In an Instagram post on March 5, the 41-year-old Olympian shared a video of herself cautiously starting rehab exercises after suffering a severe tibia fracture during the Games on Feb. 8. The clip showed her performing upper-body workouts, lifting weights, and engaging her core while wearing a red workout outfit. At one point she also stood up from her wheelchair to place a small amount of weight on her heavily bandaged leg.
Despite the challenges, Vonn remained optimistic in her caption, writing that the past weeks had been extremely difficult but that she was grateful and determined to keep working. Her main focus, she said, is simply regaining her health and taking the recovery process one step at a time.
The skiing legend has regularly updated fans since the accident. During the Olympic women’s downhill event, she clipped a gate only seconds into her run and crashed. She was airlifted to a hospital in Treviso, Italy, where surgeons performed four procedures in an effort to save her leg.
Later, Vonn revealed that doctors had feared amputation after she developed Compartment syndrome, a painful condition in which pressure builds around muscles and restricts blood flow and oxygen supply. She described the injury as the most intense and painful ordeal she has ever faced, explaining that her tibia had been shattered into multiple pieces.
Vonn credited her longtime physician, Tom Hackett, for saving her leg. According to the skier, Hackett performed a fasciotomy a surgical procedure in which the tissue around the muscles is cut open to relieve pressure allowing the leg to heal.
Throughout her recovery, Vonn has also spoken candidly about the emotional toll of the injury. In another update, she admitted she broke down during a difficult day of rehabilitation but acknowledged that mental challenges are part of the healing process.
Even after the devastating crash, Vonn said she has no regrets about competing. Standing in the starting gate at the Olympics, she noted, was an unforgettable moment one that made the risks of racing worthwhile.
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