Tiger Woods Master Catch-All Discussion

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, drmevo said:

Plenty of "girlies" out there who would mop the floor with you (and the rest of us) on the golf course, many who aren't in high school yet, so what's your point?

He's been warned. Officially.

[jamo]

On 4/8/2017 at 11:36 AM, The Recreational Golfer said:

Please read NY Times golf reporter Karen Crouse's article today on Tiger Woods.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/sports/golf/tiger-woods-arnold-palmer-masters.html

If trudging through two rounds of mediocre golf with a balky back is not within Tiger's definition of fun, I can't say I blame him.

[nevets88]

Why Tiger Woods' fans can take heart after his latest surgery

Quote

But the fusion of L-5 and S-1, performed by Dr. Richard Guyer at the Texas Back Institute Center for Disc Replacement near Dallas, and as described in unusual detail in Woods’ press release, clearly has a go-for-broke aura.

On the plus side, the fusion took place where the fifth spinal vertebrae meets the first vertebrae of the sacrum, an area where there is next-to-no rotation. In fact, some people have only four vertebrae and have normal function. Dr. Scott Blumenthal of the clinic said that it’s not unusual for people to have only four spinal vertebrae and have normal function. Moreover, Blumenthal said that athletes from all sports other than power lifting who have the same fusion as Woods are usually able to return to competition after surgery. The estimate for Woods is that he will be fully healed and be able to begin preparing for competition in about six months.

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/why-tiger-woods-fans-can-take-heart-after-his-latest-surgery

[MrDC]

He's only 41, unless he quits his body should heal well enough to play golf long before he's looking at the Champions tour, golf is not that hard on the body, even the back, so all a person needs to be is pain free and I think Tiger can get there.

Is this a concern? of course, but as gruesome as it looks the other back surgeries he's had may have been bigger concerns, and he worked his way back from them.

[NCGolfer]

@nevets88, I was listening to Golf on XM yesterday and they were interviewing Jaime Diaz about the article.  He pretty much regurgitated a lot of the points he made.  I think the points and quotes from Trevino and Wadkins were some of the most interesting and important.  Both have dealt with lower back pain and had surgeries to help.  Trevino even said this:

Quote

“I was dead on my back for three months,” Trevino said. Desperate, he traveled to Germany to have space-making steel rollers, called “X-Stops,” implanted in his spine.

“I came out of that surgery painless, which was an unbelievable feeling,” remembers Trevino. “We flew home, I did my rest and rehab, and pretty soon I felt so good I went absolutely crazy hitting balls and playing. I mean, I couldn’t swing hard enough at it. I was just so happy. I just wish that had happened when I was 44 instead of 64.”

It gives one hope that Tiger can recover and play.  I'm still on the other side of the fence right now but I think there is hope that he can get back to competitive golf.

[Yukari]

IMHO he may be able to physically comeback from the surgery, but it will be more difficult for him to comeback mentally to be competitive.

[MrDC]

I think his competition concerns are far more physical than mental, and always have been.

But I don't really care if the guy isn't a top player ever again, not sure why this point is always being argued, why is it such a big deal? how about we just see the guy on tour and making a few leaderboards here and there, that's enough for me. I just want to see Tiger be part of the game like he should be.

[Zeph]

There is not a lack of examples of people that's gone through back surgery and returned to competition, but each situation is unique. Two people with the same injury can have two different outcomes. The problem with Tiger is that he's been injured or struggled with pain since 2010 now. After each surgery and recovery period, people get their hopes up that he will return, but all of them has so far ended with another injury. He played many events in 2012-2013, but since 2013 he's played 19 events on the tour.

[GolfLug]

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/woods-fusion-surgery-brought-instant-nerve-relief

Hmm....some positive indications. Will believe it when I see it but still positive. In the least glad he is feeling better.

[onthehunt526]

On 5/3/2017 at 8:57 AM, Yukari said:

IMHO he may be able to physically comeback from the surgery, but it will be more difficult for him to comeback mentally to be competitive.

Trevino won the 1984 PGA after being struck by lightning in the 1970s... He had back problems the latter part of his career. 

I think mentally is not the issue, Tiger has the greatest golfing mind golf has ever seen. I'm not going to say what I want to say, for what he needs to be competitive... Because I'm a gentleman at times.

Nicklaus's record is probably safe, though Snead's is not. Tiger has at least one more major in him, Trevino, Nicklaus, Floyd, Snead, Mickelson, Els, et al have won majors in their 40s...

The last thing these "kids" on tour want is Tiger to never play again. They all miss Tiger. I think they want him out there, but Tiger's prime B game still beats these kids now. These kids still can't beat Tiger's A game.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, GolfLug said:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/woods-fusion-surgery-brought-instant-nerve-relief

Hmm....some positive indications. Will believe it when I see it but still positive. In the least glad he is feeling better.

