Lindsey Vonn is back on her feet after a wicked crash at the Olympics nearly cost her a leg. However, she suffered from extreme muscle atrophy during the first two months of her lengthy road to recovery.
Her legs look much weaker than they did just 60 days ago.
This is obviously to be expected when it comes to any kind of significant rehabilitation process. It is still jarring to see the extreme impact of a major injury on an elite athlete who just competed at the Olympics.
Lindsey Vonn’s nearly lost her leg in the crash at the Olympics.
The 41-year-old downhill skier was not at full health when she arrived to Italy for the Winter Games. Vonn had to be airlifted out of the World Cup in Switzerland on Jan. 30 with a severe knee injury.
That did not stop her from competing at the Olympics.
Lindsey Vonn went through a full workout just a few days after she blew out her ACL and returned to the slopes less than a week later. Unfortunately, her first race of the downhill competition was a complete and total disaster. She clipped the fourth gate and went down. Hard.
Medical personnell responded to the scene as quickly as they could. Vonn had to be airlifted off of the course for the second time in less than two weeks.
Believe it or not, Vonn’s torn ACL indirectly saved her leg from being amputated after the second crash. The doctor who traveled with her to Italy was able to perform emergency surgery on her fractured tibia because he was already out there to monitor her knee injury.
Although it was the best worst case scenario for Lindsey Vonn, she was in crippling pain after the crash. The three-time world champion described the injury as horrible pain that would not dissipate. It is seared into her brain. It took her a full month and multiple surgeries before she could return to the United States.
Fortunately, things are trending much better at the two-month mark. Vonn is off of the pain killers and back to walking (gingerly) with the assistance of crutches.
Muscle atrophy is extreme.
Although Lindsey Vonn is finally back on her feet, she is not back to full strength or anywhere near. Her leg muscles have atrophied since the crash on Jan. 30.
Muscle atrophy, as defined by the University of Florida as “the wasting (thinning) or loss of muscle tissue.” There are three types of muscle atrophy: physiologic, pathologic and neurogenic. Vonn is suffering from physiologic muscle atrophy, which is caused by not using the muscles enough.
The difference in the size of her legs is drastic. This video was filmed in early January for a cover shoot with Self Magazine:
Take notice of Vonn’s thighs. They are extremely strong.
The following video was filmed earlier this week, about two months after her crash in Italy. Her legs are much smaller in terms of muscle mass.
— – (@Spicoli_____) March 31, 2026
I don’t know whether Lindsey Vonn hopes to one day get back on the slopes but I doubt it. The focus right now is obviously a return to everyday life. She must first be able to walk without assistance before she can even dream of skiing. That will require her to build back the muscle that atrophied in recovery.