Lindsey Vonn's 'primary goal is to keep her leg' says specialist surgeon
Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet says the US skiing star's injury, following her crash during the Winter Olympics, is almost the worst possible for a high-level athlete.
A specialist surgeon believes Lindsey Vonn's first goal should be to preserve her leg and regain the ability to walk following her crash during the Winter Olympics women's alpine skiing downhill final.
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The former Olympic gold medalist suffered a ‘complex tibia fracture’ after hooking the inside of a gate with her right arm just 13 seconds into the high-speed race.
The American skiing superstar was airflited off the Olimpia delle Tofane course to a hospital in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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Vonn, 41, has required three surgeries since the accident and says the latest one was successful, adding in a post on social media that she is making slow progress.
Despite this, Vonn faces further challenges in her rehabilitation, including the possibility of amputation. According to Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, her injury is almost the worst possible for a high-level athlete. The knee specialist at Santy Orthopaedic Centre in Lyon told French network BFM TV: "I unfortunately think that this time, it's one injury too many".
He said: '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 added that even if Vonn keeps the limb, she could face lifelong difficulties:
"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".
Dr Sonnery-Cottet also noted that this type of injury is more commonly seen in traffic accidents, particularly among motorcyclists.
The surgeon also said that over the coming weeks and months, Vonn will remain under close observation.
"She underwent a second procedure the following day, where they opened her muscle to prevent significant bleeding, potential necrosis and infection. Once she's out of this critical phase, plates will need to be placed over the fractures to properly heal the bone, but the timeline is quite unpredictable".
"It will be months before she can walk normally again".
Vonn has insisted that the leg break had nothing to do with the torn ACL she suffered just days before the Olympic competition. She said, "My Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn't a storybook 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".