Known simply as broken nose, nasal bone fractures make up 40% of all bone injuries and 50% of all facial fractures. It’s a fairly common injury and can be experienced by anyone. Despite this, however, it’s quite a delicate condition that can lead to complications if not handled properly.
To help you better understand this condition, we’ve listed down eight important things that you should know if you ever find yourself with a nasal bone fracture.
Eight Things You Need to Know About Nasal Bone Fractures
It’s rather safe to say that it’s usually a result of a fierce impact connecting with the patient’s nasal area.
Most nasal bone fractures come with a lot of bleeding, swelling, and pain in the affected area. In more severe cases, it can also create difficulties in breathing if the bones affected manage to block your airways. This can become a serious problem so it requires immediate medical attention.
Aside from breathing difficulties, there are other complications that can come with a broken nose. One example is nasal septal hematoma which can lead to a destroyed septum. In some cases, it can also result in deformity, hemorrhage, and infections.
While it’s quite easy to tell if you have a nasal bone fracture, confirming the condition is also a must if you want to take the right steps in treating it. To do this, it’s highly recommended that you get an x-ray. This will help you get a good visual of what you’re dealing with. It will also allow you to get the medical treatment you need.
In some instances, cold compresses and pain meds are already enough to treat a nasal bone fracture. Other, more severe, cases require additional steps to deal with the injury in order to prevent deformity. These will usually need manual realignment, a surgery, and a few months of treatment.
Uncomplicated nasal bone fractures do not need urgent treatment but you’ll still need to see an ENT doctor within 5-7 days. This is also because some minor cases can lead to nasal septal hematoma. This can further complicate the condition so you should make sure to seek medical attention as soon as you can.
As this injury is commonly caused by violent accidents, taking necessary safety measures and precautions can suffice in its prevention. Wearing helmets, seat belts, and necessary safety equipment will all help keep your nasal bone safe from harm.
No matter what your case is, you’ll have to take specific safety measures during the healing period of your broken nose. Make sure to take notes on these matters as they can make or break your recovery period.
Since ENT problem is quite different from case to case, it is suggested to consult an ENT Specialist for the appropriate ENT services.
Source:
HK ENT Specialist Ltd.
Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre
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