Lindsey Vonn shares CT images, diagnostic details from gruesome Olympics injuries
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn has shared new details about her post-op recovery alongside imaging of her leg that reveals just how serious her injuries were.
Two weeks after Vonn, 41, sustained devastating trauma to her left leg after a crash on her first downhill run at the Cortina Winter Olympics, the skier has finally been released from the h
ospital. She took to Instagram Monday to offer an update on her recovery, sharing 3D CT recon images of her tibia that were acquired prior to her undergoing multiple operations, including one that she says saved her from having to have her left leg amputated.
“It has been quite the journey and by far the most extreme and painful and challenging injury of my life times 100,” Vonn said.
The star athlete’s official diagnosis was a complex fracture of her tibia, tibial plateau and fibular head. This was further complicated by compartment syndrome, which resulted in doctors having to conduct a fasciotomy to relieve pressure in her leg, allowing it to recover prior to having additional orthopedic surgeries to stabilize her tibia long-term.
She revealed for the first time that she fractured her right ankle during the accident as well.
The skier also shared that she had to stay in the hospital longer than planned because she had low hemoglobin due to blood loss during her multiple surgeries. A blood transfusion helped her turn a corner, paving the way for her release from the hospital.
Although she remains “very much immobile,” Vonn said she is feeling especially grateful that her doctors were able to save her leg. She largely credits Thomas Hackett, MD, for that. Hackett, a team USA orthopedic surgeon, was alongside Vonn during her downhill event due to her recent ACL tear. Vonn said that his decisions ultimately prevented her from having to have her leg amputated.
“If I wouldn’t have torn my ACL, Tom wouldn’t have been there,” she said. “I feel very lucky and grateful for him."
She will be wheelchair bound for a few more weeks but is looking forward to being back on her feet, she said. She added it will take probably a year for her bones to completely heal, but she is looking forward to getting to work in physical rehab.
“I wish it had ended differently but I’d rather go down swinging than not try at all,” she told her followers.
View her full post here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.