'Everything was in pieces:' Lindsey Vonn describes grueling surgery on broken leg

'Everything was in pieces:' Lindsey Vonn describes grueling surgery on broken leg February 23, 2026 2:29 PM ET By Will Stone Lindsey Vonn of Team USA was rescued by helicopter after she crashed during the Women's Downhill event during the Winter Olympics on February 8. She's had multiple surgeries since then and is now recovering. Al Bello/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Al Bello/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images Team USA skier Lindsey Vonn has emerged from a grueling two weeks of medical treatment after her brutal crash earlier this month. On Monday, Vonn described her injury in a public Instagram post as the "most extreme and painful and challenging" she's ever faced in her life — "times 100." In the video, Vonn credits her surgeon for saving her leg "from being amputated ." Vonn, who competed in the Olympics despite a torn ACL, suffered a complex tibia fracture of her left leg and had to undergo multiple surgeries, first in Italy and then back in the U.S. "Everything was in pieces," she said. What made Vonn's injuries especially serious was that she had developed a condition known as compartment syndrome — when pressure builds up in the muscles from swelling or bleeding. If left untreated, that can cause soft tissue like nerves and muscle to die. To avoid that, doctors in Italy made incisions in her leg to relieve the swelling. On Wednesday in the U.S., Vonn underwent a six-hour surgery with plates and screws to rebuild the leg and cover the skin to prevent infection. The injuries were so severe — and not typically seen in other sports — because Vonn was traveling at such a high velocity, says Dr. Anthony Petrosini, sports medicine orthopedist for Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, who was not involved in Vonn's care. "It's more like something you see in a car accident type of collision," he told NPR. "This was a very very serious injury." While compartment syndrome following a fracture like hers can lead to am...