Svindal, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic super-G gold medallist, has undergone surgery today following the discovery of a problem with his left meniscus and is expected to be sidelined for approximately six months.

The five-time world champion only returned to action last month after suffering a season-ending crash in the downhill in Austrian town Kitzbühel last January.

His comeback had been relatively successful, finishing second in the super-G and third in the downhill in French resort Val-d'Isère and taking the runners-up spot in the downhill in Italian resort Val Gardena.

"Here we go again...ever since the Val Gardena downhill I've had a strange feeling in my knee," Svindal said on his Instagram page.

"Something didn't seem right.

"We did MRI scans and manual check-ups, but couldn't really determine 100 per cent if something was wrong or not.

"After trying the training runs in Wengen, I made up my mind.

"Something's not right...and we needed to figure out what.

"Together with the medical team I took the decision to do another surgery.

"What they found was a meniscus that was no longer attached to the bone.

"That's no good in a downhill course...meniscus not attached means no function, and no function means every landing on a jump and every hit to the knee is painful."

On a positive note, Svindal says there is a "great chance" of his meniscus being considerably better next season.  

Ligety has decided to undergo surgery this week to try to fix a problem in his left leg.

It means he will miss the rest of the 2016-17 season and that he won’t be able to defend his giant slalom world title in St Moritz in Switzerland next month.

The multiple world and two-time Olympic champion, whose 2015-16 campaign was brought to a premature end when he tore his ACL during giant slalom training in German village Oberjoch last January, has been experiencing nerve pain since October's season opener in Austrian resort Soelden.

"Since Soelden, I have been dealing with severe nerve pain down my left leg that has not allowed me to ski at the level that I expect of myself," Ligety said on his Instagram page.

"I have seen many doctors and therapists, undergone an array of treatments and therapies to no effect.

"Unfortunately surgery (microdiscectomy) means my season is over and a chance to defend my GS title again at World Champs.

"This has been tough to accept especially after last season, but on the plus side hopefully this surgery will alleviate the back issues I have dealt with over the last few years.

"I will be back strong and fast again."