Lindsey Vonn 'Struggling' After Last Surgery, Remains Hospitalized in U.S.

Lindsey Vonn Battles Pain After 6-Hour Surgery Taking ‘Baby Steps’ Toward Comeback

Published February 20, 2026 8:57 AM PST

It’s been a brutal few days for Lindsey Vonn … and she’s not sugarcoating it.

The three-time Olympic medalist shared updates from her hospital bed on Friday after undergoing a marathon surgery following her terrifying crash at the 2026 Winter Games -- and it was no small procedure.

“Made it through surgery … it took a bit more than 6 hours to complete,” Vonn said in an Instagram post. “As you can see, it required a lot of plates and screws to put back together but Dr. Hackett did an incredible job.”

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She further detailed just how tough the recovery has been -- now having undergone at least five surgeries since the February 8 accident.

“Pain has been hard to manage,” she wrote on X. “Making slow progress but I hope I can be out of the hospital soon. Thank you all for the support.”

"I’m bionic for real now."

Vonn was hospitalized in Italy for eight days before returning to the United States earlier this week.

Chasing one more Olympic moment, the 41-year-old crashed just 13 seconds into her final downhill and needed to be airlifted off the course. The wipeout left her with a serious lower leg injury -- in addition to her already torn ACL -- that required several procedures before she could return stateside this week.

Vonn -- who’s also dealing with the fallout from the death of her dog, Leo -- admitted the extent of the trauma has made the immediate post-op stretch especially difficult.

“I’ve been struggling a bit post op and have not yet been able to be discharged from the hospital just yet … almost there,” she said. “Baby steps.”

While she hasn’t fully explained the injury yet, the mention of plates and screws makes it clear the damage was serious. She said to stay tuned for the meaning of her tragedy.

Still, if history tells us anything … it’s that Vonn doesn’t stay down for long. She’s battled through torn ligaments, fractures, and multiple surgeries throughout her illustrious career -- and clawed her way back every time.

For now, it’s slow progress … but the comeback mindset is already in motion.

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