Tiger Woods had his seventh back surgery on Friday. A day later, the 15-time major champion said that he underwent a lumbar disc replacement and was already feeling the positive effects of the procedure.
“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods said in a statement. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/L5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday and already know I made a good decision for my health and back.”
Woods didn’t compete on the PGA Tour this past season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in March. No timetable was provided for Woods’ potential return to competitive golf after his lumbar disc replacement, and several questions naturally come with Woods’ decision to have another back surgery.
Sports injury analyst and physical therapist Marty Jaramillo answered some of those questions about the procedure, the recovery and Woods’ potential return to competitive golf.
WATCH JARAMILLO’S EXPLAINER HERE:
What surgery did Tiger Woods have on his back, and why?
“Why did Tiger Woods opt for an artificial disc replacement?” Jaramillo said. “Let’s talk a little about the history and what led to that decision. Tiger suffered from multiple back injuries, multiple disc herniations, and all the subsequent surgeries to repair those disc herniations.
“He really suffered at the level of L5, S1, the lowest level, where in 2017 he opted for spinal fusion at that level, with the implant hardware on both sides to decompress the nerves, add stability and support, but there is a trade-off with the hardware. Yes, you get a decrease in pain, but you lose a little bit of mobility, specifically in rotation, sometimes up to 20 percent. It was extremely successful, and in 2019, Tiger won his fifth green jacket at the Masters.
“But like I said, the trade-off is fusion. Below it puts undue stress at the disc levels above. Now L4, L5 is in play and suffered a tremendous amount of stress and overload in subsequent years, and in 2021, he had yet his fourth microdiscectomy to help repair L4 right here now. Between the fourth microdiscectomy, then his horrific car accident and then this year with the Achilles and still trying to compete and play at a high level, that disc at L4, L5 essentially started to degenerate, develop bone spurs, start to compress the nerve endings yet again.
“Now, if he opted for a fusion which was successful, he would lose even more mobility and golf would not be even a question because he wouldn’t be able to compete and play at a high level. So, fast forward, we have this great new technology called an artificial disc. It is still hardware where they removed the old disk. And implant an artificial one. It still provides a tremendous amount of support, stability and decompresses the nerves. But the hardware does not limit motion and you need that rotation to swing a golf club at a very high level and compete at a high level. So in Tiger’s case he just didn’t have a choice and the procedure’s perfected, and he had that procedure performed this past Friday at the hospital for special surgery in New York.”
What will Tiger Woods’ recovery be?
“So for the next two weeks, Tiger will be under strict orders to do a lot of resting and strict limitations on movements like twisting and bending,” Jaramillo said. “But he’s also able to walk as much as he can tolerate. By weeks two to four, he’s implementing a very progressive lumbar stabilization program and some mobility, keeping in mind that the disc replacement surgery does have to heal. The hardware still has to fuse to the overlying and underlying bone, just like a fracture, and has to heal. But by week six to eight, he has progressed to aggressive strengthening in all planes of the golf swing and perfecting sports-specific motions.
“Now long term, well, any aging athlete has to have a strict regimen and be very disciplined with both maintenance and recovery of therapies. Tiger has been great at that over the years, just like LeBron, just like Tom Brady, but Tiger’s had so many surgeries, so he’s had to kinda keep resetting those recovery and maintenance protocols, but still disciplined, nevertheless. He also has to have load management. It has to be in full effect here. He’s gonna probably have to limit his total tournaments but also make smart decisions on both the climate and terrain of those tournaments.”
When will Tiger Woods be able to play competitive golf again?
While no timetable was given for Woods’ return to the PGA Tour, Jaramillo is optimistic that Woods can return soon, given how long it has been since his Achilles procedure and the expected healing time for the lumbar disc replacement.
“Tiger Woods has the potential to play in his own Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, both tournaments that take place in December,” Jaramillo said. “By December, he would have over eight months having recovered from his Achilles repair and close to six to eight weeks for his artificial disc replacement, both within good healing time frames, and be ready to go and also be competitive for both tournaments.”
Tiger Woods’ long-term health concern
To Jaramillo, it is not Tiger Woods’ back that is the biggest concern for prolonging his competitive career. It’s the ankle issues that have been prevalent since his car accident in 2021.
“I’m not so concerned about his back and this artificial disc,” he said. “I think it’s gonna do really great. He’s going to compete at a high level.
“My biggest concern for Tiger is his ankle following his horrific car accident,” Jaramillo said. “A couple of years after the accident, he had to have his ankle fused to help limit the pain and minimize the pain. But what does it do? With the fusion, just like in his lower back from 2017, it limits movement, and in his case, his ankle. He’s lost some rotation, which prevents him from adjusting to uneven terrains on the golf course, and it’s really plagued him. You’ve seen it in years past. Over the course of a four-day tournament he’s the limping gets worse and worse. So I really think it’s his ankle that’s gonna be the speed bump that curtails his career.”
