Last week, U.S. professional golfer Tiger Woods earned second place at the Valspar Championship in Florida after recovering from back surgery. As he returns to the sport, Forbes featured a bylined article by HSS sports medicine surgeon Joshua S. Dines, MD, who addressed common back surgeries for professional golfers and recovery.

Dr. Dines, who did not treat Woods, explained that the two most common back surgeries performed for golfers are lumbar discectomy and lumbar fusions. He noted that lumbar fusions help prevent the irritation of nerves that cause severe leg and back pain.

"A benefit, particularly as it relates to golfers, of performing the fusion via an anterior approach is that it spares the large muscles of the back that are critical to the golf swing, which potentially makes the recovery for athletes a bit easier," wrote Dr. Dines.

"Throughout the recovery period after surgery, stretching and core/low-back strengthening are critical," he added.

Read the full article at forbes.com

Additional Coverage:

• Forbes: Marcus Smart Needs Celtics To Make Deep Playoff Run If He Is Going To Play Again This Season
• Forbes: Removing A Wire From Kyrie Irving's Knee Will Make Him Unlikely For Start Of Playoffs
• Forbes: Stephen Curry And Salvador Perez Are Out With Similar MCL Injuries, But Timetables Look Different