"I can still fight. I can try. And I will try as long as I can. I will go as far as I can." Lindsey Vonn refused to give up on what will be her fifth Olympic Games. The legendary and media-friendly American skier, 41, is not giving up on her Olympic dream despite tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on January 30, following a fall in the Crans-Montana downhill.
The decision highlights her spirit of self-improvement, her ability to overcome obstacles and limitations. But it also hides a dark side: the risk she takes. More so when in the other knee, the right one, she has a titanium prosthesis that she needed to reconstruct a joint completely destroyed by injuries. In these conditions she is willing to fly down the mountain at about 130 km/h. What is Vonn exposed to? What is the risk she is taking? Is it reckless? What consequences could she suffer? Is it a decision that only depends on the athlete or should the organization speak out? Dr Pedro Luis Ripoll, one of the best traumatologists in the world, analyzes the dangers of the 'Vonn case'.
What is the risk involved?
"Competing puts him at very high risk for all the structures in the knee. It's not impossible for him to compete, but because he lacks an anterior cruciate ligament, the knee doesn't have a 'seatbelt' against impacts, so to speak. And because that knee lacks a 'seatbelt', it has no stability. He could suffer a joint failure during the descent that could lead to a major fall, where he could further damage his left knee. But what would be much more serious is what could happen to his right knee, the one with the prosthesis," explains Dr. Ripoll.
Is it impossible for him to compete?
Lindsey Vonn will squeeze all the advances and medical treatments to achieve her goal, something that can help her. "It's not impossible for her to compete. Skiing is a sport in which you slide and you can occasionally replace the work done by the cruciate ligament with a special knee brace or a splint, but prolonging that situation leads to the destruction of the knee because the joint is unstable," warns Ripoll.
Is it reckless?
"I would rate it as stubbornness. The athlete is probably underestimating the seriousness of the situation and the consequences she faces after overcoming other serious injuries. It is a risk for her to compete with a torn cruciate ligament, but having a prosthesis in her right knee is reckless. If she suffers a fall because her left knee gives way or because she makes a mistake, she runs the risk of suffering a periprosthetic fracture (everything around a joint prosthesis) in her right knee. This means that the bone in which the prosthesis is anchored would break. The metal would not break on impact, the bone would break," he said.
What is Vonn exposed to?
"We are talking about a fall that could have dire consequences. A fracture around the prosthesis poses many technical problems to solve and causes very important sequelae. For example, a lifetime disability in that leg. It is the worst thing that can happen to a human being in the locomotor system. He would suffer a severe limitation for the development of normal life."
Short-term future?
"It is one thing to compete now, which, while risky, is not impossible with some kind of special splint, and quite another to consider prolonging his career with a torn ligament. A good example of this is the prosthesis he wears on his other knee, which was implanted because of deterioration of the cruciate ligament and menisci, which irreversibly damaged the articular cartilage".
Does the organization have nothing to say?
"It's a good question. Everything has a limit and she has already been fitted with a prosthesis to be able to compete and it is a miracle that she has done so. The individual freedom of the athlete to take risks is not limited, but in certain activities it should be because it can cause very important damage to the joints. She is putting her physical integrity at risk. She is too young (41 years old) to have a prosthesis and she has to take care of it because it should last until she is 70 years old or more. She is putting her life at risk as an athlete and as a person."
What would be the best decision?
"Don't compete. Intelligence is the ability to understand reality and adapt to it. His reality is that he has a prosthesis and it is already a miracle that he has been able to compete again. Now he has a very serious injury and should refrain from competing until he has repaired that injury," concludes Dr. Ripoll.