Concussions in the WNBA are on the rise. But why?

Ariel Atkins’ head whipped back. After taking an elbow from Indiana’s Monique Billings on May 13, the Sparks’ group docs noticed the potential for a head injury and despatched her to the locker room.

It was the second concussion of her profession, but she didn’t know that at the time. All she knew was that her head harm.

“You just don’t feel like yourself,” Atkins said. “It’s hard to even be a part of society. Luckily, this wasn’t a serious one.”

There have been eight identified concussions in the WNBA already this yr after just a quarter of the season. There have been eight whole in 2025, 4 in 2024 and six in 2023.

The “why” might be dangerous luck, better awareness in diagnosing concussions or one thing else. Atkins thought the lack of recreation move because of new officiating requirements is perhaps making issues more durable.

“You would think it should be down,” Atkins said. “Maybe there is no rhythm when there are stoppages.”

Atkins acquired hit in the nostril against the Wings three weeks after returning from her concussion. She stayed in the recreation after a fast test on the bench.

She didn’t have a concussion that time, but gamers do appear to be getting hit in the head at a larger fee. Minnesota-based sports activities scientist Lucas Seehafer thinks it’s too early to make a definitive declaration of why that is going on.

“Some players and coaches in the past have talked about the physicality of the play,” he said. “I know some people have talked about how the rules are kind of lax, or you’re maybe not as rigorous as what they could be in terms of like punishing blows above the shoulders and that kind of stuff. But it’s tough to say with any certainty until we get more data.”

On opening night time in Seattle, Golden State ahead Cecilia Zandalasini suffered her first concussion when elbowed by the Storm’s Zia Cooke.

She called the course of to return a “nightmare.”

“It was so weird with the feeling of always having a headache,” she said. “I had to wait until it was gone, I couldn’t move.”

Seehafer said that when it comes to ladies’s sports activities, hockey and soccer have a status for having larger concussion charges, but basketball may be just as bodily.

“Compared to the rest of the [pro sports] leagues, the WNBA is pretty much doing exactly what the other leagues are doing, but again, is that enough?” he said. “It’s tough to say. I would say they’re not, but I don’t think they’re egregiously leaving athletes open to even more severe injuries, necessarily. My bias is just that everything can be safer.”

The WNBA follows the same concussion protocol as the NBA, by which a participant must bear a locker room analysis after getting hit in the head. If the participant is cleared by medical employees, they’ll return to the recreation.

Any participant exhibiting concussion-related symptoms, such as a headache or dizziness, must be monitored for 24 hours by the group’s medical employees. Once they are symptom-free, they go through a vary of actions from gentle bodily exercise to full-contact apply. They must keep symptom-free throughout that whole course of to be allowed back into video games.

“Back when I played, I didn’t know what concussion meant,” said Sparks coach Lynne Roberts. “I think now we understand the science of how serious it is, and we don’t rush them back. Once they’re back, there’s really nothing you can do. It’s a contact sport, and the players just kind of play through that, but obviously we’re very cautious with not letting a player play until the doctor’s fully certain that she’s symptom-free and at no risk.”

The hardest half with concussions may be the initial diagnosis. Oftentimes, symptoms show up hours or even days later. For Zandalasini, she was initially identified with a jaw injury before dealing with a headache the next day.

Atkins knew a little bit about what concussions felt like, and even this time was different. Why concussions are up this yr is still a thriller, and maybe it should even out as the season goes on.

But for now, gamers and medical employees are on alert.

“It’s the thing with athletes, right?” Atkins said. “We’re trying to figure out pain versus injury, like, is it something serious? Is it not? I don’t want to hurt myself further. So, yeah, it can be hard to decipher that with a head injury.”