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Many fans were worried about Tiger Woods’ spine health for a few years. In 2010, Tiger withdrew from a major tournament because he was feeling tingling in his right side. The doctors said he might have a herniated disc. However, he had a problem in the facet joint of his neck.
Tiger Woods’ Spine Health
In 2013, he complained of a stiff neck. Tiger said the condition might have been caused by a soft mattress in his hotel room. Anyway, he withdrew from the tournament and underwent conservative treatments.
A year later, in 2014, Tiger Woods withdrew from the Honda Classic, another major tournament due to his back pain. Tiger said that his back hurt when he stretched and moved it.
In the month of April in the same year, Tiger underwent a surgery called micro-discectomy to treat his pinched nerve that was causing the back pain. Due to the surgery, Woods withdrew from the Masters’ Tournament.
A micro-discectomy is a surgical procedure performed for the treatment of a herniated disc. Woods had a herniated disc, which was compressing his nerve and causing painful sensations. The procedure involved the surgeons to remove the herniated disc. Although it is one of the best back pain solutions, it didn’t do well for Tiger.
Moreover, in 2015, he underwent micro-discectomy surgery for the second time. The procedure involved the removal of the disc fragment that was cause pain due to the pinching of the nerve. In October 2015, he went for another surgery to relieve pain and discomfort.
When the surgeries and conservative treatment didn’t do well for the champion golfer, and he was still complaining about pain in his back and leg, the surgeon “Dr. Richard Guyer” suggested a minimally invasive procedure known as the anterior lumbar interbody fusion. Let’s talk about how it helped Woods recover from back spasms and sciatic pain in the leg.
Tiger Woods Spine Surgery
Tiger Woods underwent ALIF surgery in 2017. It was a successful minimally invasive procedure that allowed him to come back within two years and win the Masters’ tournament in 2019. It is a minimally invasive procedure performed to treat the lowest spinal disc at the pelvis.
As mentioned above, Woods had previously performed three surgeries to relieve pain in his lumbar spine. According to his doctors, the disc had become severely narrowed, which caused pain in his back and leg. Similarly, medications and physical therapy failed to relieve his pain.
When it comes to Tiger Woods’ spine health, ALIF was a game-changer for him. It is indeed one of the most effective back pain solutions for treating a degenerative disc, which causes back and leg pain.
Dr. Richard Guyer performed the surgery on April 20, 2017. The procedure involved removing the degenerated disc between L5, which is the last lumbar vertebra, and S1, which is the top side of the sacrum.
Richard Guyer was able to restore the alignment between his vertebra and sacrum. Since it is a minimally invasive approach, it involved the surgeon to place the bone graft material between L5 and S1. Over time, the bones fuse into a single, solid vertebra.
ALIF Spine Surgery
ALIF is one of the best back pain solutions for people who are suffering from back pain. Like Tiger Woods spine health that improved with the ALIF procedure, anyone can undergo this procedure as per the surgeon’s recommendation.
Here at MINT, our qualified and professional surgeons will review your spine condition and determine whether or not you need an ALIF procedure. Remember, ALIF requires the surgeon to approach the spine from the abdomen to spare the muscles, ligaments, tissues, and nerves in the lower back.
Unlike open back surgery and posterior approach (PLIF), ALIF has more chances of success. In general, the success rate of ALIF is above 95%. It preserves the normal muscles, ligaments, tissues, and nerves in the lumbar spine.
It is an MIS approach that allows our MINT surgeons to restore the alignment of the lumbar spine by placing a bone graft material between the two vertebrae. Our surgeon uses a high-quality mesh cage to hold the bone graft material.
Over time, it allows the two vertebrae to fuse and develop into a single, solid bone. Thus, it provides greater spinal stability and strength to the muscles of the back. MINT has experienced surgeons who have been performing minimally invasive surgeries for many years. So, if you want to improve your health like Tiger Woods’ spine health, you can contact MINT to schedule an appointment with our qualified surgeon.
