Tiger Woods Master Catch-All Discussion

[Golfingdad]

As a person who suffers from back pain, I can tell you with authority how random they can be. I get bad shooting pains down my legs one day and they're not there the next.

Agreed.  Not sure about your case, but in my case (and I thought Tiger had the same thing) were from the disc pushing and grabbing on the nerve.  The littlest thing could produce the most intense pain.  But Tigers surgery should have eliminated that.  He chopped off the portion of the disc that was bulging.  So what's causing this new pain?

Could be that the surgery didn't get it all.

Could be that whatever action (golfing??) was causing the herniation, caused another.

Regardless, I think in either case (or any I didn't think of) it's cause for alarm for Tiger.

[jbishop15]

Agreed.  Not sure about your case, but in my case (and I thought Tiger had the same thing) were from the disc pushing and grabbing on the nerve.  The littlest thing could produce the most intense pain.  But Tigers surgery should have eliminated that.  He chopped off the portion of the disc that was bulging.  So what's causing this new pain? Could be that the surgery didn't get it all. Could be that whatever action (golfing??) was causing the herniation, caused another. Regardless, I think in either case (or any I didn't think of) it's cause for alarm for Tiger.

Let's just hope he landed on it wrong and that the back spasm is an unrelated event. Not only as a golfer, but as a human, because it's miserable to have that kind of pain.

[ChrisP]

Agree. I seriously doubt the Ryder Cup has anything to do with his trying to play this week. It's all about the majors. He's hoping he can catch lightening in a bottle and sneak to his 15th. Same reason he came back so early to prep for The Open. He has no shot of winning if he doesn't show up. His mind and heart are still relentlessly pursuing Jack but the body wants nothing to do with it.

I think Ryder Cup is big to him mainly because he knows he's not on the team right now and we won't be on the team if he doesn't play. I think that aspect of it plays a part. But yeah, the other factor is this is his last chance to win a major for another 8 months and he figures if he gets hurt this week....oh well...he has 7 months til the Florida Swing.

BTW, I think Stricker being a Vice-Captain does help Tiger's chances some because you know Stricker will be lobbying for him. But ultimately it comes down to Tiger playing well this week or else.

[Valleygolfer]

I doubt your experience is similar to every kind of lower back pain anyone can experience.

I have a lot of experience with lower back issues, and not just my own. Every kind is a stretch but I have seen plenty of cases.

I have always suffered from back spasms since an injury to my lower spine at an early age. Funny thing about spasms forming in the lower back is that you can be strong with a full range of motion and then all of a sudden it catches and your back goes completely out.  You can't walk at all, can't even stand all the way up.  All I could do was lean to the side of least resistance.  It can also go away suddenly but you STILL don't quite trust it.  I was walking to get my mom's mail one weekend about 12 years ago and got hit with a lower back spasm and fell backwards while walking and layed in the grass for a full 30 minutes before my mom looked out the window and saw me laying out there.  and as Tiger said you CANNOT TWIST past maybe 40%-50%.  At least for me anyway.

Tiger is not a kid or young. Extensive osteoarthritis causes increased frequency in flare ups and higher pain levels as you age.

As a person who suffers from back pain, I can tell you with authority how random they can be. I get bad shooting pains down my legs one day and they're not there the next.

That is not unusual however your back is not usually ready to perform at a high level either I bet.

I agree that not all back pain is similar but for chronic issues, like Tiger's it is not a easy fix. Although it may have subsided some, I would bet he is heavily medicated and will probably aggravate it again during the tournament if it was as bad as it was portrayed during the WGC.

[Zeph]

Quote:

Basically said the back spasms went away after therapy and he's no longer in pain.

Made the decision to play yesterday. Once he made that decision he went to hit balls at home to make sure he could handle it.

Oh, and, while we're at it...he said he expects to win this week.

[Valleygolfer]

I call bullshit on his Sunday act and I am a Tiger fan

[colin007]

since he is at Val Halla now.

Didn't anyone else think this was funny? All I can think of is "Hey Val, HOLLA!!!"

[boogielicious]

I call bullshit on his Sunday act and I am a Tiger fan

I counter with have you ever had an SI joint injury?  I have had it since high school.  I am icing mine as I type this.  It can kill one day and two days later I would be riding in a mountain bike race.  This is being reported as the injury Tiger had.  Sometimes when mine goes out, I can't even tie my shoes.  But if it goes back in place, you can recover quickly.  Especially if your core is strong and you can stretch the quads and psoas muscle, which can pull the joint out of place.

