Coming Back From Injury

MY INJURY: I had a badly herniated disc between the C5 and C6 vertebrae and a bulging thoracic disc between the T6 and 7 vertebrae. There was no specific trauma that caused the injury. Most likely, it was the result of a quarter-century of practicing and playing golf. Just imagine how many balls I must have hit over those years. My workout program, which I began in 2000, left me very strong but there is really no prevention for simple wear and tear.

MY SYMPTOMS: My trainer, doctor, coach and caddie all think I grind so intensely and compete with such focus that I was able to block out the painful symptoms for longer than most people would have. I would go to the fitness trailer on tour occasionally for a crick in my neck -- going back almost a year before the injury was diagnosed -- but I always just thought of it as one of those nagging things all professional golfers experience. The first concrete symptom I had was numbness in my right arm, which I commented on a couple of times to my caddie. Then, because I was losing feel in my right arm, I started having trouble with distance control with my irons. As I became more frustrated with the distance control issue I also began to notice some pain. That's when I went to a doctor and the diagnosis was made.

HOW I FOUND MY DOCTOR: I was playing at the 2007 Ginn Open near Orlando, where I live, and went to the fitness trailer as I could not take the pain any longer. John Adams in the fitness trailer referred me to Dr. Bruce Thomas in Melbourne, FL. After my MRI, Thomas diagnosed the problem and told me I would be out of action for months. He then sent me to Dr. Barth Green, a world-renowned spine specialist in Miami. He confirmed the diagnosis and we discussed various treatment options, including surgery.

MY REHAB: We decided to try a neck brace, anti-inflammatory medication, and pain medication and after the neck was stabilized. Dr. Thomas designed a rehab program that was both painful and exhausting but ultimately successful. It included ultrasound, stretching, and band work four times a week for six weeks.

WHAT HAPPENED: When I returned to competition six weeks later I was not as strong, in part because the injury had done nerve damage and in part because I had not been able to work-out. I used to be able to do 15 pull-ups and now I couldn't do one. I was also not able to go at the ball as hard as I used to. As a result, I was shorter off the tee. So I began carrying a 5-wood (I used to carry a strong 4-wood and 7-wood) and would take some off shots with it so I wouldn't have to hit more stressful shots with long irons. It was like going back to the game I played in the mid-1990s before I got strong.

MY INJURY: Not that it's anything to brag about, but I don't imagine there's a pro athlete out there who has gone through more with shoulder injuries than I have. In 1982, I tore the labrum in my left shoulder but didn't know it until 1985, when I had surgery to correct it. In 1986 I tore my rotator cuff, a series of muscles and tendons that help stabilize the shoulder. I had surgery for that, and it was difficult. After a third surgery in 1987 (my labrum again), my career on the PGA Tour was pretty much finished. Having won the 1976 U.S. Open, the 1982 Players Championship and six other tournaments, I was devastated.

MY SYMPTOMS: I've had three more surgeries since joining the Champions Tour in 2003, the most recent in 2008. So, for a layman I have a fairly thorough knowledge of shoulder problems. The shoulder is a very complicated area of the body and the problem can be difficult to diagnose off-hand. But if you feel pain, weakness and a feeling of instability, or any one of the three, you need to get help. It could very well be a rotator cuff issue. They're pretty common in golfers.

HOW TO FIND A DOCTOR: Contact the best local sports team in your area, and talk to their trainer. He will know who the best orthopedic doctors are. When you see the doctor, make sure you undergo a very thorough physical therapy program before going along with any decision to operate, because you may be able to generate enough strength in the surrounding muscle to take pressure off the affected area. If your shoulder doesn't respond, then, of course, you've got to go for the operation.

REHAB: The rehab is crucial. The nature of the rehab depends on the site of the surgery and the extent of it, so I can't spell it out for you. But I won't mince words here: It's murder. Recovery is painful and slow, and can take up to six months before you start to return to normal. Rehab is a process, not an event. But the rehab is probably more important than the quality of the surgery, because lousy rehab won't get the most out of a well-done repair, but great rehab can help you obtain a great outcome from a repair in which the surgeon got so-so results.