A knee specialist has raised concerns about Lindsey Vonn’s recovery from her leg break after the American skier suffered the serious injury on Sunday in Cortina
Lindsey Vonn could never compete again after her horror leg break(Image: Getty Images)
Lindsey Vonn could be waiting months to walk again after her horror crash in the Winter Olympics, according to a specialist surgeon in France. The surgeon has also suggested that the impact of the injury could remain for the rest of her life.
The American skiing legend was airlifted to a hospital in Treviso on Sunday following a high-speed accident just 13 seconds into the women’s downhill event. Vonn lost her balance after hitting a gate and fell onto the slope in Cortina.
After receiving treatment, she was taken to the hospital for further care. It was later revealed that she had sustained a “complex tibia fracture,” and she has since undergone three operations.
READ MORE: Lindsey Vonn shares pictures from hospital after THIRD surgery with inspiring messageREAD MORE: Lindsey Vonn’s recovery timeline after horror leg break as medical experts speak out
Despite the positive steps in the recovery, Vonn faces further challenges in her rehabilitation, including the possibility of amputation. That’s according to orthopaedic expert knee specialist, Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, based in Lyon, France.
“The timeline is quite unpredictable,” he told RMC Sport. “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…”
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Sonnery-Cottet continued to explain that Vonn could face difficulties for the rest of her life, even if there is no need to remove a limb. “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 repair her fracture fully.
“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.”
Vonn has insisted since the injury that the leg break had nothing to do with the teared ACL suffered just days before the competitions. Taking to social media to update fans, 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.
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“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”
