Wide receiver Michael Crabtree intends to contribute for the defending NFC champions in 2013, despite tearing his Achilles tendon, and that means that he'll have to begin his rehabilitation sooner rather than later. Matthew Barrow of the Sacramento Bee spoke to Dr. Dan Solomon about Crabtree's recovery that should begin right away now that the stitches have been removed from his May 22 surgery.
Michael Crabtree injury: 49ers WR ‘back to work’ after surgery
Crabtree will have to take an aggressive approach to rehab if he hopes to play in 2013.
Dr. Dan Solomon, an orthopedic surgeon with Marin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Novato, said an aggressive approach to rehabilitation would get Crabtree in the pool and working on his range of motion as soon as the surgical wound heals.
Crabtree, 25, started in all 16 regular season games during the 2012 season and finished with a career-best 1,105 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His recovery from the injury has been compared to that of Terrell Suggs, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker who tore his Achilles during the 2012 offseason.
Suggs returned to the Ravens in late-October and was able to contribute for the team as they made a Super Bowl run; however, his injury was different than Crabtree’s, as Suggs did not have a compete tear in the tendon.
A first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Crabtree has consistently improved his numbers in each of his four NFL seasons, accumulating a total of 260 receptions for 3,345 yards and 21 touchdowns. He led the 49ers in receiving during the 2012 season, although the team has added Anquan Boldin and Quinton Patton to the receiving corps during the offseason.
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