Tiger Woods’ lumbar disc surgery analyzed by Dr. John Torres | Golf Central | Golf Channel

Tiger Woods’ lumbar disc surgery analyzed by Dr. John Torres | Golf Central | Golf Channel

SIDE, AND ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE. PRINCETON, VERY WELL REPRESENTED. SECOND IN THE MEN’S SIDE, AND LEADING ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE, AFTER DAY ONE OF THE COMPETITION. SPEAKING OF ST. ANDREWS. LET’S FLASHBACK TO THE YEAR 2000. AT THAT OPEN, TIGER WON HIS FIRST PLAYER’S JUG ON THE COURSE, WITH HIS FIRST OVERALL, AND WITH THE WIN, BECAME THE FIFTH GOLFER IN HISTORY TO COMPLETE THE CAREER GRAND SLAM. TIGER TOMORROWED FOLLOWED THAT VICTORY UP IN 2005 WITH HIS SECOND WIN, AND THE WIN AT ST. ANDREWS. WOODS LED WIRE TO WIRE. ON SATURDAY, HOWEVER, SOME UNFORTUNATE NEWS FOR TIGER WHO ANNOUNCED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT HE UNDERWENT YET ANOTHER BACK SURGERY. HIS SEVENTH OVERALL ON HIS BACK, AND SECOND IN JUST OVER A YEAR. THIS TIME TO REPLACE A DISC IN HIS LOWER BACK THAT HAD SOME PAIN AND MOBILITY INJURIES. HE ADDED, THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION FOR HIS HEALTH. TIGER, DID NOT, HOWEVER, GIVE ANY TIMETABLE ON HIS RETURN TO GOLF. A PLEASURE NOW TO WELCOME IN DR. JOHN TORREZ, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR NBC NEWS. DOCTOR, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHAT THIS TYPE OF SURGERY SEEKS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT TIGER JUST UNDERWENT? WHAT IS THE RECOVERY TIME, AND WHAT IMPACT DOES IT HAVE ON OTHER PARTS OF HIS BACK? >> HE’S TRYING TO ALLEVIATE ANY PAIN HE HAS IN HIS BACK. AND YOU CAN IMAGINE, WITH TIGER WOODS, THAT CAN CREATE A LOT OF PRESSURE DOWN THERE. A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR OVER THE YEARS, WHICH CAN THEN RESULT IN PAIN. YOU HAVE THESE VERTEBRAE, WHICH ARE THE LOWER BONES IN YOUR BACK. YOU HAVE FOUR DISCS THAT ACT AS A CUSHIONEN. THOSE MAKE SURE AS IT’S COMPRESSING, IT ALLEVIATES ANY PAIN THAT MIGHT OCCUR IN THERE. BUT OVER TIME, THAT CAN WEAR DOWN, AND THAT CAN MAKE SURE THAT HE HAS PAIN, BECAUSE THEN HE HAS BONE ON BONE. WHAT THEY DO IS THEY REMOVE THAT DISC, THEY PUT IN AN ARTIFICIAL DISC, AND THAT HELPS ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT PAIN. BUT IT IS A SURGICAL PROCEDURE. IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS IN A TYPICAL PERSON, AVERAGE, THEY END UP GOING BACK TO WORK IN FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, THEY END UP GETTING BACK TO REGULAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING EXERCISE IN 4 TO 6 MONTHS. BUT A COUPLE OF FACTORS. ONE, HIS AGE, HE’S GETTING CLOSE TO 50. NUMBER TWO, THE AMOUNT OF ISSUES HE’S HAD BEFORE, AND THE AMOUNT OF WEAR AND TEAR HE PUTS ON, THAT MEANS IT’S PROBABLY GOING TO TAKE HIM LONGER AND WE’RE NOT SURE HE’S GOING TO GET BACK TO THAT REGULAR STAGE HE WAS AT BEFORE THE SURGERY. >> HE HAD ANOTHER SURGERY JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, I’M NOT SURE IF IT’S DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS ONE, GIVEN THE OVERALL WEAR AND TEAR ON THE SPINE. >> I THINK YOU HAVE TO SAY IT IS. HE’S HAD THESE BACK SURGERIES, THIS IS THE SEVENTH ONE. AND IN GOLF, ESPECIALLY AS VIGOROUSLY AS HE ENDS UP DRIVING A BALL, THAT PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THE BACK. THE MORE SURGERIES YOU HAVE, THE MORE YOU THROW OFF YOUR BIOMECHANICS. EVEN MICRO-ADJUSTMENTS IN YOUR BACK, BECAUSE OF A LITTLE CHANGE IN ANATOMY CAN CREATE OTHER CHANGES IN VERTEBRAE, IN OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY. WITH EACH SURGERY, HE GETS SMALLER AND SMALLER CHANGES IN HIS BIO-MECHANICS, BUT OVER TIME THAT CAN CAUSE ISSUES THERE. SO THE MORE SURGERIES YOU GET, THE MORE YOU THROW OFF THOSE BIO-MECHANICS, THE MORE YOU CAUSE ISSUES IN OTHER AREAS, SO I THINK YOU HAVE TO SAY, THESE ARE ALL RELATED. >> DOCTOR, YOU ALREADY ELUDED TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION, BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU STRAIGHT UP. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TRAUMA FROM THE TYPES AND FREQUENCIES OF SURGERIES THAT HE’S HAD ON HIS BACK, DO YOU FORESEE TIGER EVER RECOVERING ENOUGH TO COMPETE AT THE LEVEL HE DID, EVEN RECENTLY? >> YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT AN AVERAGE PERSON, I WOULD SAY, NO. THEY’RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO GET TO THAT POINT. BUT WE’RE TALKING TIGER WOODS, WHO IS AT THE TOP OF BEING FIT. THE TOP OF AN ATHLETE’S ABILITIES. SO I THINK A COUPLE OF FACTORS IN HIS FAVOR, NUMBER ONE, HE’S EXTREMELY FIT. HE’S BEEN PLAYING GOLF AN EXTREMELY LONG TIME AND HAS MASTERED GOLF. AND HIS BODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER FROM SURGERIES HE’S HAD IN THE PAST, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING ISSUES HE’S HAD, THE BIOMECHANICS AND OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE GOING TO CAUSE HIM TO SLOW DOWN, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT OVERALL, AND MORE THAN LIKELY, HE’S GOING TO GET BACK TO SOME STAGE. PROBABLY NOT GOING TO GET BACK TO THE STAGE HE WAS, A YEAR OR TWO,

Dr. John Torres joins Golf Central to detail the implications of Tiger Woods’ lumbar disc replacement surgery and the factors relating to his seventh procedure on his back, including recovery time. #golfchannel #golfcentral #golf
» Subscribe to Golf Channel: https://www.youtube.com/golfchannel?sub_confirmation=1
» For the latest news around golf: https://www.nbcsports.com/golf

Welcome to Golf Channel’s official YouTube channel. We are the #1 destination for everything golf – 24/7. Find golf instruction tips, sneak peeks to our original series, news and tournament coverage. We are part of the NBC Sports Group.

Discover what else Golf Channel has to offer:
Live Coverage on Peacock: https://peacocktv.smart.link/v82e9dl56
Live Scores: http://bit.ly/GCScores
TV Schedule: https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/schedule
Instructional Tips: https://www.golfpass.com/learn
Golf Course Reviews: http://bit.ly/GCCourseReviews

Tiger Woods’ lumbar disc surgery analyzed by Dr. John Torres | Golf Central | Golf Channel https://www.youtube.com/golfchannel?sub_confirmation=1