Four Female Athletes Who Defied Career-Threatening Injuries — And the Call for Better Access to Care for All Women in Sports
In the world of competitive sports, injuries are a tough but common reality. Athletes often push their bodies to the limits, and this sometimes results in severe injuries, particularly to areas like the knees and shoulders. Although modern medicine has developed innovative treatments that help athletes recover and return to their sports, not everyone has access to these resources. This contrast is especially stark when we look at the stories of top female athletes who managed to come back from serious injuries, thanks in part to world-class medical teams and cutting-edge technologies.
Here, we profile four remarkable women who overcame significant injuries and successfully returned to their sports, illustrating how their access to the best treatments enabled their comebacks. At the same time, these stories highlight the need for widespread, accessible, and affordable injury prevention and treatment for all women and girls involved in sports, dance, and recreational activities.
1. Lindsey Vonn: Conquering Repeated Knee Injuries
Lindsey Vonn, one of the most celebrated alpine skiers in history, has suffered multiple knee injuries throughout her career and signalled a potential comeback after knee replacement, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. In 2013, she tore her ACL and MCL during the World Championships in Austria, requiring intensive surgery and rehabilitation. Despite this setback, Vonn returned to skiing, only to injure her knee again, leading to further surgeries.
Vonn’s comeback was fueled by cutting-edge medical care, including physical therapy, ACL reconstruction, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, which accelerated her body’s natural healing process. While her resilience is admirable, her access to advanced treatment options, rehabilitation facilities, and physical therapists allowed her to come back stronger, illustrating the difference top-tier care can make in an athlete’s recovery.
2. Serena Williams: Battling Shoulder Pain, Knee Injuries, and Still Winning Titles
Serena Williams has long been a powerful figure in tennis, known for her strength and endurance. However, a shoulder injury in 2016 nearly derailed her career. Williams struggled with pain that affected her ability to play her signature powerful serve, which is central to her game. Her recovery involved careful management by a team of specialists, advanced physical therapy, and strengthening exercises targeted at protecting her shoulder joint. She is no stranger to injuries, battling a left knee injury in the mid-2000s. Despite that, no one can match her record and achievements on the court.
Williams’s comeback underscores the impact of early intervention, and a team of medical professionals focused on her recovery. Advanced imaging and diagnostic tools were essential in managing her treatment, as they helped identify specific muscle imbalances and weaknesses that could be addressed. All the tools, technologies, and training cannot overshadow that Serena Williams is an incredible athlete of all time, full stop. Her mental strength and focus set her apart from most; this ability is an integral part of her long-term success on and off the tennis court.
3. Alex Morgan: Overcoming an ACL Tear with Precision Rehabilitation
Soccer star Alex Morgan suffered a torn ACL early in her career, a common injury in high-intensity sports like soccer. ACL tears are especially prevalent among female athletes, with studies showing women are 2 to 10 times more likely to suffer this injury than men potentially due to anatomical and hormonal factors, among others. Morgan’s ACL tear required extensive surgery and rehab, involving the best medical professionals in the field, who helped her regain her strength and agility to make a full return to the sport.
Morgan’s recovery involved rigorous physical therapy, with a focus on re-establishing strength and flexibility to avoid future injuries. Her access to specialized rehabilitation programs and trainers familiar with the unique challenges of ACL recovery played a critical role in her successful comeback.
4. Skylar Diggins-Smith: Shoulder Injury and Resilience in Basketball
WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith is known for her resilience on the court. She faced a major setback with a shoulder injury that required surgery, followed by an extensive recovery process. As a professional athlete, Diggins-Smith had access to top orthopedic surgeons and state-of-the-art physical therapy, enabling her to make a strong comeback in a highly physical sport.
Her rehabilitation was comprehensive, involving customized exercises to regain shoulder stability and prevent future injuries. Her journey showcases the importance of specialized rehab for joint injuries and highlights how advanced medical care can restore an athlete’s capacity to perform at an elite level.
Bridging the Gap: Accessible Injury Prevention and Treatment for All
What are the barriers?
The stories of these elite athletes highlight the incredible impact that quality medical care, advanced diagnostics, and personalized rehab can have on recovery. However, these resources are not available to the majority of female athletes, especially young girls involved in sports. Injuries that could be rehabilitated with proper care often end with chronic pain or early retirement from their activity due to limited access to affordable, effective, and accessible treatment options or longer-term impacts, both physically and psychologically.
Female athletes in sports and other physical pursuits face significant barriers in recovery, rehabilitation, and return to activity after injuries. Limited access to affordable diagnostics, injury prevention programs, cost-effective, clinically proven, and clean treatments (for carded and tested elite athletes) and specialized rehabilitation often leaves them at a disadvantage, increasing the risk of recurring injuries and long-term physical limitations. For injuries like ACL tears, which disproportionately affect women and shoulder, elbow, and ankle injuries common in sports like basketball, tennis, baseball, skiing, snowboarding, and swimming, the challenges are compounded by a lack of tailored treatments that account for biological differences. These gaps not only hinder recovery but also threaten the identity and well-being of those for whom physical activity is a central part of life. Ensuring equitable access to preventive care and effective rehabilitation is critical to helping female athletes overcome these barriers and continue to thrive in their pursuits.
New Era of Biology and Technology Converge—"Is it all Show, No Go?”
According to the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), the sports medicine market today is booming with products promoted to regenerate joints, cartilage, tendons, etc. Known as orthobiologics, it holds promise for revolutionizing treatment in sports medicine and orthopedics. However, when it comes to core essentials like clinical evidence, quality control, and FDA approval—the big question is, 'Is it all show, no go?' Many products look good on the surface but lack the substance that patients, providers, and payers can rely on: solid clinical outcomes, rigorous safety standards, and regulatory approval. The result is widespread skepticism, caution, and lack of reimbursement, which leads to slow adoption. Even more alarming, are certain bad actors that utilize regulatory caveats to promote unverified claims with products or treatments that end up costing tens and thousands of dollars.
Moving Toward Equal Access in Women’s Sports Medicine
Biology is emerging as a pivotal focus in orthopedics, offering new opportunities for academic researchers and industry to uncover the biological differences that influence injuries and recovery. Leveraging biobanks, registries, clinical data, and AI, we can gain a deeper understanding of the root causes of injuries and develop targeted strategies for prevention and rehabilitation. This is especially crucial for young female athletes, who are often more vulnerable to certain injuries. By prioritizing investments in accessible, affordable injury prevention research, advanced diagnostics, innovative treatments, and cutting-edge rehabilitation technologies, we can empower girls and women to remain healthy, active, and engaged in the sports and activities they love. The future holds the promise of more equitable care and enhanced outcomes, ensuring athletes at all levels can thrive. Temple Orthobiologics we are doing our part to advance clinical science toward validated and FDA Approved products that are accessible, reimbursed, and proven to work.
The success stories of Lindsey Vonn, Serena Williams, Alex Morgan, and Skylar Diggins-Smith show what’s possible with the right support. It’s time to make these resources accessible to every athlete, so they, too, can overcome injuries and reach their full potential in the activity they love.
