Tiger Woods Talks Rehab After Accident: ‘More Painful Than Anything I Have Ever Experienced’

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Jamie Squire/Getty Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods says his recovery process after enduring a single-vehicle rollover car crash in February has been "painful."

In his first interview since the accident, the 45-year-old golfer told Golf Digest he's focused on being able to begin moving on his own again with the help of physical therapy.

"I do my routines every day and am focused on my No. 1 goal right now: walking on my own. Taking it one step at a time," he told the outlet.

On Feb. 23, Woods was driving downhill on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California when his car struck a sign in the center divider, cut through a tree and landed alongside the road. The vehicle sustained major damage, and Woods underwent surgery following the accident.

RELATED: Tiger Woods Speaks Out After LA County Sheriff Reveals He Was Speeding at Time of Car Accident

Tiger Woods

"This has been an entirely different animal,'' Woods said of his injuries. "I understand more of the rehab processes because of my past injuries, but this was more painful than anything I have ever experienced.''

Woods "suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center," according to Anish Mahajan, MD, chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, who released a statement on the athlete's Twitter page the day after the crash.

More specifically, Mahajan said Woods suffered "comminuted open fractures," which means his tibia and fibula bones, the two main bones in the leg, had shattered and broken through the skin, requiring immediate surgery, along with smaller injuries to the ankle and foot.

In the new interview, Woods also thanked everyone who has offered him support since the crash, which he said has been "incredible."

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"I have had so much support from people both inside and outside of golf, which means so much to me and has helped tremendously," he told Golf Digest.

When asked by the outlet if he would be able to play golf again, Woods declined to answer.

On April 23, Woods posted a picture to Instagram of himself holding crutches with a brace on his right leg.

"My course is coming along faster than I am 😃. But it's nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man's best friend," he wrote in the post, which also showed him standing next to his dog.

According to the documents obtained by CNN, Woods told police following the crash that he had no recollection of driving or how the accident happened.

RELATED VIDEO: Tiger Woods Was Driving Over 80 MPH in a 45-MPH Zone at Time of Car Accident, Sheriff Says

In April, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that speed was the primary cause of Woods' single-car rollover crash.

Villanueva said Woods was driving between 84 and 87 mph in a 45-mph zone at the time of the crash. His vehicle struck the tree at 75 mph.

The sheriff said that there were "no signs of impairment," and that Woods will receive no citations for the accident. He also asserted that Woods, who doesn't have "any recollection of the incident," had been "cooperative" and provided permission to share the details of the findings.