Tour News

Tiger advised to “stay horizontal” in back recovery

Published

9 years ago

Feb 16, 2017

Anyone who has experienced back spasms can attest to the difficulties they can impose in everyday activities, even getting out of bed. And sometimes the best thing to do to heal is stay in bed, at least in the beginning of the recovery process.

That’s the advice Tiger Woods has received from a doctor as the 41-year-old recovers from back spasms that forced him to withdraw at the Dubai Desert Classic, as well as this week’s Genesis Open and next week’s Honda Classic. Woods even withdrew from yesterday’s press conference due to his back spasms.

Here’s what Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told the AP’s Doug Ferguson about the golfer’s recent string of WDs in Los Angeles.

”He flew out here and got to see one of his doctors. Based on the work they did the last couple of days, they advised he just stay horizontal. It’s best to listen to the doctors. The ultimate goal is to get out and play.”

According to Steinberg, Team Tiger is “not talking about an extended break” from golf, but it’s clear that his injury is more serious than once thought.

Based on Tiger’s playing habits throughout the years, the next time he might return to the PGA Tour if healthy is at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 16-19). The Masters takes place three weeks later (April 6-9).

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Tiger withdraws from the Genesis Open press conference with back spasms

Zak Kozuchowski

21 Comments

Bip Boom

Feb 21, 2017 at 11:10 pm

Tiger with all his recent mistakes and failures still has more golf left in his right pinky toe than any of you trolls making derogatory comments ever will have for the rest of you life.

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Mw

Feb 19, 2017 at 2:13 pm

Tiger looks like he is still working out regularly, though he is not as bulky as he once was. I guess I don’t understand why he is able to keep pumping the weights, yet he can’t swing a golf club. Seems to be if he was truly resting as so he should be after all the problems he has had, he should keep exercise to a minimum except for those prescribed for his injury.

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Dubious

Feb 17, 2017 at 7:11 pm

Lindsay wrecked his back.

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Leftshot

Feb 17, 2017 at 2:32 pm

I’m not a doctor and I’m pretty sure neither is Zak, but this sounds serious to me. Back spasms are typically caused by muscles that are overworked trying to support the spinal column. If it was simply overworking these muscles by swinging a club the spasms should have gone a way in 1-3 days of rest. We’re WAAAY past that. This suggests inflamation in a disc or in the spinal column, that is continuing to overwork these back muscles. Neither of these alternatives is good. His doctors advice to stay horizontal is consistent with this.

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joro

Feb 17, 2017 at 10:37 am

So he withdraws from a Tournament after a bad round, history is just repeating itself from the withdrawl because his ankle hurt to today. Fact is he says he is okay, comes out and tries to outdrive the field, springs his back and withdraws, it is common as it was for him to destroy the whole field a while ago. If the guy would use his Brain for something besides sex he would slow down and play without pain. It just takes an easier swing and keeping in tempo with the Club, no great fix, just common sense. Of which he has proven to not have. So long Tiger, you won’t change and things will not get better. It was good while it lasted.

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Rich

Feb 17, 2017 at 2:22 am

HAHA! Stay horizontal to recover from a back injury? What a joke. Tiger, give it up. You are done. Stop getting in the way and disappear, PLEASE!!!

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- Tony Lynam
  
  Feb 24, 2017 at 10:53 am
  
  Delusional….
  
  Reply Report comment
Dave R

Feb 16, 2017 at 8:03 pm

I hate to say this but a 77 would make most pros back have pain.

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- Guia
  
  Feb 16, 2017 at 9:59 pm
  
  I shot 77 today…….I’m going back tomorrow and shoot the back 9.
  
  Reply Report comment
Bert

Feb 16, 2017 at 7:15 pm

Not likely – I doubt this was the advice he was given – but who knows.

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- Scott
  
  Feb 17, 2017 at 11:19 am
  
  Bert, I agree. I do have to preference this by saying that I have zero idea but he is going through and he may have legitimately gotten this advise. In my own experience with a bad back and muscle spasms, my doctors have wanted me to get up and move. No, they did not want me to play golf, but lying around for a week or so was not going to help.
  
  Reply Report comment
Philip

Feb 16, 2017 at 5:52 pm

What injury? Is this a new one or the same old one that keeps appearing when he tees it up? He said he was healed, he didn’t fall or anything while playing golf. I cannot keep this interweaving story line straight anymore. Point – he is either injured or healed, becoming injured again from a round of golf after so much time off where he is said to have been playing golf and practicing doesn’t make any sense. Unless when he was golfing he was using a golf cart and it is the walking of the course that is too much – now that I can understand and it has some logic. If that is the case then I’m pretty sure the PGA Tour would be willing to allow him a cart to drive him around – maybe Bubba’s hover craft to minimize aggravating his back. I’m not dissing him, but none of the current story line makes much sense.

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- Guia
  
  Feb 16, 2017 at 7:45 pm
  
  The PGA Tour was sued by Casey Martin because they would not allow him to take a cart. Martin has a severe blood flow problem in his legs and sued using the handicap laws. He lost. Also, Casey played on the same Stanford team as Tiger, and Tiger did not support him in they suit.
  
  I assume that you have never had a back problem, they can flair up for any reason; tension, a wrong step, a sudden jar, etc. You could be perfect one day and the next in great pain.
  
  I have had a bad back for over 30 years, a three day tournament just destroys me from just swinging a club. And in tournaments I practically always ride.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Philip
    
    Feb 16, 2017 at 8:10 pm
    
    To the site – I clicked the incorrect link by mistake – I am not reporting on the comment
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Philip
    
    Feb 16, 2017 at 8:17 pm
    
    I understand where he is coming from – it is just the media I guess and the way they report it. I actually injured my back (and internal organs) pretty badly and it would lock up and put me on the ground instantly. I was still young, but still had to walk away from all competitive sports. Was 30+ years before I gave golf another try. I guess with his damage he may remain how I was at first. If that is indeed the case then he just needs to walk away from playing competitive golf and do other things he enjoys.
    
    Reply Report comment
- Large chris
  
  Feb 17, 2017 at 8:03 am
  
  Completely agree. None of it makes logical sense, he’s either been practicing the last few months or he hasn’t.
  
  Reply Report comment
chinchbugs

Feb 16, 2017 at 2:10 pm

Next article to be see…

“Tiger eats 3 eggs for breakfast…leaves out one yoke. Cholesterol to point of near death!”

#yawn

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Dude really?

Feb 16, 2017 at 1:14 pm

Isn’t staying horizontal what got him in this mess in the first place?

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- The dude
  
  Feb 16, 2017 at 8:26 pm
  
  Ha…ya beat me to it…
  
  Reply Report comment
- Mat
  
  Mar 14, 2017 at 9:59 am
  
  +1
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

Feb 16, 2017 at 12:42 pm

vertical and ventilating

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