Lindsey Vonn is making a remarkable comeback, but her ordeal was far graver than meets the eye. Although the Olympic skier had previously recounted the extensive surgeries she underwent to repair the intricate tibia fracture she sustained during her devastating crash at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, she recently divulged that she also endured compartment syndrome—a condition that, as in her case, can escalate into a medical emergency.
In a heartfelt Feb. 23 Instagram video, Lindsey explained, “Compartment syndrome occurs when your body experiences such trauma in one area that there's an overwhelming amount of blood that gets trapped, essentially crushing everything within the compartment—all the muscle, nerves, and tendons. Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg from amputation.”
Hackett, who serves as both Lindsey's and Team USA's orthopedic surgeon, performed a fasciotomy on her leg, which involved cutting through the connective tissue around Lindsey’s calf to restore blood flow and alleviate the pressure. Ironically, Hackett's presence in Italy was due to Lindsey's ACL tear shortly before the Games.
"I always believe everything happens for a reason," she said. "But if I hadn't torn my ACL—which I would have anyway in that crash—Tom wouldn't have been there to save my leg."
Despite being thrilled to finally be back in her Colorado home, Lindsey noted that her hospital stay was longer than anticipated due to blood loss and the surgeries. "I was really struggling," she added. "The pain was a bit out of control, and I had to undergo a blood transfusion, which helped immensely. I turned the corner, and now I'm back on my feet."
The four-time Olympian shared that she'll be confined to a wheelchair for the time being as she also broke her ankle in the crash, but she's eager to head straight to rehab once she can walk and work on rebuilding her strength.
While focused on her future recovery, Lindsey admitted, "It's been really hard, and it was definitely not the way I wanted to end my Olympics. But it's been incredibly inspiring to watch my teammates."
Nevertheless, the three-time medalist isn't looking back. "We keep going, no regrets," she said. "I wish it had ended differently, but I'd rather go down swinging than not try at all. And I think what I was able to achieve was more than anyone expected."
As she put it, "Life is life, and we have to take the punches as they come. So I'll do the best I can with this one. I'm like Rocky—I'll just keep getting back up."
