Lindsey Vonn gave her followers an up-close-and-personal look at her latest leg surgery as she continues her recovery after multiple crashes earlier this year.
“Surgery went well!” Vonn, 42, shared via Instagram on Thursday, November 12. “It took over 5 hours to remove all of the plates and screws from my leg and replace my ACL. I am home from the hospital now and thankful to be on the final road to a full recovery.”
The Olympian thanked her doctors, the U.S. Ski Team and her loved ones for “helping me through this.”
Vonn’s initial post featured a picture, which has since been deleted, from the surgery on Wednesday, November 11, which showed a massive scar down her left leg as doctors performed the operation.
In another photo, Vonn held up a bag containing the plates and screws that were removed from her leg.
Vonn’s post received plenty of well-wishes from some of her famous friends and followers.
“Feel better soon ❤️ warrior,” tennis star Coco Gauff wrote. Comedian Chelsea Handler marveled, “Holy s***. You are a beast.”
Before going under the knife, Vonn candidly admitted she was trepidatious about what lay ahead.
“This day has been looming on my calendar for a while now… and the time has finally come,” she shared via Instagram on Tuesday, November 10. “I’ve been nervous and anxious about it…but at the same time excited to hopefully put this behind me. This will be my 9th surgery and I’m praying my last. There are still things that could change in surgery so we will have to wait and see how it goes but I will keep you posted on my progress when I am out of surgery and recovering.”
She added, “I am in the best hands though and thankful for the help of my doctors, physical therapist, nurses and medical staff 🙏🏻. Thank you again for all of the support over these last 9 months. It has truly meant the world to me to receive so much love and encouragement. 🙏🏻❤️ As my Mother said, ‘Today is another great day!’… I hope she’s right 🙏🏻🤞🏻.”
Vonn suffered a compound fracture and tibial plateau fracture in her left leg after crashing at the Olympics in February, which came just a week after she tore her ACL in a crash during the final race of the World Cup season in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
In an interview with The Athletic last week, Vonn said she hasn’t shut the door on a potential return to the slopes.
“I don’t think there will be a time where I’m not wanting to be going fast,” she said in a story published on Friday, November 6. “I wish I could be out there. I want to get through this surgery and see where things are, and we’ll see, you know, if I physically and mentally want to keep skiing, or if I’ll just be out there recreationally.”
