Bode Miller underwent back surgery on November 17 with with the hope of returning to the race slopes in January.

The 37-year-old Olympic champion had the outpatient operation to help fix an intervertebral disc that has been problematic for his performance on the course.

Following the San Diego surgery Miller tweeted and posted a photo of what had been removed from his body.

“This is what they took out of my back,” he wrote. “The doctor wouldn’t let me eat it. Looked like nerds.”

Prior to undergoing the knife, Miller issued a statement through the U.S. Ski Team.

“I am disappointed that I will miss some of the early season speed races, including Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek. But the procedure will alleviate the pain and discomfort I have been fighting in my back since World Cup Finals last year. Our expectation is that I will be able to train and race in January and be ready for World Championships here at home in February.”

Miller had been training in Austria and at Colorado’s Copper Mountain prior to his surgery.

The free-spirited skier is hoping to still compete in the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships this February in Vail/Beaver Creek in Colorado. The key races in January include downhills in Wengen, Switzerland where he has won in the past, and Kitzbuehel, Austria where he was third last season.

“Bode’s planned outpatient surgery is typical for this diagnosis,” said U.S. Ski Team medical director Kyle Wilkens. “His return to training will be based on the extent of the surgery. We’ll work with Bode, medical team, and his coaches to determine the best course of action for him.”

Miller hurt himself last March at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland during a downhill training run. He compounded the injury while training over the summer.

Figuring all goes well during the recuperative process, Miller would be one of the oldest competitors on the World Cup this season.

Miller’s career has been stunning. He’s been the overall World Cup champion twice, a six-time Olympic medalist and four-time World Champion.

His sixth Olympic medal, a bronze, came in the super-G at last February’s Olympics in Sochi.

“My back is always a concern,” Miller told the Denver Post earlier this month while training at Copper Mountain. “It’s been an issue since I was in my early 20s. Degenerative back stuff is something every athlete and every human being deals with….”

Miller has competed in a record 438 World Cup races. Though his career is filled with wins spanning the globe, one win that’s eluded him is the famed Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel. If he rebounds on schedule, he’ll have another shot at victory there.

Known for growing up in an off-the-grid home near New Hampshire’s Cannon Mountain, Miller made his World Cup debut with an eleventh place finish.

Now a father and married to volleyball champion Morgan Beck, according to the U.S. Ski Team, Miller spends much of his time off snow with his family in California. His new hobby is horse racing, of which Miller has a stake in a few very competitive horses with top trainer Bob Baffert. Also active in philanthropy, Miller is passionate about the Turtle Ridge Foundation, an organization he started in 2005 with a focus on environmental protection issues and providing opportunities for young people to participate in recreational activities.

Miller has also recently been embroiled in a custody dispute with his ex-girlfriend. According to reports, the two have reached an agreement over their 18-month-old son Sam.