Sports injuries are one of the leading causes of spinal cord injuries and related conditions. As we’ve discussed in a previous post, sports injuries can lead to back pain, whiplash, herniated discs, as well as paralyzing spinal cord nerve injuries. Professional athletes are well aware of the physical risks they face each day. Countless athletes have injured their backs on the field/court/ice/etc. For some, those injuries forced them into early retirement. Some of these injured athletes were able to recover completely from their injuries with the help of spine surgery. That’s who we are focusing on in today’s blog – the most famous athletes who have benefited from spinal surgery.

Peyton Manning

We wrote a blog detailing Peyton Manning’s history of neck issues and surgery about a year ago. In short, the star quarterback has had numerous neck surgeries since 2010 including a cervical foraminotomy, several decompression surgeries, and a cervical fusion. He has since returned to the football field and led his team to the superbowl in 2014.

Rob Gronkowski

In 2013, Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski had back surgery to repair a herniated disc. The surgery was successful and he was able to return to the field later that year. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after he sustained a knee injury.

Tiger Woods

Tiger has been in and out of the game for the past few years with numerous injuries. It culminated in an injury and subsequent back surgery that resulted in him missing the 2014 Masters tournament for the first time. The surgery he underwent was a microdiscectomy to relieve pain from a pinched nerve. Since the procedure he has returned to golf, competing in several tournaments including the Open Championship.

These athletes offer a great example of how minimally invasive spine surgeries can get you back to your fully functioning self after an injury.

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