The risk of amputation and leg injury of Lindsey Vonn alarms medical expert.
There is growing anxiety about the magnitude of the newest injury suffered by Lindsey Vonn, as the most prominent experts warn that her focus should at once change not on the Olympic race but on something much more essential to her, namely saving her leg.
In the winter Olympics 2026, the American great suffered a serious tibia injury in the downhill event in the women category. What seemed initially to be a serious yet controllable rupture is being characterised in much more disturbing words by medical professionals who have evaluated the information available.
According to RMC Sport, French orthopaedic knee specialist Dr. Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet said that the first goal is the preservation of the limbs and regaining the ability to walk, but not to resume on elite levels of skiing.
The chronology is unpredictable. Months will pass before she is able to walk, normatively, again, he said. Her mission now is to have her leg and be able to walk. We are still yet to reach the point of discussing high-level competition. These kinds of injuries may end up in amputation.
The severity of the trauma is highlighted only by that assessment.
Complex fracture is an indicator of external fixation.
Photos posted by Vonn in the hospital depict her with a left leg that is fixed using an external fixator – a metal frame that is fixed by use of rods and pins drilled to the bone. Sonnery-Cottet suggests that the device is an indication that surgeons are yet to achieve any firm repair on the fracture.
It is a temporary measure, however, that will show how serious this is, explained he. The injury is very severe even when the operations have been successful. It will take her months to recuperate and perhaps permanent effects.
Dr. Baudrier, another French surgeon, shared those fears on examining the same images. He recommended that the fracture can be comminuted, i.e. the tibia broke into several pieces, and advised of potential related harm of soft tissues, such as skin, muscle or nerves. These complications are a huge burden on the complexity of surgery and the duration of rehabilitation.
Comminuted tibial fractures fall into the group of the most difficult orthopaedic injuries that may involve the use of staged steps, and lengthy recovery. Vonn has already been operated three times.
In one of her recent Instagram posts, she said that her most recent procedure was successful but acknowledged that success has acquired a completely new meaning. She attributed success to medical personnel, friends, family and supporters across the globe and was also inspired by her teammates, Team USA who were still competing.
Alan Kildow, her father has been adamant about her future. In an interview with the Associated Press he added that there was no more ski racing to be done with his daughter as long as he could say anything about it.
A comeback halted
The harm is especially heartrending with the context. In 2024 vonn stated that she was coming out of retirement and hoped to compete at the 2026 Games. Surprisingly, she lined up in Cortina although she had ruptured her left knee ACL totally about a week prior to the downhill, and had nothing to do with the crash.
Cortina is particularly important in her professional life, where she won 12 world cups and had some of her strongest performances.
Instead of going after her fourth Olympic medal to supplement her downhill gold and super-G bronze in Vancouver 2010 and downhill bronze in PyeongChang 2018, Vonn is now confronted with a much more basic fight.
In the case of one of the most successful champions of alpine skiing, the podiums are no longer the short-term objective. It is therapeutic, restoring functionality, and safeguarding her health in the long term.
