Lindsey Vonn is back home from the hospital after her ninth surgery, revealing it took over five hours to remove all the plates and screws from her leg and replace her ACL. This massive procedure, following her tragic ski crash during the 2026 Winter Olympics, is a huge step in what she hopes is her “final road to a full recovery.”
The Nine-Month Wait is Over
Anyone else feel a pit in their stomach when Lindsey Vonn posted about her “nervous” energy before surgery this week? Man, that November 9 date had been “looming on her calendar for a while now,” and you could tell she was ready to get it done. This wasn’t just another trip to the OR, this was the ninth one since her tragic ski crash during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Remember that brutal high-speed crash into the safety netting at a World Cup tune-up back in January? That’s when she first tore her ACL. Then, a week later, she suffered a leg fracture during her Olympic downhill race.
She’s been clear about the complexity: “Cause of all the plates, we just couldn’t put [a new ACL] in,” she explained, adding that doctors were “just basically removing all the hardware so we can put in a new ACL, because I don’t have an ACL still.” Nine months of waiting for her bone to heal meant this procedure was crucial, a true “fingers crossed” moment.
Five Hours Under the Knife, Months Still Ahead
And what a moment it was. Vonn wasted no time updating fans: “Surgery went well!” she posted, along with snapshots of the black metal plates and screws they pulled out of her leg. Think about that for a second: *over five hours* in surgery just to take out all that hardware and finally replace the ACL. That’s a serious testament to what her body has been through and the surgical team’s work.
Now she’s home, and thankfully on “the final road to a full recovery.” But let’s be real, “final road” doesn’t mean it’s over tomorrow. She’s looking at another “six to nine months” for the ACL recovery, just like a “normal” one, *plus* the time for the bone holes left by the screws to heal. It’s a grind, but Vonn has been showing us all how she tackles it, even sharing videos of modified workouts back in September, saying she’ll “keep working hard to keep getting better and stronger. #onestepatatime.”
Lindsey Vonn has promised more updates “soon,” and you know we’ll be watching. This kind of resilience is what makes her an absolute legend. Here’s to hoping this really is the final big hurdle, and we can all watch her continue to live her life to the fullest.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
Leave a Reply