How To Tell If Your Nose Is Broken? (Symptoms and Treatment)

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What is a broken nose?

A broken nose has this medical term “nasal fractures”. It is a break or a crack in the bone of your nose. Usually, the break or crack takes place over the bridge of the nose.

Common causes of a broken nose

In general, several causes contribute to nasal fractures, which we have stated below.

1. You acquired an injury from contact sports.
2. Additionally, you got into a serious fight or argument.
3. You got yourself into an accident, such as a motorcycle accident that may cause a facial injury.
4. You experienced a fall involving your face or nose.
5. Riding a bicycle recklessly can also cause a broken nose.
6. A physical activity, such as lifting weights, can contribute a broken nose. Most especially if you are not using a spotter.

It is suggested by doctors and dentists to use a mouthguard to protect your teeth as well as other protective equipment to cover sensitive parts of your body while playing sports.

How to tell if your nose is broken

Symptoms can occur to actually help you determine if the nose is broken. These symptoms are the basis you can use while observing your nose. See them below.

1. Whenever you touch your nose, you feel pain or tenderness. It is also possible to feel this even if you are not touching the nose.
2. You notice a swelling on your nose and in the areas that surround it.
3. Your nose is bleeding uncontrollably.
4. Furthermore, you can see bruises around the nose or eyes. You can visit your eye doctor if you notice damage to your eyes.
5. The appearance of your nose is either crooked or misshapen.
6. You are experiencing difficulty breathing using your nose.
7. In like manner, you can see a discharge of mucus from your nose.
8. Lastly, you can feel that there is a blockage in either of your nasal passages.

These symptoms require medical treatment. It would be best to proceed to your doctor before the condition worsens.

Complications commonly related to a broken nose

Other than a broken nose, there are deeper complications that you might have to face and address.

1. Deviated septum: A deviated septum occurs when the thin wall dividing your nasal passages is affected. It becomes offset on either side of your nose. You can apply medications for this condition but it is better to have surgery to correct it.
2. Blood formation: They call this blood formation as the septal hematoma. This condition can block either one or both the nasal passages. Septal hematoma needs immediate surgical drainage to avoid having damage in the cartilage.
3. Cartilage fracture: In this type of fracture, the surgeon might need to address both the bone and the cartilage injuries from the forceful blow.

Treatment of a broken nose

You are lucky if you only have minor fractures in your nose. Probably, you will not need to seek professional medical treatment. In this case, your doctor might only recommend simple measures. It can either be simple remedies at home or taking over-the-counter medications to relieve the pain. Let us discuss first some home remedies you can apply in case you experience incidents that broke your nose.

Home remedies

1. If you experience a broken nose, you have to act quickly. It would be better to breathe using your mouth. Additionally, lean your face forward so that you can reduce the blood that goes into your throat.
2. You can put an ice pack or other means of cold compress atop the swelling. Do this for the first 24 to 48 hours. This way, you can gradually reduce the swelling of your broken nose.
3. In case you feel pained, you can take over-the-counter medications to relieve it. Only take these medicines if necessary.
4. In the meantime, you have to elevate your head, especially when you sleep. This will help you prevent worsening the swelling or throbbing.
5. Refrain from doing many activities, such as playing sports. You have to ensure full recovery before returning to these contact sports.

In-office treatments

Based on the condition of your broken nose, the doctor can either fix your nose manually or possibly do surgery like rhinoplasty. Let’s see the difference between these two procedures.

1. Manual realignment: Realignment is possible if there is only a displacement of the bones and cartilage in the nose. The doctor can perform this procedure 2 weeks from the occurrence of the fracture or earlier. In this case, the doctor will use an injection or nasal spray to remove discomfort, open the nostrils then use special instruments to do the realignment. You might only need antibiotics to prevent infection from the bacteria that are normally residing inside your nose.
2. Surgery: In this treatment, there will be a realignment of bones. Additionally, your nose might undergo reshaping. If there is a damaged nasal septum, reconstructive surgery might be necessary to address the condition.

Conclusion

It would be best to use protection to prevent these injuries from occurring. Always remember that prevention is better than cure.