How to Care for a Broken Nose

Whether you enjoy contact sports, stumble over your shoelaces during a run at Fonthill Park or are just a little clumsy, you have likely experienced a blow to the face at least once. While many people will get away from a face impact without a scratch, some may instead experience a common type of injury—a broken nose.

How Common Are Broken Noses?

Broken noses, or nasal fractures, account for approximately 40% to 50% of all facial fractures. Though they are most typically associated with sports, car accidents, falls and physical altercations, a nasal fracture can occur anytime your nose is hit with sufficient force.

Identifying a Broken Nose

Symptoms of a broken nose may include but are not limited to pain and tenderness, a crackling or crunching sound when you touch your nose, bleeding, swelling around your nose, bruising around the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing through the nose, drainage and a crooked nose.

What To Do if You Break Your Nose?

If you experience the symptoms of a broken nose following facial trauma, visit your provider as soon as possible. They will likely recommend one or more of the following treatments:

• Realignment. If your nasal fracture results in a crooked nose, your provider will manually realign the bones and cartilage of your nose. Realignment is usually done under local anesthesia, but general anesthesia is sometimes recommended based on your age and injury severity.
• Surgery. A severe nasal fracture may require realignment surgery. During surgery, your provider will either reshape the septum to repair any tears and improve bleeding (septoplasty) or rearrange the underlying bone and cartilage to create a new nose shape and remove obstructions (rhinoplasty).
• Draining. Severe nasal trauma can result in a septal hematoma—a pool of blood that collects in your septum. In the event of a septal hematoma, your provider will drain your septum as soon as possible to prevent perforation or tissue death.
• Ice. Ice can help reduce swelling and relieve other nasal fracture symptoms. Your provider may recommend pain relievers alongside ice if your nose does not require realignment.

A broken nose can be scary, but with the help of an expert ENT provider, you can feel safe knowing you’re receiving the best care. Contact today to schedule an appointment with one of our providers.