What causes cauliflower ear?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mattt
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Mattt

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I always thought it was impact to the ear. But i got thinking, and in all my years kickboxing i never once got it, so i went online and noticed in pictures of boxers that none of them had it either (Calzaghe, Maccarinelli, Tyson, Lewis... none of those guys have it). Yet loads of grapplers have it. So what causes it?

Second question...

Do any of you guys who do Judo ever see people wearing ear protectors? I've seen it in BJJ and Nogi, but never in Judo. I'd look really out of place if i wore one to class.

Third question...

What are the rules about ear protectors in competition? Can't your opponent just grab it and pull it down over your eyes?
 
Oh yeah like in boxing, can't the opponent just pull down your pants?

hurr durr
 
When the ear gets rubbed against something abrasively, the skin separates from the cartilage, the gap between the two fills with pus, and then the pus hardens and calcifies, so you get basically a hardened blob of pus between the skin and the cartilage. At least that's how I understand it. It's common in wrestling, grappling and BJJ because there are a lot of opportunities for the ear to get smashed and rubbed against when you're grappling on the ground.

Some Judo guys have cauliflower ear, but most Judo guys don't spend nearly enough time grappling on the ground to get it. If you see a Judo guy with cauliflower ear, that's a sign that he might have good newaza skills. And Judo guys also don't wear mouthguards, cups, rashguards, or any other protective gear really. It's kind of a tradition thing I guess.
 
To my knowledge cauliflower ear is cause when the skin comes away from the cartilage of the ear. Most commonly found in wrestlers/grapplers due to the grinding of the ear by various other body parts during grappling.
The resulting wound then fills with fluid which causes the swelling.

As to your second question, it doesn't matter if you look weird or not wearing an ear protector in training... if you are worried about cauliflower ear then just wear it. You are down there to train-- not pick up chicks or try to look cool.

Third question... haven't competed yet so I do not know the answer to it. Most likely depends on the competition kind of like how some competitions you can wear groin protectors while others you can not.
 
Cauliflower ear forms because you touch yourself at night.
 
yep, Your questions were answered so now its time to abandon this thread with extreme prejudice. All your going to get at this point are people flaming you and the same answers.
 
FREAK656 said:
yep, Your questions were answered so now its time to abandon this thread with extreme prejudice. All your going to get at this point are people flaming you and the same answers.
Click to expand...

Well..yeah. I mean I am suprised it did not start sooner. It is simply tough love. And typically it ensues when someone asks a question that is listed in this forums rules and FAQ sticky.

All new guys should read it. :)

Grappling FAQ + Online Resources - *Read First* - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums
 
TalkShowOnMute said:
Well..yeah. I mean I am suprised it did not start sooner. It is simply tough love. And typically it ensues when someone asks a question that is listed in this forums rules and FAQ sticky.

All new guys should read it. :)

Grappling FAQ + Online Resources - *Read First* - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums
Click to expand...

The FAQ says that cauliflower ear can be caused "when the ear receives a hard strike, or is grinded against for extended periods of time".

Part of the purpose of this thread, is to discuss the part about a 'hard strike'... since i have noted that it is not common amongst boxers who regularly recieve hard knocks to the ear.

So the FAQ doesn't really address this issue, flame away though.
 
Boxers takes a lot of really hard strikes to the ear... yet I still have to see one of them with the cauli. It's strange, I would like to know how is it possible.
 
Mattt said:
The FAQ says that cauliflower ear can be caused "when the ear receives a hard strike, or is grinded against for extended periods of time".

Part of the purpose of this thread, is to discuss the part about a 'hard strike'... since i have noted that it is not common amongst boxers who regularly recieve hard knocks to the ear.

So the FAQ doesn't really address this issue, flame away though.
Click to expand...

If this modicum of difference/technicality is so important to you, I won't rain on your parade.

I will even offer a semi-serious logical response to your question that may or may not be even remotely accurate.

