Everything you need to know about Tiger Woods' latest injury

Tiger Woods injury: What is Tiger Woods' latest injury?

Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest player to ever grace the game but his career has never been straightforward given he's had to deal with plenty of injuries. 

It was in 1994 when Woods had his "first" injury problem. He had two benign tumours and scar tissue removed from his left knee. 

Of course, the the early days of his career weren't hindered and he eventually competed in his first Masters a few months later. 

Fast-forward to the present day and Woods has had to deal with an exhaustive list of injuries and setbacks intertwined with his many triumphs. 

Woods suffered another setback after he competed in the 87th Masters in April 2023. 

It was once again a gruelling expedition for the 15-time major champion as he was forced to withdraw, citing a recurrence of the plantar fasciitis that prevented him from competing in the PGA Tour event he hosts in the Bahamas in December 2022. 

Woods made the cut at Augusta National - tying the record for cuts made - but dropped to the bottom of the leaderboard having played seven holes of his third round. 

With the prospect of having to play 29 holes in one day in wet, windy and cold conditions, Woods decided to call it quits. 

On 19 April 2023, Woods underwent more surgery in New York to address post-traumatic stress in his right ankle that was caused by the injuries he suffered when he crashed his SUV in the hills of Los Angeles in 2021. 

Woods posted a statement on his own social media stating that Dr. Martin O'Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute performed the subtalar fusion procedure to address the arthritis caused by a previous talus fracture. 

What is the subtalar joint?

It is often referred to as the hindfoot and is the articulation between the talus (main bone of the ankle) and the calcaneus (heel bone). 

It sits directly below the ankle joint and is responsible for side-to-side motion. 

Pain at the subtalar joint will most affect athletes on uneven ground, which is why it has been problematic for Woods. 

Why was the fusion done?

It was done specifically for the purpose of pain relief. 

Screws are placed across the joint for compression and stability and the goal is for the two bones to grow together as one so that there is no longer a "joint" and there is zero motion. 

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Can he recover?

Yes, but he will need time. His agent Mark Steingberg told the Associated Press there was no timetable for his recovery

How long will it take?

Woods' doctor deemed the surgery successful. A fusion reportedly takes around three months 'to take'. 

He had to undergo six weeks of not putting any weight on his ankle along with several weeks of protected weight bearing. 

What is the success rate of the surgery?

The procedure carries a 90 per cent success rate. 

Is Tiger Woods' career over?

The simple answer is we just don't know. A quotation attributed to Jack Nicklaus suggested Woods was looking forward to playing on the PGA Tour Champions in the future and using a golf cart. 

Woods has previously stated he had no plans to retire but understood whatever was left of his career would be reduced to just competing in the major championships and perhaps one or two other tournaments a year. 

"That's just my reality," Woods said. 

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Take a look at a list of Tiger Woods' injuries over the years:

• 1994: Woods had two benign tumours and scar tissue removed from his left knee
• 2002: Woods had fluid removed from inside and outside his ACL as well as benign cysts removed from his left knee
• 2007: Woods ruptured his ACL 
• 2008: Woods underwent arthroscopic knee surgery as well suffering stress fractures in his left tibia. Woods had surgery to repair his left ACL and was out of action for eight months. In December 2008, he ruptured his Achilles tendon while jogging. 
• 2010: Woods suffered a neck injury, an inflamed facet joint
• 2011: Woods strained his left Achilles and also withdrew from The Players after spraining his MCL in his left knee and was out for two months. 
• 2012-13: Woods suffered tightness to his Achilles in March 2012. In 2013, he strained his elbow. In August 2013, he tweaked his back. It was the memorable moment in which the golfer fell to his knees and grimaced in agony. 
• 2014-15: Woods had several back spasms that forced him out of several tournaments. He also underwent two microdiscectomy surgeries and didn't return for 16 months. 
• 2017: Woods had his fourth back surgery. 
• 2019: Woods suffered a neck strain which ruled him out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It didn't stop him from winning the 2019 Masters, though. 
• 2020-21: Woods had his fifth back surgery, removing a bone fragment that was pinching a nerve. 

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