Tiger Woods suffered a rollover car accident on February 23, 2021 that resulted in multiple serious injuries. Here is a rundown of what has been publicly released or suggested about these injuries and speculation on what lies ahead.

1) Tibia and fibula fractures that were comminuted and compound/open.

A comminuted fracture is when the bone breaks into more than 2 pieces. A significant amount of force is typically required to splinter a bone in this fashion.

Compound and open are synonymous terms and signify there is a break in the skin. In general, open fractures are more prone to infection and take longer to heal, compared to closed fractures where the skin remains intact.

2) Injuries to his ankle and foot.

The exact nature of his foot and ankle injuries are not yet publicly known. It appears he had screws and pins inserted in his foot and ankle, which would indicate fractures. Depending on the nature of the injuries here, there is the potential he had ligamentous damage or instability around various joints in the foot and ankle as well.

3) Compartment syndrome

There are linings of fascia or connective tissue than run between muscle groups in our arms and legs, and the spaces enclosed by these fascial layers are called compartments. Key structures confined within a compartment are muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, which lay inside this confined space together. Compartment syndrome is when pressure (for example from swelling following a long bone fracture) builds up within a compartment, leading to pinching off of vessels and nerves within that space, which can lead to permanent muscle and nerve damage, if not limb loss. Tiger Woods appears to have had compartment releases, or incisions that split apart the fascial layers and allow the pressure to be alleviated. Compartment release, which is limb- or life-saving when indicated, still carries potential risk of long-term weakness and pain.

4) ? Traumatic brain injury

This one is purely speculative. I’ve not read about anyone discussing this as either a diagnosis or possibility. Unfortunately given the trauma of his motor vehicle accident, traumatic brain injury is a distinct possibility. He does not need to have hit his head against anything during the car accident, as the forces between the brain and skull during a high impact event can be sufficient to cause brain injury. A concussion would be one example of a “mild” traumatic brain injury, and hopefully he suffered nothing worse. Even if mild, traumatic brain injury can cause lingering symptoms and impair his path to recovery.

What’s ahead:

He may require further surgery in order to close the skin in his leg, or if goodness forbid his leg becomes infected and needs to be reopened and cleaned out. Potentially, he may have weeks to months before he can stand and gradually put more weight through his surgically repaired right leg. He will require months of physical therapy to get back as much range of motion, strength, balance, and function as he can. It will be difficult to for him to maintain his best fitness and function in other parts of the body as he is limited by and focused on rehabilitating injuries to the right leg. Only time will tell how quickly he regains function and how much function he regains. I am guessing that if he wants to return to competitive golf, Tiger will find a way in 2022.

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