“After he recovers from surgery, he will gradually begin his rehabilitation until he is completely healed,” said Dr. Richard Guyer of the Center for Disc Replacement at the Texas Back Institute, who did the operation. “Once that’s accomplished, his workouts will be geared to allowing him to return to competitive golf.
Earlier Friday, the Southland’s golf legend announced that he has undergone successful back surgery to alleviate ongoing pain in his back and leg.
“The surgery went well, and I’m optimistic this will relieve my back spasms and pain,” Woods said on his website. “When healed, I look forward to getting back to a normal life, playing with my kids, competing in professional golf and living without the pain I have been battling so long.”
“Due to previous herniations and three surgeries, Woods’ bottom lower-back disc severely narrowed, causing sciatica and severe back and leg pain. Conservative therapy, which included rehabilitation, medications, limiting activities and injections, failed as a permanent solution, and Woods opted to have surgery.
“The procedure was a minimally invasive Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (MIS ALIF) at L5/S1. The surgery entailed removing the damaged disc and re-elevating the collapsed disc space to normal levels. This allows the one vertebrae to heal to the other. The goal is to relieve the pressure on the nerve and to give the nerve the best chance of healing.”
Guyer added: ”If you are going to have single-level fusion, the bottom level is the best place for it to occur. Some individuals are born with one less vertebrae, which would be similar to someone who had a single-level fusion.”
Woods will now rest for several weeks, then begin therapy and treatment. Patients typically return to full activity in about six months.
“I would like to thank all the fans for staying in touch and their kind wishes,” Woods said. “The support I have received has never waned, and it really helps.”
Golf Digest added: “Woods sat out the entire 2015-2016 PGA Tour season, but returned to finish T-15 (out of 18 players) at his Hero World Challenge last December. He began 2017 with the announcement of an ambitious schedule that included four tournaments in a five-week span, but wound up only playing in two — a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance and a WD due to back spasms at the Dubai Desert Classic following an opening 77. Woods then withdrew from his other two scheduled events — the Genesis Open and the Honda Classic.
“There was talk that Woods might return for the 2017 Masters, but he officially pulled out the Friday before, saying he was ‘not tournament ready.’ It was the third time in four years that Woods didn’t play in the season’s first major championship.”
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