Members of the media may directly contact the following experts on this topic:
Allison Clouthier (English only)
Assistant Professor, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences
Phone: 613-562-5800, ext. 4258
Professor Clouthier’s research focuses on how patient-specific factors contribute to the risk of musculoskeletal pathology and the success of treatment. By measuring and simulating knee joint biomechanics, she investigates how characteristics such as joint geometry can affect function and contribute to patellofemoral pain or instability. Her work combines musculoskeletal simulation and artificial intelligence with various motion capture technologies to study individualized joint biomechanics.
"Skiing is a high-risk activity for knee injuries, and a torn ACL and meniscus will mean the knee is less stable and more susceptible to further injury. However, I think that Lindsey Vonn has a few factors acting in her favour.
As one of the best skiers in the world, she has excellent technique and strength, which reduces the risk of injury. She has also said that her knee is not swollen and feels stable, and she wore a brace in training today which will help to stabilize the knee in the absence of an ACL. While a younger athlete may not want to risk worsening the injury and jeopardizing the rest of their career, she may be more willing to take that risk. The intense loading on an unstable knee also increases the risk of early osteoarthritis.
However, Lindsey Vonn would be familiar with this as she already has a partial knee replacement in her other knee due to osteoarthritis and perhaps decided that she will take that risk to compete in what may be her final Olympics. While I wouldn't advise anyone to ski that soon after such an injury, I can see that this decision likely makes sense in her case."