Cauliflower ear…ever heard of it? No pun intended.
Football players get shin splints, runners get hammer toe and wrestlers get cauliflower ear…at least the lucky ones do. Many non-wrestlers might see it and wince, but most wrestlers love a good set of cauliflower ears as they are seen as battle scars and a display of past glory.
The cause is from ruptured blood vessels in the ear after a blunt force trauma – either from a single blow or repeated injury. If the hematoma is not drained from the ear, the fluid hardens and the cauliflower ear becomes permanent.
We are all unique in how our bodies display bruising after trauma. As such, long-time wrestlers may never get them and others can develop them within a few weeks of practice.
Front headlocks, striking the mat with one’s head or heavy collar ties are some of the many ways one can develop cauliflower ear. Whatever the cause, though, there’s usually a good story behind it. So next time you see a curious looking cruciferous on the side of someone’s cranium, compliment them for a courageous wrestling career and their cauliflower commemoratives!
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