Maryland Doctor Says He's Not Ruling Out A Tiger Woods Return After Surgery For Injures In Rollover Car Crash
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- After a rollover car accident in Los Angeles, Tiger Woods had emergency surgery for open fractures on his ankle and lower right leg.
According to a statement posted on his Twitter account, doctors at Harbor UCLA Medical Center inserted a rod into his tibia and stabilized his foot with screws and pins.
Dr. Andrew Pollak is an Orthopedic Surgeon at the University of Maryland, Shock Trauma, where he treats similar injures.
"There are certain types of injuries that make walking or standing on uneven surfaces particularly challenging, particularly injuries to the back part of the foot," Dr. Pollak said. "Those types of motions can be very, very important in a golf swing."
Dr. Pollak said there are two things that will define the outcome: The severity of the injury and the presence of any complications. Both of these are not yet known.
There are three things that will influence long-term outcomes: A strong social network, resilience and self-efficacy, all of which apply positivity to professional athletes.
Woods, who has won 15 major tournaments, was already recovering from his fifth back operation.
Dr. Pollak said, in many cases, someone who has already overcome adversity becomes better at it in the long-term.
"I wouldn't take an athlete like Tiger and rule out his return to participation on any point," he said.
In the coming days, doctors will be monitoring Woods for infection.
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