Doctors say Woods should recover from injuries
Saturday, 21 June 2008
CHICAGO, June 20 (AP): Doctors who treat the kinds of knee and leg injuries that ended Tiger Woods' victorious season have one word for his U.S. Open victory - remarkable.
"The fact that he had surgery two months ago and seemed to visibly be in pain with certain shots ... I find it remarkable that he could play as well as he did and win a major tournament," said Dr. David McAllister, a UCLA sports medicine specialist.
Still, there's no reason to think it will be Woods' last - despite needing surgery to repair a ruptured left knee ligament and treatment for a double stress fracture in the same leg's shinbone, experts said Thursday.
But even if Woods returns to playing championship-level golf next year, as expected, his prospects further down the road are uncertain. The repeated wear and tear on his knee, including an operation that will be his third in five years, could result in early arthritis that might eventually slow down his career, said Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph, the Chicago White Sox' team physician and an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center.
"Given his natural ability and athletic talent, I think his chances are excellent. He should be able to get back and compete at the same level. How well he holds up long-term over the next five to 10 years, that's what's in doubt," Bush-Joseph said.
"The fact that he had surgery two months ago and seemed to visibly be in pain with certain shots ... I find it remarkable that he could play as well as he did and win a major tournament," said Dr. David McAllister, a UCLA sports medicine specialist.
Still, there's no reason to think it will be Woods' last - despite needing surgery to repair a ruptured left knee ligament and treatment for a double stress fracture in the same leg's shinbone, experts said Thursday.
But even if Woods returns to playing championship-level golf next year, as expected, his prospects further down the road are uncertain. The repeated wear and tear on his knee, including an operation that will be his third in five years, could result in early arthritis that might eventually slow down his career, said Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph, the Chicago White Sox' team physician and an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center.
"Given his natural ability and athletic talent, I think his chances are excellent. He should be able to get back and compete at the same level. How well he holds up long-term over the next five to 10 years, that's what's in doubt," Bush-Joseph said.