Olin Kreutz’s agent said a Tribune report claiming his client underwent Achilles tendon surgery that will require four to six months of rehabilitation is exaggerated.
Mark Bartelstein told the Sun-Times on Thursday morning that the Bears’ center did not have his Achilles repaired but had a bone spur removed near the Achilles that caused him great pain and limited his effectiveness this season. He also said Kreutz would be riding a stationary bike within 10 days.
“If you had a rock in your shoe and you walked around with a rock in your shoe it gets painful and you’re afraid to walk on it and you want to take pressure off it and then you take the rock out of your shoe and it feels better,” Bartelstein said. “The bone was shaved down to eliminate the spur. There was no repair necessary on his Achilles.
“The good news on the injury is that it’s not like he’s coming back from a torn Achilles and wondering if he can get his explosiveness back. They aren’t fixing anything he needs to perform. They are just alleviating the pain. The only affect it will have on his performance is to improve it dramatically.”
Bartelstein said Kreutz underwent the surgery on Tuesday and that while he may miss some of the team’s offseason workouts the time lost will not be significant.
He also said the injury contributed greatly to what was widely described as a subpar season for the six-time Pro Bowl performer.
“Olin would never complain and would never, ever raise it as an issue,” Bartelstein said. “That’s not his personality at all. I’ve never represented anybody tougher, that’s for sure.
[But] It had a dramatic affect, especially on game day, when you’re out there playing and it’s like having a rock in your shoe. The first 10 steps aren’t so bad but you keep walking and the irritation gets so bad you can’t use your foot. It affected his explosiveness and ability to create leverage off that foot. He would be mad at me for saying this but it’s the truth. It had a huge affect. The doctors think this will help him immensely.”