Lindsey Vonn suffered from compartment syndrome after her crash at the Winter Olympics, according to orthopedic surgeon Nolan Horner. She underwent five surgeries for her leg injury. Horner warned that without immediate surgery, Vonn's risk of losing her leg would have increased very rapidly. Compartment syndrome is a surgical emergency that can lead to permanent nerve damage or limb loss if not treated quickly, Horner said. Doctors opened or released Vonn's fascia to relieve pressure and save her leg.
Horner estimated Vonn will not be able to bear weight on her leg for up to three months. He estimated her recovery could take around a year.
There is a risk of amputation for anybody in that situation, the doctors tell you that. Compartment syndrome is the risk and I was given the warning. It is quite a sobering thought when you are lying there in this strange hospital ward and you are about to go for your operation. To be fair the doctors are very aware of compartment syndrome and that's one of the things that they're hyper-vigilant about.
In a separate case, Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy was warned of a risk of leg amputation after a mountain bike crash in Wales, according to Daily Express - Sport. Hoy suffered multiple serious fractures to his lower right leg, including a fractured tibia and knee. He was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2023. Hoy made a remarkable recovery and was walking by the end of January 2026, ahead of doctors' estimates. He sometimes underwent five or six hours of rehab a day.
Julia Anderson developed compartment syndrome after passing out drunk and lying on her legs, cutting off blood circulation, according to Daily Mirror - Main. She needed emergency surgery to save her legs from amputation. Surgeons cut into her left calf muscle and removed sections of muscle to relieve pressure. She remained in hospital for five weeks and was bedridden for three more weeks after surgery.
All I could think to myself was 'did I break my legs or something? Why can't I move my legs?'
The nerve damage was so bad I was screaming out in the middle of the night with the pain. Imagine your leg is falling asleep but that tingling feeling is times a thousand, like a sharp shooting electric shock up my leg.
It's been years but it still feels like my foot is mildly asleep all the time, I'm used to it. My toes are starting to curl under, I don't know if I'll need further surgery or if there's anything they can do at this point.