I think it's perfectly believable now. That's what this type of surgery is designed to alleviate.

[ScouseJohnny]

11 hours ago, iacas said:

I think it's perfectly believable now. That's what this type of surgery is designed to alleviate.

Is it designed to alleviate pain in a typical man in his early 40s who works an office job, or an atypical man in his early 40s who wants to go out and hit golf balls all day long in the world of competitive, professional golf?

The answer may very well be, "Both," but will it hold up in the latter case, I wonder? I am pleased to hear his pain is significantly lessened. I hope, for his sake, he doesn't cause that situation to change.

[iacas]

4 hours ago, ScouseJohnny said:

Is it designed to alleviate pain in a typical man in his early 40s who works an office job, or an atypical man in his early 40s who wants to go out and hit golf balls all day long in the world of competitive, professional golf?

The answer may very well be, "Both," but will it hold up in the latter case, I wonder? I am pleased to hear his pain is significantly lessened. I hope, for his sake, he doesn't cause that situation to change.

Just look at the type of surgery it was and what it helps fix. His spine was compressing his nerves. This gives them space again. He said he couldn't even lie down without pain. Now he feels great.

I'm not saying he won't re-damage things, but I said before and I'll say again now this was a quality of life surgery, not a golf surgery. If you can't even lie down without being in pain, swinging a club is a non-starter.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Woods talked after his latest surgery about how much pain relief he got from it, yet he's still taking Vicodin. I've had three back surgeries, and from that point of view, something doesn't add up. I just hope the Vicodin hasn't taken hold of him.

[onthehunt526]

1 hour ago, The Recreational Golfer said:

Woods talked after his latest surgery about how much pain relief he got from it, yet he's still taking Vicodin. I've had three back surgeries, and from that point of view, something doesn't add up. I just hope the Vicodin hasn't taken hold of him.

Yeah 2+2=7 after this DUI thing. I hope he hasn't gotten himself addicted to pain killers. That would truly be a very melancholic story.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, The Recreational Golfer said:

Woods talked after his latest surgery about how much pain relief he got from it, yet he's still taking Vicodin. I've had three back surgeries, and from that point of view, something doesn't add up. I just hope the Vicodin hasn't taken hold of him.

Everyone's different and reacts differently to things. Your surgeries and body can't really be compared.

Plus, the nerve pain he was experiencing as a result of the impinged nerve (or whatever) may be gone, but he still had surgery recently. And he's still had knee surgeries, achilles surgery, etc. in the past. For all we know he had a tooth pulled recently or a root canal or something (unlikely, but not impossible).

[Apoc81]

There's a ton of speculation but no facts until toxicology comes in and see blood levels, etc. 

On 2017-05-31 at 8:10 PM, iacas said:

Everyone's different and reacts differently to things. Your surgeries and body can't really be compared.

Plus, the nerve pain he was experiencing as a result of the impinged nerve (or whatever) may be gone, but he still had surgery recently. And he's still had knee surgeries, achilles surgery, etc. in the past. For all we know he had a tooth pulled recently or a root canal or something (unlikely, but not impossible).

Or maybe he's just been o Vicodin long enough for pain management that they might have to ween him off for his own good.

 

He needs to be punished, but until all the facts are out, the hatred is ridiculous.

 

 

[1badbadger]

On 6/3/2017 at 8:07 PM, Apoc81 said:

There's a ton of speculation but no facts until toxicology comes in and see blood levels, etc. 

Or maybe he's just been o Vicodin long enough for pain management that they might have to ween him off for his own good.

 

He needs to be punished, but until all the facts are out, the hatred is ridiculous.

 

 

Yes, it's true that medication doesn't affect everyone the same way, but I have some experience with this and have learned a few things...

It's pretty easy to get hooked on pain pills.  Actually, it's almost impossible to not get addicted to them if they are prescribed for an extended period and taken every day.  If it's a short term thing, and "take as needed", that's not a big deal.  But if it's more than a couple of months, and it's "take one every 4-6 hours" I don't care who you are...you will become dependent on them.

Vicodin/Hydrocodone usually isn't used for chronic pain or extended periods.  It's mainly for short-term situations, like after surgery or if you break a bone or something.  When it gets to the point of seeing a pain management doc, they'll usually move to something designed for long-term issues like Oxycontin.  This is highly addictive and will grab you within a few weeks.  I've never seen anyone have a reaction like Tiger from Hydrocodone.  I know there were several meds supposedly involved, and the police report indicates Vicodin, and a couple of muscle relaxers, but the blacking out/falling asleep and not knowing where you are or what has happened is more in line with Oxycontin or Oxycodone.  Ambien can also have a similar effect, where people will basically sleep walk and talk, maybe make a sandwich and eat and go back to bed and have no recollection, which he has taken in the past.  If your eyes/head isn't constantly moving, and you are staring at one thing (like reading a book, or driving and looking straight ahead) it's easy to nod off.