Woods faces six to 12 months out: knee expert

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tiger Woods is likely to be sidelined for between six and 12 months after having reconstructive surgery on his left knee, according to a sports medicine expert.

The American world number one, who ended his 2008 campaign two days after winning the U.S. Open on Monday, also needs time off to rehabilitate a double stress fracture of his left tibia.

"I think it's something he will be able to recover from," Dr. Michael Maloney, who specializes in knee injuries at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told Reuters on Thursday.

"Without knowing the specifics of the extent of the rest of the structures in his knee that may be damaged, it's hard to predict completely.

"But from a reconstructive standpoint of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), he should be able to rehabilitate and get back out there.

"Usually the recovery time is of the order of six to 12 months. People get back to their sporting activities after around six months but for a full recovery and muscle strength and balance and endurance, they may take a full year or so."

Woods stunned the golfing world by announcing on Wednesday that he tore his knee ligaments 11 months ago, after last year's British Open at Carnoustie. He opted not to have surgery, deciding instead to play through the pain.

Against all the odds, he went on to pile up 10 wins worldwide in 13 starts, including seven consecutive victories, before shutting down his 2008 season after his third U.S. Open triumph.

Although Woods suffered a double stress fracture in his left shinbone two weeks before the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, he ignored medical advice to rest for six weeks in his bid for another major title.

Throughout the tournament, he played down the level of pain he experienced and went on to claim a remarkable victory in a playoff with fellow American Rocco Mediate, sealing his 14th major title at the 91st hole.

LONG-TERM DAMAGE

Although there has been speculation Woods may have incurred long-term damage by defying doctor's advice, Maloney disagreed.

"I am sure that they (Woods and his advisers) weighed the risks and the benefits of that decision and gauged how symptomatic he was," he said in a telephone interview.

"He just needs time and the reconstructive procedure for the joint will help in trying to get the muscle and all the forces across that joint back to as normal a situation as possible."

Woods has already had three surgeries on his left knee. In 1994, he had a benign tumor removed, followed by arthroscopic surgery in December 2002.

Two days after finishing second at this year's Masters, in mid-April, he had further arthroscopic surgery to clean out cartilage in the knee.

Woods, whose 200-kph swing is the fastest on the PGA Tour, has long been aware of the vulnerability of his left knee.

When striving for extra distance, he has tended to snap his left leg straight just before impact, a move he has worked hard to alleviate by softening his swing.

"Golf has a very strong, forceful motion in the knee and it is a significant transfer of weight to help generate the power for the swing," said Maloney, a physician consultant for the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

"You do it hundreds of thousands of times a week, it's going to add up over time. Tiger's a leading athlete who plays at a very high level and the stresses that he puts on all of his joints are pretty high.

"It's always a risk when someone has a knee injury but I would speculate that it's probably not that significant of an outcome, for him."

(Editing by Ed Osmond)