Hearing and Ear Protection for Rugby Players

How Can Playing Rugby Affect Your Ears

Cauliflower Ear

A common sight in rugby is what is known as cauliflower ear, this is a deformity of the outer ear that has developed over time. It will appear swollen and inflammed. When the cartilage of the ear is injured by trauma to the ear, the blood supply from the skin is disrupted often causing a hematoma, a pocket of blood, as the injury heals the skin folds in on itself becoming more pale and giving a cauliflower appearance hence then name.

Ear Drum Rupture

The force of a hard knock to the ear has the potentail to cause a rupture to the ear drum, resulting in pain, pontential infection, tinnitus and hearing loss.

If your worry is about protecting your ears and your hearing ability. The answer to whether ear tape in rugby is enough, is simply, no. In any contact sport such as rugby there are risks of head trauma. In light of this it is important to remember there are ways you ccan help protect your ears.

As we write this post, the 2019 Wales Vs England Six Nations Rugby match is happening. You can see a mix of different ways players are protecting their ears. Although some members of the rugby squad are more prone to trauma depending on the position they play.

It is a choice of the rugby player themselves if they wear protective head gear or tape up the ears.

Ear Protection Types

When it comes to ear tape, this is a method used to help keep your ear together and cover any previous sore spots on your ears. What it cannot do is dampen the impact of trauma.

Your outer ear protrudes from your head making it a key part of your body that can get knicked, pulled, or even ripped off.

Ear tape ables you to keep you fleshy outer ear together. It is not uncommon to tear the top part of your ear. Applying ear tape will help to keep the ear together but this depends greatly on how well it has been applied. Ear tape can also be used to make the ear more flush with the head but again there are no guarantees that it will move or come off while playing causing more of a nuissance.

In a similar manner you could use a rugby headband, however there is no guarantee this is going to stay in place.

The best protection available for rugby players are specifically designed scrum caps. They are designed with impact in mind, meaning that any blow will be much dampened by the specific cushioning in the cap.

One of the down sides often questioned when wearing a scrum cap is that you already get very warm playing rugby so to wear headgear you'd increase heat in your head and how uncomfortable it is. Also some rugby players feel they cannot hear as well and therefore do not wear anything on their head.

If these are reasons putting you off, look for a cap that allows your head and ears to breathe while still protecting them.

Another reason for not using head gear or a scrum cap is that it gives the opposition an extra item to pull on. However new updates in rugby rules have meant that more should be done to ensure player welfare from match officials ensuring that foul play such as high tackles and neck contact (law 9.13 & 9.20) is strictly penalised. Every time the head or the neck is deliberately grabbed or choked, the offending player runs the risk of receiving a yellow or red card.

There are much more reasons to wear headgear. than not to, especially if you want to protect your ears and head.

A scrum cap is also a lot quicker to get on and remove once off the pitch by popping it on your head and then doing the buckle. In comparison using ear tape is much more fiddly and if taping around your head will likely require someone to help you apply it. It is a cheaper option however a good scrum cap that you find fits you, protects you and still allows you to function your best while playing rugby is invaluable.

Be an advocate for better ear health for rugby players and get the right headgear for you.

Headguards For Rugby Players

Earbands for Rugby Players

One of the main reasons the ears can become a very likely area to get punished while playing rugby is its 'non stream line' appearance. Sticking out of your head whether you have a small or big outer ear, over time, you can have problems with continuous trauma. It is not just a case of being bashed against but your ear getting caught by someones boot from the top or pulled at even potentially tearing your ear. If you cannot for whatever reason wear a headguard then using a headband that covers over your ears will help to keep them flat and un-obtainable to be caught accidently, whether you are in a ruck or scrum, it will help with preventing ear trauma.

Ear Taping for Rugby Players

A common practice in rugby is 'ear taping'. Ear taping is literally wrapping a bandange around you head to keep your ears fixed to your head leaving your ears less vulnerable to being pulled at, teared, or scratched and other general ruck, tackle and scrummage trauma. Ear taping is not our first choice in protecting your ear as the bandage does not provide any impact absorption or any realprotection from other players and the ground hitting you. However if you are going to use this method it is handy to use the correct type of bandage. Using any type of sticky tape or bandage could irritate the skin, be difficult and very uncomfortable to remove.

First Aid 4 Sport Bandage and other sport tapes on Amazon(link is external) are specifically designed for situations such as taping around your ears. This bandage does not stick to your head or skin at all, it sticks to itself making it easy to wrap, easy to remove and comfortable to wear. It just requires you to apply it tightly enough and correctly (see video below). It also has the ability to be reworn again if still in an OK condition after a game of rugby.

Tips for Rugby Players To Help Ear Trauma

The best way to protect your ears is with a headguard that has extra padded ear cups for your ears. It is recommended for forwards more however ALL rugby players have the risk of developing cauliflower ear as it is a close contact/high impact sport no matter where you are on the field, look into getting headgear to reduce the risk of damange to your ears.
Choose a headguard that is IRB approved.
Do not rely on a headguard to stop against concussion, head trauma or injury, a headguard will help to prevent it from occuring, you're protecting your ears and head.
Keep up your training on tackle techniques and contact training and these skills will help you to better disarm or understand how to reduce impact using your own judgements and movements.
Make sure the scrum cap you use is correctly fitted, if too loose or too tight this could also cause injury to your ears. If unable to get a scrum cap in time for a game, taping your ears is another way which will help soften the blow to your ears (See video below).
Seek a Doctors opinion if a cauliflower ear has developed no matter how superficial it looks
Trauma to the ear via sport is becoming more and more common, be aware of the risks and prevention methods and help share prevention methods with other players. Communicating about all aspects of the sport within rugby union or league could help you elsewhere in the game.