Lindsey Vonn recovery timeline after leg break as complication raised | Other | Sport

Lindsey Vonn could be back on the slopes within a year, according to specialists, despite suffering a fractured tibia at the Winter Olympics on Sunday in a harrowing crash. The 41-year-old was airlifted to hospital in Treviso at the weekend, as she suffered a high-speed accident 13 seconds into the women’s downhill.

Vonn was thrown off-balance after clipping a gate during her run, tumbling to the slope in Cortina. After receiving a lengthy period of treatment at the scene, Vonn was taken to hospital for further treatment. There, she learned that she had suffered a “complex tibia fracture,” which would require “multiple surgeries” to repair. She has since undergone a third operation.

However, Filippo Pierfrancesco Calanna, who works as an orthopaedic surgeon at Milan’s Gaetano Pini Orthopaedic and Trauma Centre, has since claimed that Vonn could return to the slopes in less than a year if her recovery runs smooth. Speaking to the I, Calanna said: “From a displaced tibia fracture, it is possible to return to the ski slopes in eight to 11 months, as [Federica] Brignone has shown, if there are no complications.”

Italy’s most successful skier, Brignone competed against Vonn on Cortina’s Olympia piste just 10 months after sustaining a number of leg fractures as well as a torn ACL at just 35. However, given that Vonn has a history of knee procedures, including a partial implant and an ACL rupture in her left leg, there could be complications with regard to the Team USA star’s recovery.

Former head of sports traumatology at Milan’s Pini Institute, Arturo Guarino, explained: “It will also be necessary to check whether the prosthesis suffered any consequences from the fall in Cortina. If it did, then the implant will also require intervention, and recovery time could be extended.”

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

Highlighting potential challenges Vonn may face on the road to recovery, Head of the Medical Commission of the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Andrea Panzeri, said: “It’s unclear how long the implant will continue to tolerate the forces generated in competition at this level.”

It comes as Vonn has since spoken about her situation, taking to Instagram to share an update with her fans. She wrote on Monday: “Yesterday my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn’t a story book ending or a fairytale, it was just life.

“I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. While yesterday 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 yesterday 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.”

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

In a new update on Instagram on Wednesday evening, Vonn said: “I had my 3rd surgery today and it was successful. 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. 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.”