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Tiger Woods’ surgery in Plano TX is an MIS technique performed to treat spinal conditions, particularly pain in the lumbar spine. Generally, soft tissue injuries and mechanical problems are the cause of lumbar spine pain.

These injuries include compression of nerve roots, damage to the intervertebral discs, and improper spinal joints’ movement. Let us talk about the history of Tiger Woods’ sports injuries surgery, including back pain surgery.

Tiger Woods Surgery in Plano TX – History

In 1994, Tiger Woods underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from his left knee. It was a successful surgery and enabled him to win the 1994 U.S Amateur Championship and other tournaments. In 2002, he underwent another knee surgery to remove benign cysts from his left knee.

In April 2008, Tiger Woods had an arthroscopic surgery to treat cartilage damage in his left knee. The surgery was performed two days after the 2008 Masters’ Tournament. It is when Woods had finished second. Tiger returned to the 2008 U.S. Open after the surgery. However, in June 2008, he underwent a reconstructive surgery procedure to repair the cruciate ligament in his left knee.

When it comes to Tiger Woods’ surgery in Plano TX, he had undergone several spinal surgeries. For instance, in March 2014, he had a microdiscectomy procedure to treat a pinched nerve. The back pain surgery involved cleaning out a disc fragment. The sports injuries surgery took place a few weeks after Tiger played the WGC Cadillac Championship.

In September 2015, Tiger Woods had other sports injuries surgery. It was a back pain surgery known as microdiscectomy to remove a disc fragment from his back that was pinching a nerve. The procedure took place a few weeks after Woods finished 10^th at the Wyndham Championship. Woods also had follow-up surgery in October 2015.

Tiger Woods Surgery in Plano TX – ALIF

In April 2017, Woods had his 4^th spinal surgery known as the anterior lumbar interbody fusion. Tiger had been suffering from sciatica and back spasms that caused him to withdraw from the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2017.

The sports injuries surgery is known as ALIF, an MIS technique best used on the lumbar spine’s lowest levels. Dr. Richard Guyer performed the surgery, which involved accessing the L5-S1 area in the lower back. Because Woods had previously undergone three surgeries, including two microdiscectomy procedures and follow-up surgery, Dr. Guyer advised him to undergo ALIF.

Woods was not a suitable candidate for microdiscectomy and other interbody fusion surgeries like PLIF because these follow a posterior approach. On the other hand, ALIF is a back pain surgery that requires a surgeon to approach the lumbar spine from the front.

In simple words, the surgeon makes a small incision below the belly button or in the abdomen to approach the spine. The surgeon then removes the damaged disc from the spine and places a cage that contains bone graft material in the space.

Likewise, the surgeon secures the cage with screws and rods so that it remains intact in the spine. The bone graft material fuses over time and turn into a single, solid bone. Tiger Woods underwent a rehabilitation period for a few months.

Woods followed the instruction of Dr. Guyer after his sports injuries surgery during the rehabilitation period. Tiger had recovered from his back spasms and sciatica within 6-9 months. He returned to professional golf in 2019 and won the Masters Tournament.

Back Pain Surgery – ALIF at MINT

There are several benefits of ALIF surgery, and the main advantage usually stems from its anterior approach. At MINT, our surgeons use advanced instrumentation and cutting-edge technology tools to perform ALIF surgery.

Because the surgery involves making small incisions, it leads to less pain, less blood loss, less scarring, and shorter recovery periods. Likewise, it avoids damage to strong and thick posterior muscles, soft tissues, and nerves in the lower back.

The anterior placement of ALIF surgery has been proven to be very successful than the posterior approach. There is no or little manipulation of the spine’s nerves, which leads to no or reduced chances of permanent damage.

Moreover, Our MINT surgeons use this surgery because the fusion location allows for the spine’s natural healing. ALIF is a sport injuries surgery that allows for less pain, less blood, shorter hospital stays, and reduced rehabilitation periods. If you have back pain, sciatica, spasms, or any other problem in the lumbar spine, you can contact MINT for the best Tiger Woods surgery in Plano TX.