebrae. Inactivity or too much activity, or a sudden shift in your movement could rupture the disc. The condition may go unnoticed for quite some time because of the absence of symptoms.
You might have a herniated disc on your lower back, or you might also develop it around your neck.
What You Should Do Now
If you are having back problems, call us at (972) 244-3491 to know more about our procedures or to book an appointment.