After surgery, Schleper to sit out Aspen races

After surgery, Schleper to sit out Aspen races{mosimage}Two-time Olympian Sarah Schleper, who won the last slalom of the 2005 World Cup season, has undergone back surgery to relieve a bulging disc and will miss World Cup races Dec. 9-11 in Aspen, Colorado, the U.S. Ski Team announced Friday, Nov. 18.

Schleper, 26, had surgery Sunday at a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, and was released Friday, U.S. Medical Director Melinda Roalstad said. Schleper is recuperating at her apartment outside Innsbruck.

“We determined that non-invasiveness treatment would not be enough to relieve the pain, which Sarah’s had periodically in recent years,” Roalstad said. “We decided to proceed with a microdiscectomy and the Austrian surgeon has said he’s pleased with the operation and the early stages of her recovery. She’ll be recuperating at her apartment and her return to training and racing is undetermined.”

U.S. women’s head coach Patrick Riml echoed Roalstad: “The doctor is very happy with what took place and how Sarah’s doing. She’ll be taking it very easy for about 10 days and then we’ll see how she’s progressing. She’ll miss the Aspen World Cup races [the Sirius Satellite Radio Aspen Winternational Dec. 9-11], but the important thing is she seems to be on the road to a good recovery.”

Courtesy USSA News Bureau