Texans' team doctor: Clowney 'looks spectacular'

Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney's return from microfracture surgery is still up in the air, but Houston's team physician offered an extremely encouraging assessment over the weekend.

In an interview with Forbes, Dr. Walt Lowe said Clowney "looks spectacular" seven months after having surgery.

The first overall pick in the 2014 draft, Clowney played in just four games last season before having season-ending surgery Dec. 8.

Lowe said the former South Carolina star's use of a type of treatment called blood flow restriction training aided his recovery, allowing him to maintain strength in his right quadriceps despite not being able to lift heavy weights during his recovery. The treatment cuts off blood flow to a designated area by as much as 75 to 80 percent, which makes simple exercises far more strenuous. As ESPN's Tania Ganguli notes, the Texans are the first team in the league to implement this type of treatment.

As a result, Lowe told Forbes that while most athletes in a similar situation might lose three or four centimeters in the size of their quadriceps during recovery, Clowney has only lost one-half to one centimeter.

"The real goal in the end is to have him be who he was before he got hurt," Lowe told Forbes.

So while Clowney's return date still isn't quite clear yet, his rehab continues to yield encouraging signs.

(h/t Forbes)

Photo credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images