Augusta National Golf Club will have a different feel to it when golf’s first major gets underway tomorrow as its most polarizing figure, Tiger Woods, won’t be in attendance. Instead, he’ll be recovering from a recent back surgery.
Tiger Woods has been having back problems for over a year. The initial reports said he was only dealing with a bulging disc that would not need surgery, but this week it was announced that Tiger underwent an operation called a Microdiscectomy since conservative care failed. Since we can only make educated guesses as to what is wrong, we can give only a basic primer on Tiger and lumbar pain management.
Woods’ Woes
Hopefully Tiger is only dealing a single lumbar disc problem. This type of injury and corresponding surgery is best only for pain into the leg caused by an isolated herniated lumbar disc. He has tried the basics; rest, physical therapy, working with another golf pro on body mechanics, and medications to control pain and back spasms. It sounds like he has also tried injections, and despite all these efforts, he is still having issues. The latest MRI scan of his back showed a disc herniation bumping a nerve root that is most likely the cause of his pain. After not being able to play up to his usual standards, Tiger decided it was time to consider surgery.
A Microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive surgery, often using only a small incision of about an inch in length. Using special tools, the surgeon removes a small portion of bone, possibly a joint, and the offending piece of disc. The surgery is usually done as a hospital inpatient operation with an overnight stay to monitor for complications. The patient should be up and active within a day, and often has significantly improved leg pain. This stands to reason, as Tiger didn’t announce that he had undergone surgery until a few days after the operation, and the media was none the wiser. If one does not perform heavy work, returning to employment can occur within a week.
Complications and Rehab
As with any surgery, especially back surgery, there are risks of complications. In properly selected patients, success is at about 90 percent. Spinal fluid leaks, infection, recurrent disc problems, scar tissue, and ongoing pain may be seen despite surgery. The surgery will only be successful for very select group of patients who have failed all conservative care. It will not cure back problems that are related to multi-level disc problems.
The rehabilitation from a Microdiscectomy surgery is fairly rapid. Activity including stretching and walking is encouraged within a week. Guided strengthening and back exercises are often reasonable to start within a month. By three months post surgery, most activity should be possible if treatment has been successful.
Hopefully Tiger will be able to return to golf within three months. Looking at the timetable, that puts his return right around the U.S. Open, which is historically played on the third weekend in June. A more reasonable projection would be that he could return for The Open Championship, which takes place in late July.
Time will only tell what more may happen with his back. Since professional golf at the highest level is very demanding, hopefully this surgery will work and there will not be any complications. If Tiger retires, we will know, it was not the perfect cure.