Christian McCaffrey was ruled out of Sunday Night Football after suffering an injury. While there was initial concern it might be related to his Achilles, the good news is that it doesn’t appear to be the case. However, it looks like McCaffrey may be dealing with a knee injury, and there’s a real possibility that it could be a PCL sprain. Let’s take a closer look at what likely happened and what this injury could mean for McCaffrey and the 49ers.
Hi, everyone! I’m Dr. Brian Suder, and on this channel, we break down the medical side of sports injuries. In this case, McCaffrey’s injury appears to have occurred during the play just before he limped off the field. On this particular play, McCaffrey landed heavily on his right knee. Initially, the concern was for his Achilles, but after reviewing the play, it seems that the injury is actually related to his knee.
When McCaffrey first limped off the field, many focused on his left foot, as it seemed like his calf was bulging outward, leading to fears of a ruptured Achilles. However, after reviewing the footage more closely, we can rule out the Achilles injury. This position doesn’t put excessive strain on the Achilles tendon. The bulging in the calf occurred as McCaffrey tried to slow himself down, planting his left foot with all his weight on it. I suspect that this is when McCaffrey started feeling discomfort in his right knee, which likely caused him to favor the left side.
Based on McCaffrey’s movement and the way he was favoring his right leg, it seems the injury is located in his right knee. The injury we should be concerned about here is a PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) sprain. Let’s break that down.
When McCaffrey landed on his right knee, the force from landing directly on the front of his tibia (shin bone) could have caused his tibia to move backward relative to his femur. This is the mechanism that can result in a PCL injury. The PCL’s primary function is to prevent the tibia from shifting backward in relation to the femur. When the tibia moves too far backward, it can place excessive strain on the PCL, leading to a sprain or even a tear.
PCL injuries are not as common as ACL injuries, but they are still serious. In many cases, surgery is not necessary for PCL sprains unless there are additional injuries, like damage to the meniscus or other ligaments. The severity of the injury and the time of year will influence whether McCaffrey needs surgery or if he can recover with conservative treatment.
If McCaffrey has a PCL sprain, recovery typically ranges from a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on the severity of the injury. Given the time remaining in the season and McCaffrey’s medical history, the 49ers will have to carefully manage his recovery.
Let’s take a look at the play one more time. When McCaffrey landed on his knee, the force caused his tibia to shift backward relative to his femur, which likely overstretched the PCL. Although it’s possible that McCaffrey could have sustained bone bruising instead of a ligament injury, we will know more once the medical staff performs a thorough physical exam.
To summarize, while there was initial concern over McCaffrey’s Achilles, it now seems that his injury is related to his right knee. The most likely diagnosis is a PCL sprain, which is not as severe as an ACL tear but still requires significant recovery time. We’ll have to wait for further updates to know the full extent of the injury and how it will impact McCaffrey and the 49ers’ playoff run.
Thank you for watching! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I’ll keep you updated with more information in future videos!
