Roundup: Doctors Weigh In On Tiger's Accident Injuries
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Blunt warning here: this is all very hard to read on many levels. Emotionally and physically, if you can read this without cringing or losing your appetite, your soul may need nurturing or you’re an orthopedic surgeon.
After a statement detailing Woods’s injuries made by the lead doctor at Harbor-UCLA, enough information has led doctors to speculate about what Woods faces.
Bill Mallon, who played a little Tour golf and is an orthopedic surgeon, posted a lengthy Twitter thread assessing Tiger’s situation based on details.
A selection of some of the posts:
Gina Kolata of the New York Times talks to doctors about Woods injuries that are consistent with car accident victims hitting the brakes. This is a tough read in part because contrary to rosy assessments that the worst is past him or there is reason for a “sigh of relief,” Tiger has a brutal road ahead in the coming days and long term.
Kolata looks to compare Woods’ injuries with that of NFL quarterback Alex Smith and even Ben Hogan. The primary perspective from Dr. R. Malcolm Smith, the chief of orthopedic trauma at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass.
When the front end of the car is smashed, immense force is transmitted to the driver’s right leg and foot. “This happens every day with car crashes in this country,” Dr. Smith said.
Such lower-leg fractures on occasion bring “massive disability” and other grave consequences, said Dr. Smith. “A very rough estimate is that there is a 70 percent chance of it healing completely,” he added.
He goes on to explain the issues facing Woods should swelling not subside in his leg and he needs a skin graft to close the wound.
And the issue of playing golf is addressed.
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.
For the squeamish, University of Rochester’s Dr. Michael Maloney is a level one trauma surgeon and offered a more sensitive explanation on Matt Adams’ Fairways of Life. He translated the doctor’s statement, noting this was a “limb threatening” injury.
It’s a very good explanation that starts three minutes into the show:
