Have you ever watched a rugby game and noticed that cauliflower ears in rugby games are common?
Let’s take a closer look at how this type of ears in Rugby is so common, and what players can do to prevent them.
What are Cauliflower Ears in Rugby?
Cauliflower ear does not only sound like a funny name, but when an ear just keeps on being attacked and destroyed, it is a real medical name.
Indeed, the ear then begins to look big and lumpy, similar to a cauliflower.
Several rugby players consider their cauliflower ears an identifying badge of honor because they indicate that they have been in some hard-fought tussles and given their all.
However, most people will not like wearing a cauliflower ear, mainly because it can be painful and cause other issues later.
How Does Cauliflower Ear in Rugby Happen?
Put yourself into a rugby scrum- your head nestled between your shoulders and your ears crushed and tugged.
Eventually, after some time has elapsed, it will hurt your ears. Well, that is just how the ‘cauliflower ears’ are made.
Here is what happens in order:
- Trauma to the ear: The ear is repeatedly hit or squeezed.
- Hematoma: Blood pools under the skin surface in the ear area, creating swelling.
- Changes in the ear shape: If the ear can heal without treatment, it will deflate itself in a lumpy, swollen manner, unlike a cauliflower.
It is medically termed “auricular hematoma.” In other words, if there is trauma, blood gathers in the ear, making it look swollen and strange.
Why Are Rugby Players More Likely to Get Cauliflower Ear?
Rugby is one of the highly aggressive contact sports, and players are constantly hitting one another.
Some of the reasons why Cauliflower ears in Rugby might occur are as follows:
- Scrums: Players’ heads and ears are pressed together tightly during a scrum, which inflicts a lot of pressure on the ears.
- Tackles: Tackling includes a lot of body-to-body contact, and ears can be hit or pulled during tackles.
- Rucks or cleanouts happen when players try to get the ball off the ground after a tackle. This often results in more hits to the head and ears.
Unlike some other full-contact sports, such as American football, rugby players typically do not wear helmets. Their ears are more exposed and thus more likely to be injured.
How to Prevent Cauliflower Ear in Rugby
If you are a rugby player or know about playing rugby, you would likely not want a cauliflower ear. Well, here is how one can save them:
- Headgear: Okay, it’s just not as cool, but headgear protects your ears. Headgear in rugby is padded and designed to absorb the impact that would otherwise go directly to your ears.
- Learn the proper technique: Proper tackling and strumming techniques can lower the risk of injury. By learning proper techniques, one can protect not just their ears but also the rest of their body.
- Listen and Learn from the Experts: Most prominent footballers, including Dan Carter, have reached the top because they have been brilliant in safety matters. Their advice can also help you stay safe and injury-free.
What to Do If You Get Cauliflower Ear
If, unfortunately, you already have a cauliflower ear, do not be worried-it is treatable. However, treatment needs to be immediate. The following can be done:
- Seek Medical Attention Soonest: The earlier the attention, the better the chance of avoiding permanent damage. A physician can relieve your ear of all that blood and prevent it from swelling.
- Compression: Your ear may need a specific dressing or compression so that the blood does not accumulate again after being drained.
- Don’t Ignore It: The more you ignore the cauliflower ear, the graver it gets. In time, the ear may start firming out and losing its shape, which might need to be corrected later.
Living with Cauliflower Ear
To some rugby players, cauliflower ears are just part of the game.
They do not have any problem with how it looks since it reminds them of their action-packed matches.
However, it can cause particular issues, such as:
- Headphones or earbuds cannot be easily worn
- An increased risk of ear infections
- Hearing problems in some cases
Other players, once their playing days are over, choose to undergo surgery to have their ears fixed.
Others keep the cauliflower ear as a merit badge to remind themselves of the hard work and passion they put into the game.
Cauliflower Ear in Other Sports
Rugby players are not the only people who develop cauliflower ears.
Any athlete who is into obviously highly contact dispersed sports could create it. These sports include:
- Wrestling: In wrestling, the disorder is so common that it is sometimes called the “wrestler’s ear.” One ear or the other is constantly being leveraged and pulled in one direction or another during a match.
- Mixed Martial Arts: MMA fighters, like wrestlers, are at a similar risk due to the intense contact in the sport.
- Water Polo: Though this is a water sport, water polo players can still “reap the cauliflower ear from the constant water tussles.”.
Famous Rugby Players with Cauliflower Ear
Many well-known rugby players have cauliflower ears. Here are some of the most famous:
- Richie McCaw: The former All Blacks captain of New Zealand’s national rugby team proudly sports his cauliflower ears.
- Jonah Lomu: Another All Blacks legend, Lomu, had his fair share of battles on the field, including ear injuries.
- Owen Farrell: The English rugby star also has cauliflower ears, showing the sport’s challenge.
These players wear their cauliflower ears like badges of honor, symbolizing their commitment to the sport.
The Future of Ear Protection in Rugby
With rugby becoming increasingly popular, safety is commanding increasing attention.
World Rugby, the authority responsible for establishing rules governing how the sport is played, has been studying better ways of protecting players’ ears and heads.
This includes encouraging the use of padded headgear.
Yet other players are concerned that such protection does, or will, alter the game.
Rugby has always been a contact sport- and a rough one at that- and its players take pride in the hardness the sport requires of them.
So, the trick is to get the balance right between safety and customs.
Conclusion
Cauliflower ear is a medical condition that, in real life, presents the physical hardness and dedication one needs to have toward rugby- a badge of honor.
For many players, this is part of the sport’s culture, a natural token or testament to how ferocious their battles have been.
Whether watching the game or playing it yourself, remember this: Those ears tell tales of hard work, strong resistance, and passion.
And once in a while, when fortune strikes and a player has rugby player cauliflower ear, know that he earned it!
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