Tiger Woods in surgery

Sanjay,
The study you reference, does it apply to Tiger? Does he have "arthritis"? It is certainly possible to have knee pain with a meniscus tear and NO ARTHRITS, espicially at age 32. Remember there are two kinds of cartilage in the knee (articular cartilage which wears with arthritis) and meniscus cartilage (which is a shock absorber).

I was watching CNN this morning and heard about Tiger Woods having knee surgery. I thought I heard Dr. Gupta say that on an older person the surgery rarely works. My husband will be 81 in July and struggles to get around every day. He has arthritis in both knees. He has always been quite active but now, his situation has drastically changed. Also, my husband has had 3 stents and takes heart medication. I want what is best for him but can't help but wonder about going through the surgery at his age . What if it doesn't help him to get around any better? I would appreciate your input on this matter. Thank you.

The restaurant business really damaged my knees after 7 years of being on my feet for an average of 12 hours per day.

I recently had knee surgery to repair and smooth out my Meniscus and it really helped a lot initally. My doctor had told me not to use weights and to get back into the gym as soon as I felt able within 3-4 weeks after surgery.

I followed his orders and did not use weight machines, but into my third month I found I had more pain in the knee when standing for any length of time. I decided to try the weights to rehab my knee and found that I am doing much better and am losing weight too which was something I needed to do. I think all of the results depend on the inidvidual and how seriously they take getting back into shape. Since I hit 40 I notice that I have to keep in shape so that I am not bothered by the aches and pains of getting older.

I would imagine if I had not started lifting the weights and strengthening the muscles around my knee I would be headed for a knee replacement. I am a work in progress, but now have a lot more flexibility and can bend down on my knees and have recently started doing yoga which I thought I would never be able to do again.

JP

Dr Gupta is correct about the study's findings, but the design of the study was flawed.
Almost all of the patients selected for the study had fairly severe arthritic changes prior to the surgery. Most orthopedic surgeons who do this type of procedure (myself included) feel that the patients selected for the study had a near zero chance of benefit from the procedure (debridement), and would not have chosed those patients.

Most of us choose patients, like Mr. Woods, who have limited areas of cartilage damage, who are active and dedicated to rehabilitating the knee. This group of patients DOES get improvement with the procedure!

I listened and read your story on Tiger Woods very intently as it mirrors my knee history.

I first injured my knee while in military service in Germany in 1983. Since the initial arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage in January 1984 I have had 9 separate procedures on my left knee for a total ot 10 from 1984-2008.

With regards to knee surgery I was told very early on that one can break the patients in the three groups. 1/3 will actually improve after surgery, 1/3 will not get better but will not get any worse then the final 1/3 will actually get worse.

Surgery for me has always left me with 2 years or so of improved lifestyle but unfortunately after that initial symptom free period the condition of the knee would deteriorate to the point where surgical intervention was required.

I was 19 years old when I had my first surgery. Arthritis was already evident on x rays when I was discharged in 1986 at age 21. Since that time I have had:

1987 arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage
1990 open ALC repair assumed to have partially torn in initial injury
1994 arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage
1996 arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage
1997 arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage
1997 arthroscopic surgery to replace ACL again
2003 arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage
2004 patella femoral arthroplasty
2008 total knee replacement

I know at least during one of these procedures the surgical report mentions debridement and as I have stated initial results from all surgeries to date have been stellar but as time goes on more symptoms appear and in the end the syptoms appear more frequently and duration lasting longer.

Dr. S B has made a good point, as Third party Stakeholders are paying more attention to Evidence Based Medicine, and clinical studies. You have to be carefully to look at the methodologies and design of studies. Just like recent studies of nutritional supplementation including only very sick and elderly patients in any study can lead to bias and false interpretations. Unfortunately most people in the general public read only the headlines and they can be mis-lead. Most of the clinical research performed is usually funded and supported by biased parties and often by professional researchers who have a quota of publication to fill.

Having had both my knee's arthroscoped for minor cartilage damage, I had great results, because, I was pro-active in my own personal rehabilitation. I showed up to the out patient surgery with a Cryo-cuff, to put compressed Ice water on the joint right after surgery. I am a sports medicine rehabilitation specialist. I immediately began to use Short Wave Diathermy and deep electrical Stim, IFC, to reduce inflammation and promote healing and I began swimming within days of Surgery. I had full range of motion within a week on both occasions. Tiger will be good as new within weeks as I am sure he has good follow up care and motivation.

Razz

I also believe Tiger Woods has had too many knee problems and i really hope that doesnt make his career shorter because it is a delight to watch him playing. He is one of the most dominant player in his sport or maybe the most dominant one. Hopefully everything goes well in this surgery so he come back for the US Open and he wins it like he always do. Tiger Woods is the best sport athlete in the actuality. He demonstrates that he is the best in many ways, in winning tournaments and playing well, however what makes him outstanding is that even though he has unbelievable talent he is 100% dedicated and he controls his mind like no other. I know Tiger Woods is gonna get better and continue winning tournaments. Tiger is not only a very good golfer he is a also a model of how to behave in life and being an incredible person

You find the right doctor to evaluate and operate and the right place for the operation and you are home free. I know a lot of people who have have various knee problems from minor to serious and every single one is better than ever after being operated on.

