Midway through September, Tiger Woods announced he had successfully undergone the sixth back surgery of his career and that he was looking forward to resuming "normal life activities, including golf."
The 15-time Major winner had received "microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back." In layman's terms, he had seen a tiny bit of tissue attached to his spine shaved off after it was pressing on a nerve.
Previously, the 48-year-old had seen a part of one of the discs in his spine marginally shaved as a result of a sciatic-like issue which, again, was causing pain via a trapped nerve. As in Woods' case, plenty of people who undergo surgery to deal with a slipped disc may also return for treatment on a separate issue further down the line after their spine becomes marginally less robust.
A statement released on Woods' social media channels back in September informed fans that Dr Sheeraz Qureshi of Hospital For Special Surgery in West Palm Beach" performed the latest surgery and had deemed it to be successful.”
It finished with a paragraph which read: “The surgery went smoothly, and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season. I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”
pic.twitter.com/PFOnFxlTa7September 13, 2024
While people were glad to hear Woods was planning on returning to action, there was no information provided on when that might be. His next scheduled appearance could be at either the Hero World Challenge or the PNC Championship - both of which are in December.
Attempting to find out more, Golf Monthly spoke to Mr Mo Akmal - the leading consultant spinal specialist and surgeon at the London Spine Unit. Mr Akmal has over 25 years experience in the field and deals with decompression surgery, discectomy procedures, and lumbar fusions on a regular basis - all of which feature on Woods' medical history.
He explained that decompression surgery involves a small operation to shave off a tiny bit of tissue which is pressing on the nerve. Mr Akmal also pointed out that the degeneration which leads to surgery like Woods had normally occurs as a result of simple wear and tear, especially for athletes like golfers.
Going on to break down Woods potential timeframe for recovery, Mr Akmal said that the chances of the 82-time PGA Tour winner competing again this year remain very much up in the air.
He said: "Normally, after this sort of operation, the wound heals in a couple of weeks. You can be active from day one, most people are walking around from day one, but it does take a good couple of weeks for the wound to settle, so we normally recommend you don't do too much for two weeks.
"Then, up to six weeks, it's about rehabilitation - getting the nerves moving, getting the muscles active, sorting out posture. And then it's really by about three months that he'll be able to start getting back into golf. By three months, he'll be able to start swinging a golf club properly."
The issue for Woods, and all those who hope to see him return this year, is that his surgery took place on Friday, September 13 and the Hero World Challenge - the first potential event - begins on Thursday, December 5.
Mr Akmal admitted there is certainly a chance the Californian could make it to play in The Bahamas, but it will ultimately depend on the medical advice from Woods' camp and how successful and efficient his rehabilitation is.
The spinal consultant continued: "Before [the three-month mark], he should be a bit cautious about twisting, lifting, bending forward too much. For the first three months, he'll probably be told that he should be a little bit careful. But after six weeks, he can do a lot more.
"At six weeks, he could go to the gym. He could even get to the gym a little bit earlier - by about two or three weeks - and do upper-body stuff or legs, not focusing too much on the back.
"Knowing him, he'll probably be a little bit active at two weeks, doing some light work. At six weeks, he'll likely do a little bit more in the gym - some proper work - and then at three months he will be back on the golf course."
Ultimately, with the Hero World Challenge less than three months after surgery, it seems unlikely that Woods will have been able to complete the necessary practice and preparation to get ready for a four-day, walking golf tournament up against the world’s top players.
The PNC Championship takes place two weeks later and, crucially, allows the use of a cart. It is also only a 36-hole event. Woods playing in The Bahamas looks very unlikely at this point, although a PNC Championship outing with son Charlie might not be completely off of the table just yet.
Either way, we can expect to see the 15-time Major winner back out on the course in 2025 after he confirmed his participation in the four biggest championships - plus the inaugural TGL, which begins in January.
