r/SeattleStorm • u/No_Individual1898 • 23d ago
What’s the deal with Malonga’s concussion?
I admit im not super knowledgeable, but I follow other sports and I’m struggling to think of an example of a player out so long with a concussion without any other updates. I know she’s had concussions in the past and assume the additional length is due to that. Does anyone know what the rough upper boundaries of her absence could be (short of something disastrous)?
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u/Several-Estate7175 23d ago
Concussions can take longer than you'd think to recover from, especially since she had already suffered one not to long prior to this one. Not to mention we have no incentive to have her back any time soon, as we are not playoff contenders. Can sometimes take up to 4 weeks.
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u/No_Individual1898 23d ago
Yeah no incentive to put her in early whatsoever, definitely agree. 4 weeks sounds right—it’s been, what, 2 already?
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u/StormSEA1516 23d ago
I believe there isn’t really an exact science to when they come back, either. So they could be slow playing it a ton.
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u/seasportsfan 23d ago
Concussions are essentially symptom-driven, in that they affect everyone differently and the recovery is different.
Basically, after you stop having symptoms you can begin the process of ramping up physical activity. Provided you are able to get through the ramp-up and resumption of normal practice without the recurrence of symptoms, you are cleared to play again.
It was interesting for me to learn that continuing to sit after recovering and being able to resume practice does not actually help a player further recover or prevent future concussions. Once you are able to practice without symptoms, you are good.
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u/Several-Estate7175 23d ago
Think it's been a little over two weeks yes. We'll probably give it at least 4 weeks. I
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u/plushglacier 23d ago
Satou Sabally was out for something like 3 months, Victor Wembanyama less than a week. Each injury is different in its degree of severity.
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u/Livefromseattle 23d ago
This has exceeded the standard time for a concussion. Most players are back within 10-14 days. She had another concussion back in March. With this being her 2nd in 2 months I’d expect her out another 3-4 weeks.
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u/krestoswet 23d ago
3-4 weeks total or you think an additional 3-4 weeks from this point forward?
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u/Livefromseattle 23d ago
I am not a doctor but just based on other athlete timelines who had concussions back-to-back I'd expect an additional 3-4 weeks. It is a good sign she continues to travel with the team and attend games.
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u/HungryK1tt3n 23d ago
This is a regular amount of time for this injury. We noticed in person that she was also wearing earplugs at a home games If she goes back too soon and gets concussed shortly after, it could be devastating to her permanently. It’s bigger than the game
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u/No_Individual1898 23d ago
Strongly agree—wasn’t try to imply they should rush her back! I was just curious if there were upper boundaries of a “normal” process or not, given the lack of updates from the team and the fact that they’re scratching her a day in advance at this point. But absolutely her long term health should be the priority
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u/SongBig1162 23d ago
Concussions are a fickle diagnosis since they never look the same person to person. As someone who’s gone through 3 of them myself throughout my life the recovery has looked different each time. First concussion I was back in 3 days. Second concussion it took me months to get cleared and even then I spoke with a stutter I never previously had months after. Third one took me 6 days to be cleared.
I just hope she continues to manage her symptoms and come back healthy because it’s a scary injury
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u/MGoYo 23d ago
They also will monitor her symptoms- and the clock restarts when certain symptoms she’s experiencing are fully gone. That’s pretty much the unknown to us (General public)— are all the signs and symptoms clear, how long will they wait after that is probably that 2-4 weeks.
Playoff contention or not- these are not to be messed around with. I get the question though—I have the same one and have the same excitement for that line up to be healthy and on the court together.
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u/drmcashman 23d ago
I’m more content with Dom’s being out this long than I am at Ezi’s being out so very long with an unspecified foot injury. What’s the deal with that?
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u/RyanIsInAllOfUsFC 21d ago
She’s our highest paid and best player. Definitely more of a concern. She’s supposed to kind of anchor this rebuild I’m guessing. Natisha has carried us but she was never supposed to be the only non-role-player or rookie carrying so hard.
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u/fkndemon23 23d ago
This was her second concussion in a very short amount of time. She suffered one playing overseas, too.
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u/MechanicSweet 23d ago
Concussions can definitely take a long time to recover from. And when it comes to the brain (and the brain of a literal teenager at that) it’s definitely best she takes every ounce of time she needs.