Will Tiger Woods Play Golf Again? Doctors Predict a Difficult Recovery

As a result, he said, it may take five to 14 months for Woods’s lower leg bones to grow together, assuming they do so at all.

The biggest hurdle will be his foot and ankle injuries, Dr. Firoozabadi and others said. Regaining range of motion and strength can take three months to a year. Depending on the extent of those injuries, even after rehabilitation Woods may barely be able to walk.

His rehabilitation may be complicated by back surgery in December. Woods also has gone to rehabilitation for an addiction to painkillers; pain management during his recovery now may be difficult.

Still, a few athletes have come back from grave injuries. Smith, the Washington Football Team quarterback, had a similar injury to his leg and returned to play in October. But it took two years and 17 surgeries, and along the way he developed an infection of the wounds and sepsis, a life-threatening condition. And Smith did not have injuries to his foot and ankle.

Hogan, the golfer, broke his collarbone, pelvis, left ankle and a rib. The injuries were serious but not comparable to Woods’s injuries.

With his foot and ankle injuries and the serious injuries to his leg, Woods “may never play golf again,” Dr. Smith said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/sports/golf/tiger-woods-injuries.html