“Do Not Watch”: Skiing Star Lindsey Vonn Walks Down Her Fans Through Her Knee Replacement Surgery

An American former World Cup alpine ski racer and an Olympic medalist, Lindsey Vonn, had recently been through her knee replacement surgery. Announcing her battling knee issues in the past to her 2.3 million fans following on Instagram, she had stated a few days back, “After a lot of thought, research and talking to many many doctors, I decided to get a knee replacement.”

Now that everyone from the audience was curious about how it went through, she put a detailed video of the surgery right from the operation room. Quoting the process step-by-step, Lindsey Vonn, who has been battling injuries for long, reasoned her post as a guiding light to those who wanted subjective information about the knee replacement procedure.

The latest Instagram post showcasing Vonn under the knives started with a warning, “do NOT watch if you are squeamish, I edited out the worst of it but still full warning.” Lindsey Vonn gave a tour of the hospital operation room where she went through the surgery. She gave “step-by-step” information on the procedure (watch the clip below). Despite the grueling surgery, she had some good news for the fans.

“Rehab is going to well so far! I’m cruising around without my hot pink walker so I’m pumped,” announced Lindsey. This resilience of Lindsey Vonn has always been a trademark of hers. This is not the first time she has gone for surgery for her embattled knees. But she has overcome all that with grit. But amid that, she has continued to enjoy her passion for skiing.

Cruising through the obstacles standing strong

The 39-year-old skier, Lindsey Vonn is third amongst female skiers, next to the female skiers, Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin—with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and another in 2012. However, she has struggled with many injuries in her past starting with a major ACL injury in 2007 and continuing with a devastating crash in the 2013 Super G World Championship that led to multiple ligament tears and tibial plateau fractures surrounding her knee.

As a frightening reminder of her injuries, she has once said, “I can’t tell you how many times people told me that I wouldn’t come back. I had two ACL surgeries, MCL meniscus. I have a plate and 19 screws in my arm.” In 2020, she said that by that time she had nine surgeries.

Though wanting to avoid the recent knee replacement surgery since last year, the 4x Overall World Champion’s lateral compartment of the knee consequently gave up, and she suffered a tri-compartment degeneration that ultimately led her to the operation theatre. Despite that, she has continued to take up tough challenges on the slopes.

Last year, she stunned everyone by skiing at the iconic Kitzbuhel slope at night. After that, Vonn said, “The Streif is literally the pinnacle of downhill skiing. It’s the hardest track in the world. If you can make it down the Streif, you’re a true downhiller.” That is how Vonn continues to prove herself on and off the slopes.