With all the PT he has available, I can certainly see him being able to recover quickly.  He could have even had a cortisone shot for all we know.  That would kill the inflammation quickly (I know) and you feel like new.

[Valleygolfer]

Didn't anyone else think this was funny? All I can think of is "Hey Val, HOLLA!!!"

Oh well, I didn't feel like checking the spelling :P

I counter with have you ever had an SI joint injury?  I have had it since high school.  I am icing mine as I type this.  It can kill one day and two days later I would be riding in a mountain bike race.  This is being reported as the injury Tiger had.  Sometimes when mine goes out, I can't even tie my shoes.  But if it goes back in place, you can recover quickly.  Especially if your core is strong and you can stretch the quads and psoas muscle, which can pull the joint out of place.

With all the PT he has available, I can certainly see him being able to recover quickly.  He could have even had a cortisone shot for all we know.  That would kill the inflammation quickly (I know) and you feel like new.

SI... I doubt that was his injury. Say whatever you want but I don't believe it was that or even as serious as he portrayed.

[boogielicious]

Oh well, I didn't feel like checking the spelling :P

SI... I doubt that was his injury. Say whatever you want but I don't believe it was that or even as serious as he portrayed.

The Golf Channel just had a doctor on who discussed it.  Notay Begay also reported it as the injury and he is a good friend of Tiger's.

[ScouseJohnny]

At best, he's coming back from injury and (understandably) he's totally out of form.

Maybe this comment reflects why a total hack amateur golfer can never understand the mindset of a tour player....

...but why doesn't he just write off this season and concentrate on coming back next year (hopefully well)?

No-one will think less of a legend in his late 30s missing the PGA, the Ryder Cup, and the rest of the season, due to long-standing injury.

[Valleygolfer]

The Golf Channel just had a doctor on who discussed it.  Notay Begay also reported it as the injury and he is a good friend of Tiger's.

Don't believe everything you hear.

[Jmdmbike]

I call bullshit on his Sunday act and I am a Tiger fan

I'm in total agreement. If he was playing well he would have finished his round. We're talking about a guy that won the US Open on a broken leg. If he was really hurt he wouldn't be playing in the PGA. If he wanted to pull out at the WGC, to be cautious, then why didn't he just say so. I was a fan, but this Tiger soap opera has gotten pretty old.

[jbishop15]

Don't believe everything you hear.

I'm in total agreement. If he was playing well he would have finished his round. We're talking about a guy that won the US Open on a broken leg. If he was really hurt he wouldn't be playing in the PGA. If he wanted to pull out at the WGC, to be cautious, then why didn't he just say so. I was a fan, but this Tiger soap opera has gotten pretty old.

Of course he would've finished his round. But he wasn't playing well, he wasn't in contention, and there was a chance of hurting himself. Phillip Rivers tore his ACL and played in the AFC Championship game. Do you think he would've played on it if they didn't have a good chance of winning?

[Jakester23]

Don't believe everything you hear.

Don't believe everything you post either

[Jmdmbike]

Of course he would've finished his round. But he wasn't playing well, he wasn't in contention, and there was a chance of hurting himself. Phillip Rivers tore his ACL and played in the AFC Championship game. Do you think he would've played on it if they didn't have a good chance of winning?

What I'm saying is - he wasn't hurt at all. He was faking an "injury" because he was playing like crap, pure and simple. Of course he would have finished if he was playing well.  Why couldn't he simply be upfront and tell people why he really pulled out of the tournament?

[jamo]

What I'm saying is - he wasn't hurt at all. He was faking an "injury" because he was playing like crap, pure and simple. Of course he would have finished if he was playing well.  Why couldn't he simply be upfront and tell people why he really pulled out of the tournament?

Just because he hypothetically might have finished if he was in contention doesn't mean he was faking the injury.

[jbishop15]

What I'm saying is - he wasn't hurt at all. He was faking an "injury" because he was playing like crap, pure and simple. Of course he would have finished if he was playing well.  Why couldn't he simply be upfront and tell people why he really pulled out of the tournament?

I do think he was hurting. I have back spasms. They suck. I get it.

I don't think he would quit if he wasn't hurt. He played out the open championship when he was playing like shit. Why would he quit at Firestone?