On Wednesday, it was announced via Twitter that Tiger Woods underwent a subtalar joint fusion in order to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture sustained after a car accident in February 2021. The chances of Tiger Woods making an appearance at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill next month, or any other event this year for that matter, just took a major hit.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City. Tiger is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning a rehab program.
A subtalar joint fusion takes the two bones forming the subtalar joint, the talus and calcaneus (heel) bone, and fuses them together with a combination of screws and or plates. The joint allows for side-to-side movement of the foot and ankle, so fusing it means a recovering patient would require getting accustomed to walking on uneven surfaces. After surgery, the patient’s foot must be non-weight-bearing in a boot or cast for 8-10 weeks.
