Why Olympian Lindsey Vonn Decided to Get a Knee Replacement
Lindsey Vonn decided to have knee replacement surgery after sustaining several injuries throughout her career.
“After a lot of thought, research and talking to many many doctors, I made the decision to get a knee replacement,” the former Olympian, 39, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, April 9. “I have severe tri-compartment degeneration but the main compartment that has been painful is the lateral compartment, or the outside of my knee.”
Vonn explained that while she underwent surgery last year to try to put off getting a replacement, it didn’t work out in her favor.
“My doctor for many of my surgeries, Dr. Hackett, and I did a preparation surgery last July to try to slow down the need for the replacement but also preparing other parts of my knee for the inevitable,” she continued. “But I got to the point where it was too much and my knee could not handle doing the things I love to do.”
Olympic Athletes: Where Are They Now?
The skier revealed that she ended up getting a “Mako Robot-assisted lateral unicompartmental replacement” which was used to cut off part of her bone and replace it with titanium. Vonn shared that the surgery was a success. She is currently recovering and is hopeful that she will now be able to live “the active life” she “always wanted.”
“Appreciate all of the well wishes
. Means a lot to me,” she penned. “But don’t worry, this is just another bump in the road in my journey through life and you know I’ll be back up and running ASAP
can’t hold me down for long!”
Following her July 2023 surgery, Vonn opened up about why she had to get knee surgery in the first place.
“I’ve been dealing with all the damage from my ski racing career and have been trying to manage the pain as best I can,” she said via her Instagram Story. “This surgery is hopefully a big step to help me long term. We still have work to do, and most likely another surgery, but I hope this will help me for a bit.”
Throughout Vonn’s impressive career, she’s competed in four Olympics and received three gold medals. She is the only American woman to win an Olympic downhill gold and is the only American woman to earn four World Cup titles.
Lindsey Vonn: Inside a Day in My Life
Amid her success, she also sustained many injuries over the years. In February 2019, Vonn announced that she had made the decision to retire as the wear and tear of the sport had taken a toll on her after decades on the slopes.
“The past two weeks have been some of the most emotionally challenging days of my life. I am struggling with the reality of what my body is telling me versus what my mind and heart believe I’m capable of. The unfortunate reality is my mind and body are not on the same page,” she wrote in a lengthy statement posted on her Facebook page at the time. “After many sleepless nights, I have finally accepted that I cannot continue ski racing. I will compete at the World Championships in Downhill and Super-G next week in Åre, Sweden and they will be the final races of my career.”
However, years after her retirement announcement, Vonn was still struggling with the aftermath of her knee injuries. The athlete exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2020 that she’d had nine surgeries, leaving her with “a plate and 18 screws” in her arm.
