Lindsey Vonn provided another update on her health on Wednesday, this time with a picture. The U.S. alpine skier announced on Instagram that she had a third surgery on her fractured left leg and posted an image of herself from a hospital bed. She had a bulky brace on her leg and gave a thumbs-up with her right hand.
“I had my 3rd surgery today and it was successful,” Vonn wrote. “Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago. I’m making progress and while it is slow, I know I’ll be ok.”
(Instagram/lindseyvonn)
Vonn injured her leg in a crash 13 seconds into her run at the alpine downhill competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday. The injury required Vonn to be airlifted off the mountain and is expected to be career-ending for the 41-year-old.
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Vonn wrote in a previous update that she’d sustained a complex fracture of her tibia. Per Yale Medicine, a complex fracture is “when the bone breaks into bits and pieces, when the soft tissue surrounding the bone is severely damaged, or when the patient has other illnesses or injuries that complicate treatment and healing.”
The brace around her leg demonstrates just how significant the damage was. It’s not clear if her surgery Wednesday was her last to repair the injury. Vonn previously wrote that the injury “will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.” She also wrote that she has “no regrets” despite the devastating injury.
Vonn skied on a torn ACL in the same left leg that she’d sustained just days before the start of the Olympics on Jan. 30. Her decision to ski on her injured leg drew scrutiny and speculation that it contributed to her crash.
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Vonn’s right arm got caught in a gate at the top of her run, sending her flying through the air at a high rate of speed and crashing into the ground.
She previously wrote that her ACL tear had nothing to do with her crash.
“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,” Vonn wrote. “My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever.”
In her update on Wednesday, Vonn thanked her supporters and medical staff and sent a note of congratulations to her alpine skiing teammate and all of the Team USA athletes competing at Milan Cortina.
“Thankful for all of the incredible medical staff, friends, family, who have been by my side and the beautiful outpouring of love and support from people around the world. Also, huge congrats to my teammates and all of the Team USA athletes who are out there inspiring me and giving me something to cheer for.”
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