49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has Achilles tendonitis in both legs

It is now clear why Christian McCaffrey went to Germany to have his Achilles tendon treated.

He doesn't just have Achilles tendonitis. He has bilateral Achilles tendonitis, which means he has it in both legs. NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco reported on the 49ers Talk Podcast this Sunday.

It is unclear whether both Achilles tendons were injured throughout the offseason or whether McCaffrey first injured one of them and later the second. Remember, Dre Greenlaw suffered from Achilles tendonitis for months last year and then ruptured his other Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl. Sometimes one Achilles tendon injury leads to another.

Whatever the case, McCaffrey is in a tough spot. He needs to make sure he's 100 percent recovered before returning to action because it sounds like he's at risk of tearing both Achilles tendons. The more rest he gets, the better.

Unfortunately, the 49ers are heading into Week 5 of the regular season, so he's running out of time. Because of that, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team intends to begin McCaffrey with physical activity this week. They hope he can gradually increase his workload until he can be taken off the injured reserve list in the next few weeks.

Going to Germany for treatments that aren't legal in the US always felt like a Hail Mary. We'll see if they can prevent McCaffrey from suffering another setback that leaves him out for the rest of the season.

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