Federica Brignone undergoes successful knee surgery to remove plate and screws

Procedure at La Madonnina

Italian Alpine skier Federica Brignone underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, to remove metal hardware from her left knee. The operation took place under general anesthesia at the Casa di Cura La Madonnina clinic in Milan. Dr. Andrea Panzeri, president of the medical commission of the Italian Winter Sports Federation, performed the procedure. The intervention focused on removing a plate and surgical screws inserted into her leg following an injury in April 2025. Dr. Panzeri confirmed that arthroscopic evaluation of the joint revealed no additional damage, leaving no requirement for corrective work on her meniscus.

Persistent pain and announcement

The 36-year-old athlete announced the scheduled operation on her social media channels on Tuesday morning before entering the operating room. Brignone explained that while her rehabilitation had progressed, she continued to experience persistent discomfort during specific physical activities and on-snow training. The medical staff determined that taking out the synthetic hardware represented the most effective way to eliminate the lingering irritation in her joint.

My leg continues to improve, but unfortunately doing certain activities and on skis I still have pain. For this reason, with the medical team, we decided to intervene surgically.

Injury history and Olympic recovery

The hardware in Brignone's left knee dated to an accident on 3 April 2025 during the second run of the giant slalom at the Italian national championships in Val di Fassa. That incident occurred ten days after she secured her second career Alpine skiing World Cup overall title. The fall resulted in a fracture of the tibial plateau, a fracture of the fibular head, damage to the medial capsulo-ligamentous complex, and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. After surgical repair and rehabilitation, the Carabinieri sports group athlete returned to on-snow training on 26 November 2025. Ten months after her injury, she competed at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, winning the gold medal in the super-G on 10 February 2026 and the gold medal in the giant slalom on 15 February 2026.

Rehabilitation schedule and upcoming races

Following Tuesday's operation, Brignone begins immediate physiotherapy in Milan. The Italian Winter Sports Federation stated that she will gradually resume physical activity and conditioning within a few weeks. Her medical team expects her to resume race preparations ahead of the upcoming 2026/27 winter calendar.

The arthroscopy performed on the knee confirmed the situation we expected. The plate and screws were removed and no other type of intervention was necessary: Federica will start physiotherapy immediately and within a few weeks she will be able to resume physical activity.

The 2026/27 Alpine skiing World Cup season begins on the weekend of 24 and 25 October 2026 with a giant slalom in Sölden, Austria. The competitive schedule also includes the Alpine World Ski Championships, scheduled for February 2027 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.