Print PageReckermann tells the German Volleyball Federation website that the "decision is very difficult for me for various reasons, but you can't buy health and that's the most important thing at the end of the day."
The 33-year-old Reckermann, who won the gold medal with partner Julius Brink at the London Games, underwent a successful operation on his shoulder in October, but scans in December showed a cyst in his spinal canal which was pressing on a nerve in the lower back.
Reckermann previously missed a year's volleyball with back problems in 2006.
Brink will team up with former training partner Sebastian Fuchs.
