Golfing legend Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday morning in California, officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Woods is recovering after undergoing “a long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle after being brought to the hospital,” according to an update posted to his official Twitter account.
“Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.” The post added that Woods “is currently awake, responsive and recovering in his hospital room.” Read more here.
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Statement on #TigerWoods who is now recovering after surgery following a Tuesday morning crash. @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews https://t.co/ubFv4AjTD0
— Tenikka Smith Hughes (@TenikkaANjax) February 24, 2021
Action News Jax medical expert Dr. Michelle Aquino is weighing in on the injuries he sustained and how it may impact his career.
Some fractures are simple and basic and other fractures, like Woods’ comminuted open fractures, are unfortunately more complicated. “Basically the bone broke and it shattered into multiple pieces,” Aquino said.
“The other part of his injury is that it was an open fracture, so that means, not only did the bone break, it broke in two places and it also pierced the skin.” She added that when it pierces the skin, the level of complication increases because of possible infection.
Woods is also recovering from a recent back surgery. Action News Jax anchor Phil Amato asked what does the healing process look like now following the car crash.
Aquino says being that Woods is an athlete, the healing process is typically shorter for those at his level, but the fracture he has is very complicated.
“The recovery period, including possible infection, is going to be even longer. For this type of fracture, on average, getting back to ‘normal’, is about four to six months,” Aquino said.
She added the next week is extremely important to see how he recovers from the initial surgery. “He might need more surgeries, going forward, so really, it’s tough to say how his recovery is going to be yet.”
“Golfers put a lot of force on their ankles and their legs, especially when they’re driving like that. The big question is: do you think Tiger can come back from this?,” Amato asked.
“The big answer is: we don’t know,” Aquino said. “If anyone can come back, it’s obviously this man. He’s dealt with so much adversity and really has gracefully come back and just, kick butt when he does.”
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