San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is suffering from bilateral Achilles tendonitis, meaning he is dealing with a medical issue in both of his legs.
McCaffrey recently boarded a flight to Germany to undergo treatment for an injury that has kept him out since Week 2 of this NFL season.
Now, it has been revealed via multiple reports that the star Niners running back has the same problem in both of his legs.
Achilles tendonitis is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “an overuse injury of the Achilles tendon, the band of tissue that connects the calf muscles at the back of the lower leg to the heel bone.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, most cases can be treated with home care, while more severe cases can lead to Achilles ruptures that may require surgery.
San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey has Achilles tendonitis in both legs
The running back recently returned from a trip to Germany for treatment on his legs
The team said they expected to get a “better idea” about the running back’s status over the next few weeks – with the plan to ramp up his rehabilitation to see how his body will respond.
“And now we’re going to take a harder approach to rehab and try to get him back into football and see how that responds,” Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week. “So we’ll see how he reacts here. We let him rest here for a few weeks.’
It’s not clear when McCaffrey is expected to be back – with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that even the running back himself doesn’t know when he will return.
‘I don’t think Christian McCaffrey knows when he’ll be back. I don’t think the 49ers know when he’ll be back. I don’t think anyone knows at this point when he’s coming back,” Schefter said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“They’re going to step up Christian McCaffrey, possibly even this week, to bring him back and see how he feels.
And ideally you’d like to hope and think that he’s feeling better — that the time off will have helped — but who knows how the calf and Achilles will react. No one can say for sure.’
While it’s unclear when he’ll return, Schefter also reported that the idea of losing McCaffrey for the season “never happened” for San Francisco.
This isn’t the first time the San Francisco star has dealt with lower-body injuries. He suffered both a hamstring injury and an ankle injury during the 2021 season as a member of the Carolina Panthers.
McCaffrey cannot return until Week 6 against Seattle due to his IR status
McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve by the team prior to Week 2, meaning he won’t see the field again until at least Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks.
This injury update comes after the Niners experienced multiple injuries to key position players.
Just two weeks ago, San Francisco suffered a loss, with the team missing star tight end George Kittle and top wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
However, both players returned to action last Sunday to help the team defeat the New England Patriots.