According to the statement, the subtalar fusion procedure was necessary because Woods was dealing with post-traumatic arthritis as a result of the single-vehicle car crash he was involved in just over two years ago. The operation was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City and was deemed a success. There is no official timetable for his return to professional golf, but it’s certainly possible that he could be back on the course before the end of the year.

We expected that foot surgery was in the cards for Tiger Woods, but it’s a little surprising to learn that he underwent a subtalar fusion. Following his withdrawal from The Masters after making the cut, Woods cited a recurrent plantar fasciitis issue as the reason for his early departure. While he may still be dealing with pain from his plantar fasciitis, it’s possible that the wincing and hobbling we saw at The Masters was actually due to arthritic pain stemming from that early automobile accident.

The Subtalar Fusion Procedure And Recovery

During a subtalar fusion, the surgeon will make a small incision on the outer side of the foot. This allows access to the joint and its surfaces. Damaged cartilage is removed, and then the surgeon roughens the bone surfaces to stimulate bleeding. This helps the bones to heal together once surgical hardware are inserted to hold the bones in a fixed location. In some instances, a bone graft is added to ensure enough bone fusion takes place. X-rays taken during the procedure confirm that the bones and hardware are properly aligned.

In a typical subtalar fusion, the foot will be placed in a cast following surgery. After 10-14 days, the cast will be removed and the patient will be placed in a fracture boot, but they’ll still need to use assistive walking devices to get around. Patients aren’t given the green light to walk on the boot until after the fusion has adequately healed, which is usually around the 8-12 week mark.

You can gradually ease back into weight bearing movements and even exercise once you’ve been given clearance after the 8-12 week mark. Most patients will begin physical therapy around this time as well. Your foot will be stiffer and have less range of motion following surgery, but there will also be a lot less pain, which will make activities much more enjoyable. Full recovery typically takes 9-12 months, but you can return to full activities well before this point.

For Woods, this means that it’s certainly possible that he could return for some events near the end of the year, but as he has been doing recently, he’ll likely take things slow and make sure he is as healthy as possible heading into the early part of next year so that he can be ready for The Masters and other major tournaments. He may notice some discomfort when he has to hit golf shots from odd slopes or from less-than-ideal terrain, but he also won’t have nearly as much pain. That should make it much easier for him to hit shots and complete full tournaments.

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Woods took to Twitter to explain why he was withdrawing from the event on Saturday and to express gratitude for the fans who came out to cheer him on at Augusta National.

I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis. Thank you to the fans and to @TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 9, 2023

Tiger’s Injury And His Future

Tiger looked physically strong when he teed off on Thursday, but the course and the weather conditions eventually took their toll on Tiger, and he was visibly hobbled by early Saturday. Apparently the discomfort in his foot was so unbearable that he decided that his best option was to withdraw, even though he had already noted that he doesn’t know how many Masters tournaments he has left in him.

This isn’t the first time that Woods has been bothered by the plantar fascia issue, and we even wrote about the original injury when it first made headlines. In that blog in December, we mentioned that Woods was hopeful to avoid surgery for the plantar fasciitis condition that had been bothering him. He stated that he had been sleeping with a foot brace and that his condition had been steadily improving. He was able to avoid surgery, but that may not be the case this time around.

While we’ll know more about his current injury in the coming days, it certainly seems more likely that Woods will pursue surgery this time around. He clearly has the mindset that he wants to avoid surgery if at all possible, but the aggravation may prompt him to address the matter surgically. Obviously he would like to compete in the major tournaments during the rest of the year, but if he’s going to attempt to be fully healthy for one tournament a year, it would be for The Masters, so with that in the rearview mirror, Woods may opt to put his health first.

It may be possible for him to make another strong recovery with conservative techniques and bracing at night, but it’s going to take some time. Regardless of whether or not he pursues surgery, odds are Tiger will take some time away from the sport to work on his health. Until we have more information, we can’t really speculate on when we may see him next, but we don’t expect him to come back until he has restored confidence in his foot.

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Dr. Silverman Breaks Down Tiger Woods’ Leg Injuries

It is apparent from the recent New York Times article that Tiger Woods sustained a tibia fracture. Tibial fractures are quite common in patients subjected to crush injuries in motor vehicle accidents. Along with a fracture to the tibia, this type of trauma typically involves damage to the tissue surrounding the tibia. This oftentimes results in tissue swelling that needs a fasciotomy procedure to treat and prevent impending compartment syndrome. A fasciotomy involves a surgical release of the strong fibrous tissue that holds the muscles of the leg together. Athletic individuals who undergo fasciotomies don’t always get the same exact force production back.

Because of the nature of the tissue release, a fasciotomy turns fracture into open wounds and open fractures. The commonplace term for an open fracture is a compound fracture. These types of fractures take much longer to heal, but it is better than the potential alternative, because if a fasciotomy is needed but not performed, permanent dysfunction or even the need for amputation can arise.

The article also notes that Woods sustained significant foot injuries, and the fact that he had pins and screws inserted suggests that among other things, he’s likely dealing with a midfoot fracture dislocation. During this type of trauma, the metatarsal joints can be significantly disrupted. They require immediate fixation for best stabilization. However, patients who sustain these injuries often have long-term effects of stiffness and chronic pain in the foot.

This is a severe injury to his lower body, particularly to his right foot. This is his push off foot during his swing, which involves the creation of maximum pressure as he shifts his weight from back to front to complete his powerful swing. His driving ability will be affected. The stiffness in his foot will make it extremely difficult for him to work on uneven ground, which is everywhere on the PGA Tour. Inclines and slopes on the courses, and the sand traps in particular, will become increasingly troublesome for him.

This is a really sad injury for anyone, but for Mr. Woods, this is a career threatening injury.

Some patients with these severely damaged legs end up with chronic pain and may benefit from below the knee amputation for a more functional limb. It would be best for Mr. Woods to go and heal the fractures in his lower leg first before ever considering that. Once they have healed, he may potentially be a better golfer with a right below the knee amputation. And while that seems extreme, it will all depend on his pain levels and his dysfunction following the recovery from the surgery. He will spend the better part of 18 months to two years in recovery for all of this.

With all of that said, even though we don’t know the complete extent of the damage, when you consider Tiger’s age, the fact that he has already undergone multiple spinal surgeries and the level of fitness needed to be able to compete at the professional level, all signs seem to be pointing towards one discouraging conclusion. It’s possible that he could recover enough to enjoy countless aspects of everyday life, but it just seems incredibly unlikely that we’ll ever see Tiger Woods in the hunt for a tournament victory on a Sunday afternoon ever again. He may be able to play recreationally or compete in some less serious Pro-Ams or the Par 3 contest at the Masters, but he was already in the extreme twilight of his career prior to the car crash, so even an incredible recovery would make a return to professional golf a tall task.

With all that said, Woods has always been one to laugh in the face of difficult odds on the golf course. The prospect of him returning to professional golf may have the same odds of finding the green from 220 yards out while he’s in the rough, sandwiched between two trees on a windy day at Pebble Beach. But if anyone is going to be able to defy the odds and roll that ball within a foot of the hole, it’s Tiger Woods. We’re hoping he’s got one more odds-defying moment left in him, and wish him the best in his recovery.

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