Christian McCaffrey’s Germany trip should have Niners fans bracing for a lengthy absence

The San Francisco 49ers have seen quite a frustrating fight to get their best player, Christian McCaffrey, back on the field this season. During the preseason, McCaffrey suffered a calf injury that he wasn't too concerned about.

McCaffrey and the 49ers believed that he could have played over the last few weeks, but holding him out was the safest option. Then, the pain and discomfort didn't go away, and McCaffrey was eventually diagnosed with Achilles tendinitis That was a pretty big jump up in severity from an undisclosed calf injury.

After another week or two of trending in the wrong direction, the 49ers announced that they would be sending their star running back to Germany in order to see a specialist. It's never a good sign to go after so many opinions with an injury, let alone shipping a star player overseas to figure things out.

Christian McCaffrey expected to miss a couple of months following trip to Germany

Dr. Kenton Fibel recently gave his expert opinion on McCaffrey and his injury to the San Francisco Chronicle after the decision to send him to Germany was announced. Fibel is the medical director of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks who specializes in orthobiologics, "a non-surgical field in which stem-cell and platelet-rich plasma injections are used to accelerate healing for a host of injuries that include Achilles tendinitis."

“I think it more suggests this is an injury that they think they are going to need something more to augment his healing that may require weeks or a couple months rather than a week or two,” said Fibel. “This may be something where you realize the pathology is a little bit more serious and reserve a way to allow him to return this season, even if it does take a month or two with him needing a longer recovery.”

The trip to Germany is specifically interesting because there are orthopedic treatments that are legalized and thriving there that haven't yet been cleared by the United State Food and Drug Administration. These treatments are not banned by the professional sports leagues though.

“Usually whenever you’re having some sort of a biologic procedure for a tendon, particularly an Achilles tendon, typically that’s going to require you to have enough time to rest and protect the tendon after the procedure,” Fibel said. “And then start to progress things forward while the tissue has a chance to biologically start to heal and restructure. … With some of these more important weight-bearing tendons, it’s pretty safe to say that they’re not returning within the first four weeks of the procedure.”

Fibel even floated the idea that McCaffrey could have small, micro-tears in his Achilles tendon that is causing the long lay off. This isn't confirmed, but it could definitely make sense given the new timetable for recovery lasting months instead of weeks.

Luckily for the 49ers, they have a very capable backup in Jordan Mason. Mason has held his own as one of the top rushers in the NFL through three weeks and he will look to continue this trend until McCaffrey is healthy. and ready to return to the field.