Lindsey Vonn‘s surgeon has admitted her broken leg injury is a ‘complicated, delicate and ongoing situation’, after orthopedic experts raised fears she may have to have her leg amputated.
The 41-year-old American skiing legend suffered a ‘complex tibia fracture’ and was heard screaming on the course at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics after her harrowing accident in the downhill final.
She has gone under the knife three times already, led by surgeon Stefano Zanarella at at Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, and a specialist has claimed that ‘injuries like hers can end in amputation’, sparking fears of lifelong complications.
In the wake of her latest operation, her surgeon has spoken out to give his own thoughts on her injuries and what happens next.
‘We’re proud to have handled a delicate situation, without neglecting other daily emergencies,’ he told Corriere del Veneto.
‘The staff [are] trained and ready to intervene at any time, in fact we approached this complicated case with a team of experts, coordinating every step of the recovery process, which we are satisfied with.
Vonn has shared an update from hospital after breaking her leg at the Winter Olympics
‘The patient’s words make us proud, also because we managed a delicate and ongoing medical situation. We put in the commitment we reserve for every patient, without being influenced by the fact that she is a champion.
‘It’s a high-intensity department. We perform five to six major trauma surgeries every day. Last weekend, we treated about ten patients with fractures.’
The damage to Vonn required multiple surgeries and one orthopedic expert knee specialist in Lyon, Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, said some similar injuries require amputation.
He told RMC Sport: ‘The timeline is quite unpredictable. It will be months before she can walk normally again.
‘Her goal now is first and foremost to keep her leg and be able to walk. I think we’re not yet at the stage of returning to high-level skiing. We’re not there yet, but some injuries like hers can end in amputation…’
The expert went on to add that even if Vonn keeps the limb, she could face lifelong difficulties.
He continued: ‘The latest images posted on her Instagram account show that, even though the surgeries were successful, the ‘external fixator’ – that is, the enormous pin they put in her left leg – proves that they haven’t been able to fully repair her fracture.
‘It’s only temporary for now. It’s important to understand that her injury is extremely serious and will cause her problems for at least months, and could even leave her with lifelong consequences.’
He also noted that this type of injury is more commonly seen in traffic accidents, particularly among motorcyclists.
Another French surgeon, Nicolas Baudrier, told L’Equipe: ‘From what we can see in the skier’s posts and photos, these are very serious injuries that required the application of an external fixator.
‘There were probably several bone fragments (comminuted fracture). With possible skin, nerve, or muscle damage, increasing the severity of the injury.’
The 41-year-old skiing great revealed she has just had a third surgery on the brutal injury
He added that a young person would typically take around a year to fully recover from such a severe injury.
It seems unlikely that Vonn will ever be able to compete again at the highest level. She entered the Games despite tearing her ACL just days before competition.
Vonn insists that injury had nothing to do with the leg break suffered on Sunday and took to Instagram to update fans with her progress, having already gone under the knife three times.
She said: ‘My Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn’t a story book ending or a fairy tale, it was just life. I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it.
‘Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches.
‘I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash. My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever.
As Vonn sped down the mountain, she caught a ski gate with her right side before she fell
‘Unfortunately, I sustained a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.
‘While it did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets. Standing in the starting gate was an incredible feeling that I will never forget.
‘Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport. And similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall.
‘Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is the also the beauty of life; we can try. I tried. I dreamt. I jumped.
‘I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly. Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying. I believe in you, just as you believed in me. LV’
The American was transported into the back of an ambulance after being carried off the run
The veteran athlete had sped over a hill and careered into one of the plastic markers on the side of the track before hitting the ground during her Olympic final run.
Her right leg appeared to hit the ground first, as a cloud of powder engulfed the American. Vonn then tumbled forwards again, appearing to smash her shoulder into the ground, before coming to a halt on the slope.
The Cortina crowd fell silent as medical crews arrived to attend to Vonn, who was later airlifted off the mountain.
Organisers then began to play background music over the skier’s cries as she was lifted onto a stretcher.
The downhill event was subsequently suspended, with other competitors removing their skis at the top of the slope as they waited for Vonn to be evacuated.
In her 2010 Olympic campaign in Vancouver, Vonn secured the gold medal in the downhill, becoming the first American woman to achieve that specific milestone.
Vonn’s career statistics include 45 downhill wins and 28 super-G victories, making her one of the most decorated speed specialists in the history of alpine skiing.