Skier Lindsey Vonn revealed she could have lost her leg after her crash in downhill at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
In an Instagram post Monday, Feb. 23, Vonn detailed her injuries that were far more extensive than initially known. In addition to the complex tibial fracture, Vonn said she had a tibial plateau fracture and fractured fibula head.
"I had compartment syndrome. And compartment syndrome is when you have so much trauma to one area of your body, that there's too much blood, and it gets stuck, and it basically crushes everything in the compartment," Vonn said "All the muscle and nerves and tendons, it all kind of dies. And Dr. Tom Hackett had saved my life. He saved my leg from being amputated."
Excessive pressure building up inside a muscle, either from bleeding or swelling, causes compartment syndrome. The pressure restricts blood flow and can lead to permanent injury if not treated quickly.
Vonn said Hackett, an orthopedic surgeon, was on site because she tore her ACL in a crash prior to the Olympics. He conducted a fasciotomy to save her leg.
