 Time now for our weekly update series with Dr. Steven Pomerance of MRI Online. Dr. Pomerance we're looking forward to the Thursday night game as we're set to kick off the NFL's 100th season between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Both teams have tight ends with elements. Let's start with the Chicago Bears tight end Trey Burton. He has that growing injury. What can you tell us about how that might impact his performance? Well as you know I think about a year ago Trey Burton who as you know is a tight end had sports hernia surgery and sports hernia syndrome. People don't know that a sports hernia is not a hernia. It's a misnomer. A sports hernia is actually a weakness for a deficiency mostly in a muscle group that runs down the middle and front of your body. So that's six pack that everybody wants to get when they're 20 years old. If you have a small injury to that or where it attaches on your pubic bone or where the groin muscles attach to the pubic bone that is the classic sports hernia. And again it's not it's not a defect so much. It's not a hernia so much as it is a weakness or a small micro injury or micro care. So let's formulate analogy. I know you all remember when Kevin Durant was injured they said he had a calf injury. And the first thing I thought to myself and mentioned to people close to me was okay the calf muscle is connected to the Achilles tendon. In fact it makes up the Achilles tendon. So I was genuinely concerned that the weakness of the calf muscle would lead to undue stress of the Achilles and indeed that's exactly what happened even though the doctors profess that they were completely separate things. They are not completely separate things. They're connected. And in the same way the sports hernia consists of the abdominal muscles and the groin muscles and tendons. So the fact that he's had a groin injury is not coincidental. In some way it's directly or indirectly related to his original sports hernia. And so now these things can be very nagging. So if he has a new discreet injury it's likely that it is related to a weakness that was produced by his sports hernia syndrome. If it's a recurrence of the sports hernia syndrome that is not being revealed then that is a chronic problem that is difficult to deal with and usually requires some type of intervention. So we won't know. Either way there's got to be a relationship between this groin injury sports hernia syndrome. I think it's unlikely that he will play this week if he doesn't play the following week then I think you have your answer. And your answer is he's got a chronic problem related to the original sports hernia syndrome with a superimposed insult to the groin muscles and the likelihood of him having full function for the season is pretty low. Yeah Dr. Palmer it's like to die maybe just a little bit deeper. How might this injury sort of inhibit an athlete's ability to move or cut or even burst when it's time to run. It's an excellent question. And you know when most non experts look at an MRI which is the test of choice for sports hernia syndrome they often don't see much because you have to look at very unique places. The findings are extremely subtle but the clinical manifestations are unique. Now if I were to have a sports hernia syndrome I'm an older person I don't have to develop that explosive leg drive whereas the performance athlete they've got to have an explosive leg drive the ability to turn and twist and cut. And sports hernia syndrome despite the fact that it has very subtle you medical imaging manifestations and have a pretty devastating effect on the athlete's ability to form perform at their highest level. In other words they can't generate core power. That is the bottom line. So Trey Burton is listed as limited and could be uncertain to perform in the Thursday night game. Let's talk about the Green Bay Packers tied in Jimmy Graham because there's very little information on his injury. He's had an injury to his finger. What can you tell us about that and will it at all inhibit his ability to play? Solid not much really to be honest. I have gleaned that he has two fingers taped together so it could be anything from a tendon injury to a bone injury to a sprain of the finger joint. The most likely with the two fingers being taped together is that he developed a little chip fracture in one of the fingers. But you know as well as I you know you haven't played in the NFL mean not. But I have I have caught a few footballs from some pretty athletic individuals. It's got to be incredibly difficult with two fingers taped together. He's a consummate professional. But I have to believe that there's going to be a little bit of drop off in his ability to catch the ball. But I think he'll he'll have a full season as long as he doesn't re-injure that finger. And it's a very daunting task to catch a professional quarterback's football with two fingers taped together. But if anyone can do it this man can. Yeah and I guess I just want to get your thought on this because we often see many athletes when they show us their hands when they play in the NFL they've got some finger that's twisted and kind of gnarled and it just looks eerily bizarre for the non athletic people are people who didn't play football kind of just help us to understand their athletes who have those kind of fingers but they're still able to play even though it looks horrible sometimes. Sorry I have to say that I have I am shocked at the ability of professional athletes in all sports NBA NFL and NHL at their ability to play at the highest or almost the highest level with some amazing injuries. I've seen goal goals scored with elbow complete elbow dislocations with basically one hand by some some of the great NHL players. So in terms of these two tight ends I am far more concerned about the short and long term prognosis or trade Burton as opposed to Jimmy Graham. Well thank you Dr. Pomerance we always appreciate your insightful analysis on our weekly injury update that's Dr. Pomerance of MRI online. We thank you very much you want to get rid of me and get back to more great PFF YouTube content I have to do is push that button right there and subscribe. Thanks for watching.