Vonn’s decision to ski again soon after an ACL rupture has put a spotlight on what sports medicine experts say this injury can mean for stability, performance and risk at race speeds. Speaking Tuesday at a news conference, the American alpine skier said she crashed in a World Cup downhill event in Switzerland on Friday and suffered damage to her left knee that included a “completely ruptured” ACL and bone bruising, along with “plus meniscal damage.”
Vonn said that after physical therapy and on the advice of doctors, she chose to continue, adding that her plan depends on factors such as whether her knee is swollen and how she manages support during competition. She said her knee was not swollen and that, with the help of a knee brace, she was confident she could compete on Sunday.
Experts said competing with an ACL rupture can be risky but still possible in some circumstances, particularly for top-level athletes used to the demands of high-speed alpine racing. Dr. Catherine Logan, an orthopedic surgeon with the Joint Preservation Center in Denver, Colorado, said she has worked with U.S. ski, snowboard and lacrosse teams and that, in her experience, elite athletes sometimes take on risks because the stakes are higher for them. “It’s not unusual for any elite athlete. People will push through with something that us normal folks wouldn’t push through because the stakes are a little higher,” Logan said.
At the same time, other specialists emphasized that instability remains a central danger. Dr. Yana Klein, an emergency and sports medicine specialist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said Vonn risks doing more damage—or potentially “blow out” her knee further. “She might blow out her knee entirely,” Klein said. “At these really high racing speeds, the big risk is that the knee is just not stable enough to compete.” Klein said decisions like this are complicated and that “athlete safety” should remain the top priority.
Doctors described what an ACL rupture is and how it typically happens in sports that demand sudden direction changes. The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, connects the femur to the tibia, and a rupture is a tear in the ligament that often occurs in activities such as basketball, soccer and skiing. Athletes may hear a loud “pop” in the knee, followed by the knee giving out and swelling.
For Vonn specifically, experts said her combination of injuries increases concern. Dr. Mia Hagen, a sports medicine surgeon at UW Medicine in Seattle, said a ruptured ACL along with meniscus damage is considered severe. She said it is often treated with surgery within months of the injury and that recovery after surgery can take nine months to a year. “Some people can return earlier, but others never return to their sport of injury,” Hagen said.
Logan said Vonn will likely rely on an external knee brace and on the athlete’s underlying strength and control. “Skiing is possible with a ruptured ACL,” Logan said. She said it depends on “our quad strength, our hip strength and our neuromuscular control.” Logan added that the injury could affect performance if there is significant swelling or excess fluid in the joint, which could change power, strength and edge control, as well as the ability to manage the angle of the skis relative to the snow.
Even with the risks, Logan said that for an Olympic-level skier, competition is still possible if the athlete can manage those variables. “For an elite alpine skier like Lindsey is, to perform at an Olympic event, it’s still possible,” Logan said.