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World No. 1 player Tiger Woods, who will be paired with No. 2 Phil Mickelson and No. 3 Adam Scott in the first two rounds of the US Open at Torrey Pines, according to an Associated Press report, will attempt to win his 14th major championship. But after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, many speculate whether he will be able to recover to his former dominance of the game.
Rehabilitation to his left knee, after his third knee surgery since 1994, took longer than expected. When he announced he would be having surgery last April, he said he would return to competition six weeks later at the Memorial Tournament, but because of his knee problem, he had to postpone his return by two weeks and will now debut at the second major championship of the year.
Woods admitted that his left knee has become a focal point of his career health issues.
“That’s been kind of where the force of my golf swing has taken basically the brunt of it,” said Woods. “And, it’s one of the reasons why I made the changes to what Hank (Haney) and I have been working on over the years, to try to get rid of some of that, alleviate the strain of that, so that I can play for a longer duration. And, it’s been working, but still I’ve done it for so long people don’t realize I’ve been playing golf for basically 30 years now,” said Woods at a press conference last week.
Knee surgery is not too uncommon for an athlete of Woods’ caliber, but the effects of three knee surgeries and the physical demands he has put on his knee may lead to long term damage and may affect the longevity of his career.
“People like Tiger that have had three scopes on their knees by the time they are 32, 35 years old are at high risk for developing knee arthritis within 5 to 10 years. So that will have to be managed,” says Dr. Vijah Vad, sports medicine expert for golfersmd.com and author of Golf Rx.”
Behind low back, the knee is the most commonly injured joint in golf. The muscles that support the knee joint are important, not only for proper knee movement, but also for providing protection and shock absorption.
The golf swing puts a tremendous amount of strain on the lead knee of golfers (the left knee for right-handed golfers.) As a golfer follows through, a significant amount of force is placed on the lead knee, which can lead to injuries in the medial (inside) meniscus. Because the knee is not designed well for rotation, the movement needed in the golf swing, golfers should take precautions so that the stress on the knee is minimized.
“The fitter you are the less chances you have of getting injured in golf” says Dr. Vad. He recommends that all golfers embark on some sort of fitness program to strengthen their bodies and prevent injuries. His book, Golf Rx for More Yards and Less Pain, covers all aspects of golf fitness.
Woods calls the rigorous workout regimen that he is famous for, ‘his salvation.’
“That’s the only thing that has kept me going,” he said. “If I didn’t have the leg as strong as it is, I would have had more damage earlier on. So the workouts have certainly saved me and have allowed me to play as long and as hard as I’ve wanted to. I’m very thankful I’ve worked out as hard as I have. If I hadn’t, I would have certainly been in much [worse] shape earlier on in my career.”
According to Dr. Vad, the most crucial key for golfers, recovering from knee surgery like the kind that Woods had, is balance.
“For the average golfer, you need to restore your basics which are flexibility, strength and endurance, but more importantly, balance. Balance the ability for you to sense your own joint in space. That is a subconscious ability. When you are standing, you are not consciously thinking of how to balance, there are subconscious small micro adjustments being made to keep your knee in place and you definitely lose that sense of balance with arthroscopic surgery. If you don’t restore that, you are at higher risk for re-tearing that meniscus over and over again. Exercises like single leg stands with eyes closed are excellent exercises to regain balance,” says Dr. Vad.
Is Woods’ knee problem career ending or will it affect the remainder of his career? That is yet to be seen.
“He may not be able to swing as hard, so he may be hittting the ball 10 yards less, so his changes of winning major championships may be lessened, but we are talking about Tiger, he is different than anyone else,” says Vad.