Celebrities | Mar 21, 2022 10:32 PM EDT

Lindsey Vonn Completes Knee Surgery Amid Lingering Pain Due to Skiing Injuries

By Alexandria Reeves

Lindsey Vonn is now starting her recovery period after undergoing knee surgery.

As a longtime Olympian and skier, Vonn already suffered multiple injuries while doing the sport. This led her to feel pain for years which caused her to seek another treatment.

In 2019, she already had surgery to repair her torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL). However, she still felt issues although the procedure went well.

"Been having a hard time with the pain in my knee. You may have noticed I haven't been posting many workout videos lately... that's why," she said. "Dr. Hackett did a great job and removed a lot of bone spurs and scar tissue. Hopefully now I can straighten my leg fully!"

Vonn clarified that her recent surgery is just a temporary fix. She revealed she would still need a full knee replacement after a year or two.

Although she is now feeling the effects of skiing for years, it is reportedly worth it since she gets to do what she loves to do.

Knee Issues Led Lindsey Vonn To Retire

In the same post, she confirmed to fans she would be back to do the sports again after retiring in February 2019. At that time, she said she retired sooner than she hoped due to her health issues.

"Despite extensive therapy, training, and a knee brace, I am not able to make the turns necessary to compete the way I know I can. My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen," she wrote at that time.

A post shared by instagram

Indeed, Vonn's injuries speaks about her recognition and records as a skier. As a former World Cup alpine ski racer of the U.S.A Ski Team before her retirement.

She earned three Olympic medals - one of which is gold - and eight World Championships acknowledgments (two golds). She also brought home four World Cup overall championship trophies, pushing her to become one of only two female skiers to hit the feat.

Vonn won her first Olympic gold medal, the first one for an American ski racer, at the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2016, she surpassed Ingemar Stenmark's 19 globes record from 1975 to 1984 before getting her 20th World Cup crystal globe title during the same year.

On top of that, she received the second-highest super ranking among all skiers.