Everything You Need to Know About Tiger Woods’ Fusion Surgery

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Tiger Woods’ remarkable return to winning the Masters championship is being celebrated as excellent sporting success. However, a relatively common and effective treatment for chronic back pain, called fusion surgery Tiger Woods, is also being credited for Woods’ return to his winning form and made him champion again in 2019.

Tiger Woods Spinal Fusion Surgery

At the age of 43, Woods underwent “Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion” or ALIF. A lower back injury like Woods’, which may have ended his career, is common among professional athletes and non-athletes.

ALIF’s minimally invasive surgical procedure was Woods’ fourth operation on his back in just over two years. The spasms in his back and the related pain radiating from his leg made it difficult for Woods – not just his swing the golf – but also doing ordinary things such as sitting long enough to dine at a restaurant.

Most people experience severe back pain during their lifetime, and this always tends to be in the lower back, said Jobyna Whiting, MD, a neurosurgeon at Baptist Health Neuroscience Center. The reason behind it is that throughout our lives, the lower back suffers from various pain due to the burden and work that our back does.

ALIF is an option for professional athletes or sports people and for anyone who is physically active or non-athlete. It is a surgical procedure that corrects problems in the small bones of the spine (vertebrae). It is essentially a “soldering” process that fuses painful vertebrae together so that they can heal and become a single solid bone, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Spinal fusion is the best surgical procedure used when pain arises from movement. It is a theory that if the painful vertebrae don’t move, then they shouldn’t hurt.

Lumbar spine fusion is often the tremendous surgical procedure that depends on a person’s regular physical activity and health records – whether it’s sports or a profession that needs more strength and movement, says Dr. Whiting. We hope that the successful recovery of Tiger Woods fusion surgery will encourage more people with persistent back pain to seek proper medical treatment.

The disc that hurt Woods was the shock absorber between the lower lumbar vertebra and the highest vertebra of the sacrum. The sacrum is the bone structure that is located at the base of the lumbar vertebrae and is connected to the pelvis.

An “interbody fusion” involves removing the intervertebral disc, which acts as a damper between each of the vertebrae in the spine. This type of fusion can be done using different methods. The surgeon can reach the spine through incisions in the side. In the ALIF procedure, the surgeon reaches the lower back through an anterior incision in the abdomen.

Since we are not going through the back, that means we are not cutting requisite muscles, and we are not damaging the soft tissues, says Dr. Whiting. This helps a lot to speed up the recovery time for most patients. This minimally invasive approach has become quite familiar with a high success rate.

Tiger Woods fusion surgery doctor was Dr. Richard Guyer of the Disc Replacement Center at the Texas Back Institute. After he recovers from surgery, he will progressively begin his recovery until he is fully healed, “Guyer said.” Once you do hard work, your workouts will be geared toward allowing you to compete again.

By reading this article, you know what type of spinal fusion surgery did Tiger Woods have and who was the Tiger Woods fusion surgery doctor, and now Woods reportedly returned to his rigorous golf program within a few months after his ALIF procedure.

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)

Just like other types of back fusion surgery, including Tiger Woods spinal fusion surgery, ALIF involves a process that fuses painful vertebrae together so that damaged bones can heal and become a single solid bone.

Lumbar fusion is a surgical treatment indicated for low back pain and radicular pain due to degenerative disc disease, segmental instability, recurrent disc herniation’s, degenerative scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, tumors, fractures, infections, and foramina stenosis.

It is the most effective way to eliminate movement between two vertebral bones compared to facet, intertransverse fusion. Or interspinous. Various approaches such as anterior interbody fusion (ALIF), posterolateral (PLIF), transforaminal (TLIF), lateral (LLIF), and oblique (OLIF) were developed to obtain a solid segmental arthrodesis with the least retraction of neural structures and damage.

Advantages of Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)

Talking about anterior lumbar inter-body fusion performed by Dr. Scott Kutz, MD at Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas, techniques like this that place an implant between the vertebral bodies achieve a higher rate of bone consolidation. We will have a higher percentage of success in achieving a fusion of the operated vertebral segment if we compare it with the instrumented posterolateral arthrodesis.

ALIF has the advantage of being able to act adequately on the structures that may be squeezing the nerves. By pulling muscles apart and removing the lamina, nerve roots and surrounding structures can be visualized. In this way, it is easier to act on it.

We avoid the large blood vessels of the body that pass in front of the surgery that is conducted anteriorly. In this way, we get rid of the serious difficulties that can occur when injuring these structures.

Minimally Invasive Surgery at Plano TX

If you are somewhere in Plano and looking for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Plano TX, then no look further. Make an appointment with us at Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas. We are a team of highly professional and experienced surgeons with vast experience in minimally invasive back surgeries in Plano, TX. Dr. Scott Kuttz is the best minimally invasive surgeon in Plano, TX.

If you are facing problems with your back and looking for a better solution like fusion surgery Tiger Woods, then make a call at (972) 244-3491 and set an appointment for further information about Minimally Invasive Surgery to visit our website.