Dear Dr. Gupta:
I reviewed the VA study some years back and by analysis of studies it was one of the cleaner more bias free studies ever performed. The results are obvious and show that after long term followup those that did NOT have surgery did in fact do BETTER than those who had the surgery.
That speaks for itself as to whether to have the surgery or not.....
I think I will attend the physical therapist if my knee starts to hurt...
CGFerris, MD
Dallas, TX

I am 63. When I was 20 I tore the lateral collateral ligament in my right knee. I had surgery to repair that. Two years later I had open surgery to remove the medial meniscus from the same knee as the knee kept locking up due to the torn cartilage.

Amazingly, I have had almost no problems since. I ran a marathon at 40 and have continually run until about a year ago. I now get my exercise on a recumbent bike.

I think my weight (135 lbs at 5'8") has a lot to do with it as well as listening to my body. A good surgeon would not operate without a reasonble chance for success. By the way, rehab takes a huge amount of work and time and if you don't do it the best surgery in the world will not help.

I am facing my 3rd surgery on my left knee and I've had one on my right. Both have arthritis. But I had a tear in my left about two years ago. Although I have severe pain from time to time on the left, it is due to the missing cartlidge floating around in there. I think if the surgery proceedure is done right it can be beneficial, simple clearing out doesn't always work or last.
I am hoping for what they call "O.A.T.S. proceedure" simply meaning they take cartlidge from a non weight bearing area in my knee and fill the hole where it is missing.
I'm looking forward to chasing my kids at the playground again soon !

I had surgery for a torn miniscus last summer. The doctor also cleaned out a small amount of arthritis. I do not have the constant burning pain now, but I still cannot use the knee as I would normally. I can't kneel or put my ankle on my knee to tie my shoe.

I am told that my other knee needs the same surgery, but I won't have it until the pain gets bad enough.

Also, I find it interesting that other people comment about physical therapy. My surgeon told me that I didn't need to do anything special, just be careful in using the knee for awhile after the surgery.

Well I wish Tiger all the best, and considering what great shape he is in he will probably be back in the swing in no time. I tore my left medial meniscus when I stopped to pull a weed, stepped back into a gopher hole and due to balance problems could not hang on. I felt and heard the tear, but went through two PT programs first and then had the surgery which wa a long awaited blessing. I find aquatic work in a warm water pool helps me a lot. I used to play golf...hmmm I never thought to tell my doc I was golfing. I felt so silly telling him I stepped in a gopher hole and he had a difficult time not laughing. Luckly, I know him from working in surgery and I let him laugh. I too have a right swing.

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Is there a data base in Georgia where I can check a surgeon's track record to find out if any complaints have been filed against him or her.

If you have torn cartilage floating around in your knee joint just pretending to perform surgery will not make you better. You will be worse off. I had arthroscopic knee surgery on my left knee 25 years ago to fix damage from years of playing sports. My knee is fine today with no pain. I walk 18 holes on hilly courses and carry my bag. No way could I do this if the big piece of cartilage the doctor removed was still floating around in there making my knee hurt and lock up. I'd be crippled by now.

I am wondering if those patients whose knee pain returned after surgery kept up an exercise regimen. I was told that I needed to do weight work for my knees and keep my weight down and that this was a lifetime thing. Otherwise the problem would return.

Tiger Wood's problem seems to have started with that tumor. Are they related to each other?

I live in Michigan and was looking forward to seeing tiger play in 2 events this year and 1 clinic at Comerica Park (PGA championship, Oakland hills, Buick open at Warwick hills and his clinic at Comerica Park 2 days before Buick Open.) I am probably one of the biggest Tiger Fans out there, however, my opinion of him is changing very quickly. I have spent over 3 thousand dollars in tickets to these upcoming events in hopes of seeing tiger play live. I can understand that his health is first and foremost in his life and his career. This fact alone is why I am a huge fan. However, I do not appreciate the corporate and media games that he plays with his fans and the PGA for that matter. The Buick Open is not a popular event, only hosting 3 or 4 of the top 25 players in the world. However with the appearance of Tiger playing in the Buick ,makes your money well spent. Well, at least that's what I thought. He has once again tricked me to buying these tickets in hope of seeing him play. Last year, the same thing happened with the announcement of his newborn child, which is understandable. However, He was well aware of the do-date of his child, considering she was induced a day after the U.S open. What I am upset about is that he continue to claim that we was going to play in the Buick Open allowing everyone to continue to purchase tickets in hopes of seeing him. Once again he has done it this year. I totally understand commitment to your family and more importantly your own health, but come on enough is enough with this last minute BULL&^%*. He does it on purpose so that people commit themselves to these tournments, spend a ton of money and more than likely take the time of work. I am a golf fan in general and purchasing PGA championship Tickets is still worthwhile but the Buick Open and the Clinic is not worth losing my money. Lets, think this over for a minute, your telling me that the best Knee surgeon's in the world and Tiger didn't know if he needed this surgery before he announced this year ending procedure. I doubt it, they knew and they waited so that USGA can profit from the illegit appearances of Tiger Woods. I am fed up with this and it will be a long time before a make a commitment to watch tiger play. Just wondering if anyone else feels this way. I guess the main point of this blog is that I hope Tiger will reveal his true plans well in advance instead of being this appropriate corporate machine who is commitment to everyone except his fans.