Lindsey Vonn's younger sister Karin Kildow has suffered a torn ACL, just weeks after the Olympic skiing legend came perilously close to losing her leg following a horrific crash at the Winter Games.
The 33-year-old Kildow's injury adds to what has been described as the family's dreadful run of misfortune. The circumstances surrounding how she sustained the damage remain unknown.
Vonn, 41, shared footage on Wednesday showing her sibling arriving on crutches with a substantial brace fitted to her right knee.
The skiing icon herself was visible lying in a weight room, her left knee still bandaged from her own ordeal in Milan-Cortina approximately one month earlier.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Despite the painful setback, Kildow appeared in good spirits, cheerfully waving at the camera with her crutch.
Vonn accompanied the video with the caption: "Karin, Patient No. 2 torn ACL. Welcome to the Vonn Rehab Center."
The sisters are now set to undergo their recovery process side by side. Kildow subsequently posted her own footage showing Vonn examining her knee and testing its range of movement.
Lindsey Vonn's younger sister Karin Kildow has suffered a torn ACL, just weeks after the Olympic skiing legend came perilously close to losing her leg following a horrific crash at the Winter Games
|GETTY
In a lighthearted touch, Kildow described the session as her "First appointment with my new physiotherapist" and playfully asked her followers: "Should I pay her for this?"
Kildow had been at her sister's side throughout the traumatic period following the Milan-Cortina accident, supporting Vonn during the difficult initial stages of her hospital treatment.
Vonn revealed in late February, upon her return to the United States, just how close she came to amputation.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Lindsey Vonn shared footage of her injured sister on social media
|The 41-year-old underwent four separate surgical procedures in Italy following what she described as the most extreme and agonising injury of her entire career.
"I had a complex tibia fracture. Also fractured my fibular head, my tibular plateau, just kind of everything was in pieces," Vonn explained.
"And the reason why it was so complex was because I had compartment syndrome."
The condition, caused by blood creating dangerous pressure within the muscles, required a six-hour fasciotomy to prevent surgeons from having to remove her left leg entirely.
Compounding her recovery challenges, Vonn had actually torn her ACL days before the Olympic crash occurred, meaning further surgery awaits.
Professional athletes typically require around nine months to recover from ACL reconstruction alone.
Lindsey Vonn had to receive treatment in hospital after her crash at the Winter Olympics | GETTYVonn, who returned to competitive skiing last season following nearly six years away from the sport and a partial titanium knee replacement, has firmly rejected suggestions her career is finished.
When a social media user referenced the apparent end of her skiing days, Vonn responded sharply: "Who said I was retiring?"
After being told to accept her situation, she fired back: "Think you're mistaking ego for joy. I've said it my whole life; I love skiing. I'll put my feet up when I'm good and ready thank you."
In a broader statement released on Sunday, Vonn declared: "At my age, I'm the only one that will decide my future. I don't need anyone's permission to do what makes me happy."
Her stance appears to contradict her father Alan Kildow, who told the Associated Press following the crash: "She's 41 years old and this is the end of her career.
"There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it."