Can cauliflower ear be fixed? Dr. David Abbasi shares effective early remedy for the common MMA condition

Dr. David Abbasi recently shared a simple tip to cure/treat the cauliflower ear. It is a common condition in grappling-based sports like wrestling, and jiu-jitsu that is characterized by deformed ears that look puffy and swollen.

According to Dr. Abbasi, early treatment with drainage and compression is the best way to cure the condition. He shared a short video of this treatment on his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) handle and explained the process in the caption.

Watch the video below:

“Cauliflower ear is common in grappling sports such as Wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and MMA. The key is early treatment with drainage before these get hard and turn into scar tissue. And compression!”

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What causes cauliflower ear?

The condition is caused when the external ear is hit repeatedly. The recurring trauma results in blood clots or accumulation of other fluids under the dense layer of connective tissues in the external ear, known as perichondrium.

This accumulation separates the cartilage from the perichondrium and causes the formation of fibrous tissue. The cartilage dies in the process and the ear gets a deformed and puffy appearance that resembles a cauliflower.

This condition is very common in martial arts like wrestling, jiu-jitsu, MMA and others. However, it is also found in athletes playing Rugby. There have been instances when the ear burst resulted in massive bleeding in boxing and MMA fights as well.