The most talented female ski jumper, beside Anette Sagen, Lindsey Van, has undergone a major knee surgery. The American suffered a serious injury during the official training in Breitenberg(15.02).
“I landed with a telemark and felt a piercing pain in my knee. When I took off my skis and tried standing on the foot, I simply fell over”, states Lindsey Van.
Despite the leg trouble, Lindsey has since started in two Ladies Continental Cup competitions, twice stepping up on the second place. As it turned out later, those were the last of the American jumper’s appearances this Winter.
“Pieces of cartilage were fractured from my knee cap and got caught up in the joint when I walked”, relates the 23-year old jumper.
After the competition in Bajersbronn and in Schoenwald, where Van appeared only in the role of the team’s servicewoman, Lindsey returned to her country and, a month later, on 26th of March, she underwent a surgery in Vail Colorado. The damaged pieces of cartilage were removed. After the surgery, the technique of microfracture was used, which supports the regeneration of cartilage in knee joint.
“Currently I must spend 8 hours a day with a special machine that shifts my leg from straight to bent so that the surface of the new cartilage can adjust”, adds Van.
Additionally, Lindsey undergoes an intensive physiotherapy. Among all exercises, she must ride the bicycle, which stimulates the motion of the joint. The therapy lasts on average three hours, five days a week.
Lindsey Van has announced she doesn’t want to hurry her return to regular Ski jumping, but would like to start at the beginning of the coming Winter season. This Summer, the 23-year old Ski jumper will focus mostly on training and making up for lost classes and season work.