Working Hypothesis 1: Cauliflower ear in wrestling can be significantly reduced by removing the use of headgear in general, making it so wrestlers are uncomfortable in ear – ear or head – ear contact.

Working Hypothesis 2: Cauliflower ear in wrestling can be significantly reduced by removing the protective necessities of headgear, such as padding or the stiff cup that is also used around the ear, allowing for ear – ear and head – ear contact.

Five Academic Sources:

1. Cauliflower ear among Finnish high-level male wrestlers and judokas is prevalent and symptomatic deformity

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31359522/

While sitting down and watching a wrestling match, often times there a multiple blows to the side of the head, where your ears are located. Sometimes you see a painful wince from the wrestler receiving the blow, most of the time, this is due to cauliflower ear. Cauliflower ear has many names, from wrestler’s ear to auricular hematoma. A study, done by Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, and KIHU – Research Institute for Olympic Sports, Jyväskylä, Finland, shows that cauliflower ear was more prevalent among male athletes, a ratio of 46 wrestlers out of 55 had experienced or have cauliflower ear, 84% of the wrestlers surveyed. The study also shows that almost all (96%) had sought treatment for an auricular hematoma, 96% of the wrestlers had been treated for cauliflower ear, typically done with a syringe or a needle, allowing for the blood to drain out of the ear.

2. Cauliflower Ear Prevention and Treatment (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)

https://www.nwcaonline.com.student-athlete-well/cauliflower-treatment-prevention-with-earsplintz/

Cauliflower ear is most common in those who participate in contact sports, especially wrestlers, boxers, and those in mixed martial arts. Throughout the years, protective headgear or padding of the gloves have been used to prevent the damages caused by these aggressive blows, but, sometimes the protective measures taken do not always work, as seen in the use of headgear in wrestling. While wrestling, extremely aggressive moves are used that often times either knock the headgear clean off of the opponent receiving the blow, or move it around aggressively, still resulting in some sort of blow or trauma to the ear, which ultimately causes auricular hematoma, also known as cauliflower ear. There are many different name brands of headgear, ranging from Adidas, Nike, as well as Venum. An informative article, written by National Wrestling Coaches Association, in Cauliflower Ear Prevention and Treatment (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) says that “since the 1950’s headgear has been an integral part of the sport of wrestling with the simple and mostly effective idea of creating a pocket of protected area around the ears so that they are safe from trauma.” All the while, this pocket of protected area is constantly being bashed and moved around, still resulting in blows to the ear, in reality, there is no true way to prevent this in contact sports involving headgear such as wrestling and mixed martial arts. There will always be the chance of developing cauliflower ear. Headgear only reduces these chances.

3. Missouri wrestlers weigh in on cauliflower ear

themaneater.com/wcauliflowerear014/

Often times, many wrestlers don’t even mind the cauliflower ear and consider it desirable, “he said he considers it a symbol of his dedication to the sport.” (Malloy). Many wrestlers see it this way, but after having to get it drained over and over again and the permanent look or even death of parts of the ear, many wrestlers regret it. Headgear often is restrictive and gives your opponent a slight advantage by being something to grab onto and shake you around a little extra. Without it, you lose the slight amount of protection it gives you but you have more freedom to move around. Mayes goes onto say “‘A hundred years ago, farmers working out in the fields didn’t have gloves, so their hands would become calloused. People called them working-man’s hands,’ Mayes said. “I think cauliflower ear is the same thing, just with wrestling.” Almost like a simple callous, just a little added pain and damages with repetitive medical treatment.

4. BJJ Headgear: Do Ear Guards Help With Cauliflower Ear?

bjj-world.com/bjj-headgear-cauliflower-ear-help/

The plastic coverings of wrestling headgear are often annoying and are one of the main reasons why wrestlers get cauliflower ear, it is uncomfortable to begin with and often cause other abrasions and cuts by the ear, which can often get infected or turn into some sort of skin condition. BJJ World writes that “No need to wear those plastic ear guards that annoy both you and your training partner any longer.” This is because Jiu Jitsu headgear allows for different materials to be used such as neoprene or nylon, while “they’re extremely lightweight, while still offering more protection than heavier-duty old-school ones” also allowing for more adjustable options through different straps on top and on the bottom, different from those of wrestling headgear with adjustable options only on the top depending on what form of headgear you purchase, some don’t come with this option at all allowing for slippage and a fit that isn’t firm, instead being extremely loose.

5. Wrestling 101: Equipment

ksby.com/news/wrestling-101-equipment

In Olympic wrestling, you will not see any of the wrestlers wearing headgear, the ruling, was down to safety reasons. NBC Olympics opens with “light kneepads are permitted, but ear guards and headgear are forbidden” due to safety reasons. Often times, headgear can also be used to cause abrasions, bruising, or cuts due to their nature of being hard and sometimes having sharp edges or the roughness of the Velcro or the metal clip that is used to attach it. These items have been banned from Olympic wrestling. In high-school wrestling, headgear is a must have because of the Wrestling Rules Committee and the NFHS Board of Directors. In college wrestling, headgear is an optional piece in most tournaments, but required in actual meets and duals.

Topics for Smaller Papers

1. Intensity of wrestling practice
2. Injuries caused by protective equipment in wrestling.
3. Diseases and disorders caused by wrestling.
4. Characteristics caused by the sport and nature of wrestling.
5. Effects of malnutrition and weight cutting of wrestlers.

Current State of the Research Paper:

The current state of my paper is in the works, it has been easy finding resources and arguments within the wrestling community due to the arguments from both sides of wearing headgear versus not wearing headgear and it is an interesting topic to me. I have a very long way to go from the finished piece but I feel as though it will be very interesting for other people to read especially those who have experienced cauliflower ear and those in contact sports. As of right now, the only thing holding me back from completing my paper and investing most of my time in it is just other work. My paper is slowly coming along and I can see that the end is somewhat near. Counter intuitive thinking is new to me and sometimes still confusing and looking back at our lessons seems to help most of the time but I often feel myself stuck and staring blankly trying to think about how to write what I am thinking and having it all flow and make sense without putting in a heap of words to fill in and meet requirements.