Days after the unveiling of her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, Livvy Dunne revealed she had a fractured kneecap during the photoshoot.
Videos by Suggest
In a voiceover accompanying her May 19 Instagram post, Dunne spoke about how the photoshoot wasn’t as comfortable as she had expected it to be.
“Fun fact, I was shooting on a fractured kneecap, so pose like this and the cover shot kind of hurt,” she pointed out. “But it was honestly so worth it.”
Livvy Dunne also stated that the Sports Illustrated photoshoot occurred just after she sustained an avulsion fracture in her kneecap on March 6. She was barred from future gymnastic competition at the PMAC with Louisiana State University due to the injury.
“It absolutely breaks my heart to not get the opportunity to compete in the PMAC one last time,” she said. “Tiger fans, you’ve been so good to me!”
According to the National Institutes of Health, an avulsion fracture is a failure of a bone in which a bone fragment is pulled away from its main body by soft tissue that is attached to it. This kind of fracture can occur in any area where soft tissue is attached to the bone.
The Cleveland Clinic notes that bones most at risk for avulsion fractures include the elbow, ankle, and foot bones. It can also occur in knee bones, finger and wrist bones, pelvis and hip bones, and spine bones.
The typical recovery time for avulsion fractures is within six weeks. However, pain and swelling can persist for three to six months.
Livve Dunne Retired From Gymnastics After Sustaining the Injury
More than two months after sustaining the kneecap injury, Livve Dunne announced her retirement from gymnastics.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” she explained in her retirement video. “Something said when you’re enjoying yourself to the point that time seems to slip away from you, and that’s exactly how the past 20 years in this sport have felt. The highs, the lows, making the USA National Team, and competing for our country. Every risk was worth the reward.”
Dunne then stated, “Finishing my career over the past five years at the best university [Louisiana State University] in the world has been an incredible journey and I’m forever grateful.”
The former athlete spoke to PEOPLE about her retirement decision. “I’ve always said ‘no’ to opportunities way more than I’ve said ‘yes,'” she explained. “So I’m excited to do everything and be able to travel and be able to do things on my time because it’s always been around gymnastics.”
She then said, “My life has revolved around gymnastics. So honestly, to be able to say yes to more things and potentially maybe do some more performing art stuff on screen – I’m very excited.”
In regards to potentially going into acting, Dunne added, “I don’t know, I don’t know! Stay tuned!”