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John Steinbreder, GolfersMD Special Report
Jun 19, 2008
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Getty Images
“Incredible!”
That’s the assessment of Dr. David Menche, a New York City-based orthopedic surgeon and president and chief executive officer of Metro SportsMed, as he contemplates what Tiger Woods did to win the 2008 U.S. Open.
“For him to even play with a double stress fracture of his left tibia as well with a torn knee ligament and two months after surgery to clean out cartilage in his left knee is unbelievable,” Menche says. “But to win the Open after 91 holes of play in that condition is almost indescribable. To compete at that level and with that focus, knowing that he had those injuries and knowing that he was in pain, makes this a remarkable victory and an extraordinary feat for an athlete.”
Everyone who follows golf knew Tiger was coming into this year’s national championship with some physical questions. After all, his knee had been “scoped” on April 15, and he hadn’t even walked a full 18 holes since the Masters before he played his first round at Torrey Pines in Southern California. But only a very few insiders were aware that he was also playing the second leg of the golfing Grand Slam with a torn ACL as well as that double stress fracture, which is reported to have happened during his pre-Open rehab. And that makes his victory in the 19-hole playoff on June 16 even more amazing.
What’s equally astounding is that Tiger is suddenly gone from the PGA Tour, set to have season-ending surgery on his troubled left knee – and set to have plenty of down time to let that, and his stress fracture, heal.
“Normally, there would be a good six months for someone to recover from that surgery,” explains Dr. Menche. “First you need to rest, and then alleviate the pain and swelling. The next step is getting range of motion back, and then your strength. Once that is done, it is time to go with the sports specific treatments to get ready for golf.”
How each person recovers from this sort of injury depends very much on the individual as well as the condition of his, or her, knee.
“The determining factor here is whether there is any arthritis,” adds Menche. “If there is little or none, then Tiger should do very well. If not, he will have to deal with stiffness and pain, and they could be a factor.”
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