Randy Couture[/caption]
As I was skimming over my trusty notebook, looking for another bjj topic to write about, I decided on cauliflower ear. I think it may be worthwhile to do like a series of posts or articles about it; what is cauliflower ear, how you get it (it's contagious and passed from skin-to-skin contact,) treatment, and prevention. We will also be taking a look at ostriches. Cauliflower ear and ostriches. Let's do this.
Hopefully you already have realized a few things - 1) we will not be talking about ostriches and b) you can't "catch" cauliflower ear, I was merely joshing with you. That being said, I love cauliflower ear. It has always signified tough, grizzled wrestlers to me. Guys like Dan Gable, John Smith, and the Schultz brothers. And now with the popularity of mma, we have guys like Randy Couture and BJ Penn that sport some gnarly yet quite sexy ears. No homo. Maybe a little homo.
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Ronda Rousey and her sexy ear[/caption]
What exactly is cauliflower ear?
Good question. It's not an infection nor a disease. It's basically the bruise or hematoma on your ear that forms after receiving some sort of trauma like an elbow or knee. Or it could be from repeated stresses, such as abrasions, like what a wrestler would experience from headlocks or collar ties and having their ears manhandled over and over again throughout their careers. Sometimes where the hematoma is, the skin will separate from the cartilage. This separation leaves a pocket of free space that then fills with blood. The blood sitting in this pocket has nowhere to go or drain to so eventually it will harden and either restrict or prevent any new blood from coming through and doing its job. With the blood flow blocked, the tissue or cartilage can die off causing it to fold in on itself thus giving your ears the appearance as having little buds of cauliflower sprouting out.
In bjj, you can easily start to experience cauliflower ear if you fight off submissions like triangles or certain chokes a lot. Or if you find yourself in a bunch of arm bars and your opponent is using their free leg to bust across your face. I remember one time while my ear was semi-healed a big guy applying an arm bar on me. As we rolled over he dropped the back of his leg right across my ear to keep me flat and I could literally feel the separation of skin from cartilage. I think. It instantly inflated and got so heavy with blood that the top of it flopped over for a while.
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My good ear[/caption]
From dictionary.com: an ear that has been deformed by repeated injury, resulting in an irregular thickening of scar tissue. Technical name - aural hematoma, a permanent swelling and distortion of the external ear as the result of ruptures of the blood vessels: usually caused by blows received in boxing.
From sherdog.com: cauliflower ear is a term commonly used to describe the appearance of an ear that has had a perichondrial hematoma. A perichondrial hematoma occurs when the ear is struck, hit, or excessively and abrasively rubbed. When hit, the skin on the ear tears away from the underlying cartilage. The perichondium, which supplies nutrients to the cartilage, is also ripped off of the cartilage. If left untreated, the cartilage will be starved of nutrients and die. The blood and pus that filled the gap when the skin was torn off of the cartilage will harden and leave a cauliflower like appearance.
I also think genetics, or ancestry, has something to do with the susceptibility of getting cauliflower ear. I know it gets talked about online, like how certain Brazilian fighters almost seem to be immune to it while others, such as Asians, seems to have miniature hot air balloons on the sides of their heads.
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And my awesome one[/caption]
Having sweet caulied ears isn't all fun and games though. I want to point out a few drawbacks so that you don't go out to your nearest home center, buy a hammer, and start smashing your own ears.
- It hurts when it happens. It hurts while it's trying to heal. Trying to sleep on the same side of your head that the injury is on is nearly impossible.
- People will notice it. This can be either good or bad.
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