Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who was a prominent supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) when she was running for president, won’t be attending next week’s Democratic National Convention. But Feinstein’s absence shouldn’t be interpreted as a sign of disapproval for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the party’s soon-to-be-official nominee.

Feinstein broke her ankle on Friday and, per doctor’s orders, will not attend the Denver convention. Feinstein slipped and fell while on a walk with Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) in Tahoe, where both were attending the Lake Tahoe Summit.

“My doctor has advised me not to travel in the short-term, and so, regretfully, I am unable to attend what will surely be an historic convention in Denver. I was very much looking forward to chairing the California Delegation, and I offer my best wishes to California’s delegates in this vital nomination process,” Feinstein said in a statement.

The California Democrat thought she had only sprained her ankle and proceeded to host a Tahoe dinner and attend summit activities for the weekend, according to Feinstein spokesman Scott Gerber. It wasn’t until returning to San Francisco on Monday that she visited a doctor, who discovered a broken fibula.

Feinstein managed to hobble through the weekend by “leaning on her state director,” Gerber said.