Fact Checked
Overview Of Nose Injuries
- Nose injuries regularly happen during fights, falls, sports, and accidents.
- Pain, inflammation, and bruising are expected, even with slight injuries. Home treatment can generally help alleviate your symptoms.
- It might be hard to determine if your nose is broken. Inflammation can make your nose look bent even if it is not cracked.
- When the inflammation goes down, it is easier to determine if your nose is actually damaged. Most GPs prefer to examine an injured nose soon after the inflammation has decreased.
Severity Of A Nose Injury
A nose injury is more severe when:
- You are experiencing a nosebleed that you can’t stop.
- The skin on your nose is cut or pierced, particularly if you think your nose might be broken. This may lead to infection.
Problems With A Broken Nose
Most broken noses heal without complications. When complications develop, they can consist of:
- A change in the dimension or form of the nose, or a twisted or bent nose. Several nose injuries, particularly during childhood, increase the risk of injury to the tissues and bones in the nose. This can cause long-term complications.
- Problem breathing or nasal congestion.
- An infection within the nose.
- A defect in the tissue that divides the nostrils.
Treatment
- If your nose is cracked and distorted, it might need to be realigned. Most GPs like to wait for any inflammation to go down before realigning a broken nose.
- Most inflammation decreases after 3 days but could take up to 14 days.
- Once the nose is realigned, nasal packing can be placed and a splint can be applied. You might be given antibiotics to help avoid infection.
- Your GP might want to re-examine your nose and take out the packing in 2 to 3 days.