Editing Discectomy (section)

== Discectomy for athletes ==
Degeneration caused by years of repetitive mechanical stress can cause the disc of an athlete to be herniated. [[Spinal disc herniation|Lumbar disc herniation]] (LDH) is a critical injury for elite athletes that could cause extreme pain and significantly hinder performance. To relieve the pain, athletes usually go through microdiscectomy. However, the results of treatments in elite athletes differ due to the demand for optimal treatment, short recovery period, and high performance after the operation.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Most athletes return to their pre-surgery level after a discectomy. A systematic review of 450 athletes shows that 75–100% of athletes return to play after surgery.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Nair|first1=Rueben|last2=Kahlenberg|first2=Cynthia A.|last3=Hsu|first3=Wellington K.|date=2015-06-01|title=Outcomes of Lumbar Discectomy in Elite Athletes: The Need for High-level Evidence|url= |journal=Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research |language=en|volume=473|issue=6|pages=1971–1977|doi=10.1007/s11999-014-3762-z|issn=1528-1132|pmc=4419017|pmid=25002213}}</ref> The average recovery period ranged from 2.8 to 8.7 months. Athletes recovered an average of 64.4% to 103.6% of their preoperative performance and had reported career longevity of 2.6 to 4.8 years post-return.<ref name=":0" />
There are unsuccessful cases of discectomy for certain athletes like [[Tiger Woods]], a world-famous PGA Tour golfer. Woods underwent three microdiscectomy procedures from 2014 to 2015 which failed to alleviate his pain.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=O'Sullivan|first=Peter|date=2015-07-01|title=Common misconceptions about back pain in sport: Tiger Woods' case brings five fundamental questions into sharp focus|url=https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/14/905|journal=British Journal of Sports Medicine|language=en|volume=49|issue=14|pages=905–907|doi=10.1136/bjsports-2014-094542|issn=0306-3674|pmid=25807161|s2cid=43137403|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The removal of disc material due to discectomy meant that Woods eventually had to go through [[spinal fusion]] to recover.