Cauli comes from separation of the cartilage and dermis layer where a hematoma forms. Cauli. Direct strikes, although hard, received from a gloved fist is less likely to cause a separation of these tissues as a comparable force that "drags" along the surface pulling the dermis layer along with it and separating it from the underlying cartilage. I would surmise that the hard quick strikes of boxing are more likely to bruise or cut than ever pull with enough drag to separate the layers effectively, the lack of lateral pulling is what, in my opinion, makes boxers less likely to receive cauli.

Sports with constant pressure coupled with a dragging. sliding, or lateral motion seem to have higher rates of cauli. Rugby scrums, wrestling...judo....whatnot...
 
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Cauliflower ear confuses me, I used to think it was nasty and never wanted it, I used to think it was from hard strikes and have been told by about 50% that have it that its from strikes and not grappling and the other 50% say its from grappling not strikes... so you figure that one out.
I got excited once becuase I got kneed in the ear while grappling and the ear was sore for about a month but no Cauliflower, I was dissapointed.
I have also heard and can say that some people are more prone to it than others, I dont know if its the style of grappling or just different ears? I personally grapple twice as much as some guys and they are already getting it and I have nothing...
I cant really say if its because they use thier head more or not??? some of them are very inexperienced as well so I wouldnt say its becuase they are using "better" head pressure while grappling but could be because they are getting headlocked or some really crappy chokes with thier ears caught in them???

For some reason I have this fear that when i see someone with cauliflower I immediatly think "oh man this guy has got some wrestling or good grappling experience becuase 9 times out of 10 if they have some sick cauliflower they seem to be very very good at grappling. But that myth was struck down a couple days ago when I grappled with a new guy who had really bad cauliflower and he was in shape muscular and bigger than me and I immediatly thought I was about to get my ass handed to me but it ended up that I dominated him easily...
 
dataws6 said:
Cauliflower ear confuses me, I used to think it was nasty and never wanted it, I used to think it was from hard strikes and have been told by about 50% that have it that its from strikes and not grappling and the other 50% say its from grappling not strikes... so you figure that one out.
I got excited once becuase I got kneed in the ear while grappling and the ear was sore for about a month but no Cauliflower, I was dissapointed.
I have also heard and can say that some people are more prone to it than others, I dont know if its the style of grappling or just different ears? I personally grapple twice as much as some guys and they are already getting it and I have nothing...
I cant really say if its because they use thier head more or not??? some of them are very inexperienced as well so I wouldnt say its becuase they are using "better" head pressure while grappling but could be because they are getting headlocked or some really crappy chokes with thier ears caught in them???

For some reason I have this fear that when i see someone with cauliflower I immediatly think "oh man this guy has got some wrestling or good grappling experience becuase 9 times out of 10 if they have some sick cauliflower they seem to be very very good at grappling. But that myth was struck down a couple days ago when I grappled with a new guy who had really bad cauliflower and he was in shape muscular and bigger than me and I immediatly thought I was about to get my ass handed to me but it ended up that I dominated him easily...
Click to expand...

Yeah, personally I think that bad cauli ear may mean that you're doing something wrong, because again, I've seen black belts with completely normal ears. I can't think of a lot of situations in BJJ where using the side of your head to put pressure on your opponent is necessary. Usually it just seems to happen to guys who get headlocked/guillotined a lot.
 
cauliflower ear is when the grizzle rips away from the skin on the ear.
 
I started developing cauliflower ears when I was about 3 months into training BJJ... main reason was that I was getting triangled a lot and my defense was basically trying to pull my head through. Not so good :)

I drained them and both ears are pretty much normal looking now, although the cartilage is pretty hard. They now swell up a bit if we are drilling guillotines and stuff like that. But never very bad. I drained about 2,5 ml of fluid out of my left year tonight. You could hardly see it, but I could feel it there so I drained it although I really didn't have to.
 
The shoulder of justice is leading cause of cauliflower ear.
 
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