David Chao, MD: David Montgomery Will Be On the Mend

Bears running back David Montgomery was carted off the field and football fans in Chicago are holding their breath. By video, with the slip, I don't anticipate to be something that requires surgery nor will it end his season. Worse injuries happen when the foot sticks in the ground like a ski binding not releasing.

The mechanism shown below is consistent with a left adductor groin muscle strain.

Without an examination or imaging, it will be hard to judge the severity. Certainly, the adductor muscle is vital for a running backs acceleration and cutting ability but there are a range of potential absences.

It is not yet a foregone conclusion that Montgomery will miss the Week 1 game at Detroit, which is still two and half weeks away. The worst-case scenario would be a trip to IR where he would come back after missing eight games. The reality is likely somewhere in the middle. My best guess is that I hope he returns sometime in the month of September.

Always judge injuries by what happens and not the reaction to it.

If Montgomery walked off the field, that doesn't mean he is ok. The fact that he was "carted off" doesn't mean his season is done. Often carts are used as convenience, especially in training camp, when fields sometimes are further away from training rooms or X-ray facilities than on game day. Heck, I once told a player that I thought he had a tibial plateau fracture on the field but he insisted on no cart to get him off the field.

Fans and fantasy owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Neither Montgomery nor the Bears season is over.