{"id":8480,"date":"2026-03-07T10:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T10:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=8480"},"modified":"2026-03-07T10:43:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T10:43:02","slug":"if-im-given-a-second-chance-i-wont-waste-it-after-a-horrifying-olympic-crash-that-nearly-cost-lindsey-vonn-her-leg-the-41-year-old-champion-stunned-fans-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=8480","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf I\u2019m given a second chance\u2026 I won\u2019t waste it\u201d After a horrifying Olympic crash that nearly cost Lindsey Vonn her leg, the 41-year-old champion stunned fans by rising from a wheelchair and returning to training in less than a month. Doctors once feared the worst. Now, those close to her say the comeback carries a deeper promise \u2014 a way to turn survival into something meaningful. Some call it resilience. Others say her next step may be even more powerful than the fall itself\u2026 WATCH BELOW \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lindsey Vonn reveals her recovery timeline after a terrifying Winter Olympics crash that nearly led to her leg being amputated<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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American Olympian and skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is out of her wheelchair and has shared videos of her workouts less than a month on from five surgeries that almost resulted in a leg amputation.<\/p>\n

The 41-year-old endured a torn ACL a matter of days before the start of the Winter Olympics last month, but still opted to try to compete, which saw her break her leg.<\/p>\n

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She then had to undergo five surgeries \u2013 while also dealing with the loss of her beloved dog \u2013 but she is now back home from hospital and has been looking to get healthy again.<\/p>\n

\"America<\/p>\n

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In an Instagram post shared on Thursday night, Vonn could be seen standing up out of her wheelchair unassisted as she took to the gym.<\/p>\n

She was doing leg workouts and weight training, the video montage ending with a snippet of her standing up.<\/p>\n

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Vonn captioned the post: \u2018Definitely some hard times but still thankful\u2026 still working hard. The only goal is to get healthy. One day at a time. #icandothis.\u2019 Travis Tritt\u2019s \u2018It\u2019s a Great Day to be Alive\u2019 accompanied the compilation.<\/p>\n

\"Lindsey<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Vonn pictured herself alongside her dog, Chance, while writing about her difficult recovery ahead. It\u2019s unclear where she was writing from, but the 2010 Olympic gold medalist reportedly has homes around the country.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m focused now on therapy and getting healthy,\u2019 she wrote. \u2018It\u2019s going to be a hard and painful journey but I am putting all of my energy into it, like I always do.<\/p>\n

\"Incredible'<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m going to take some time for myself. I\u2019ll give you updates when I can but right now my focus is on taking care of myself.<\/p>\n

\u2018As always, thank you for the love and support.\u2019<\/p>\n

After trying to compete in the women\u2019s downhill with a torn ACL, the iconic skier lost control over the opening traverse and came crashing down along a sharp downslope. Vonn was heard screaming after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel, strapped to a gurney and flown away on a helicopter.<\/p>\n

\"On<\/p>\n

Since then, Vonn had four surgeries in Italy and another in the US. Most recently, Vonn underwent a six-hour procedure last Wednesday, aimed at rebuilding the leg and covering the skin to avoid infection, according to American publication NPR.<\/p>\n

Nolan Horner, a top orthopedic surgeon from Genesis Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Chicago, said Vonn came dangerously close to losing her leg in the violent fall.<\/p>\n

\u2018When it\u2019s identified, the patient should be taken to the operating room almost immediately,\u2019 Horner told EFE, via Marca. \u2018Every hour that passes once someone enters compartment syndrome, the risk of permanent damage or even limb loss begins to increase very rapidly.\u2019<\/p>\n

Horner, who has experience treating athletes from the NBA, MLB and other leading sports leagues, said Vonn suffered from \u2018compartment syndrome.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Incredible'<\/p>\n

\u2018Compartment syndrome is basically when, due to increased pressure in a muscle compartment, the pressure within that compartment becomes so high that it cuts off the blood supply to the limb. That can cause permanent nerve damage in a limb,\u2019 he continued.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s considered a surgical emergency, and if it\u2019s not treated very quickly, it can lead to the death of muscle tissue, permanent nerve damage, or even, in severe cases, the loss of the limb.\u2019<\/p>\n

According to Horner, after rushing Vonn into surgery doctors opened up or released her fascia \u2013 which is a connective layer of tissue that separates muscles in the body.<\/p>\n

\u2018When bleeding or very intense swelling starts in these muscle areas, the fascia contains all of that, and that\u2019s what causes the pressure inside the compartment to start increasing,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

Opening or releasing the fascia \u2018allows the muscles to expand freely\u2019 and \u2018relieves the pressure\u2019, which saved Vonn from permanent nerve damage and subsequent amputation.<\/p>\n

When asked to assess her recovery timeframe, Horner estimated that the Olympics hero won\u2019t even be able to bear weight on her leg again for up to three months.<\/p>\n

\u2018The fact that she\u2019s an elite athlete greatly improves her chances of a very good outcome, but she certainly has a long road ahead,\u2019 the surgeon said. \u2018She\u2019ll likely have an extended period where she\u2019s not even allowed to put weight on that limb, to allow the fracture to heal properly.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lindsey Vonn reveals her recovery timeline after a terrifying Winter Olympics crash that nearly led to her leg being amputated American Olympian and skiing icon Lindsey Vonn… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8480"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8482,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8480\/revisions\/8482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}