Nasal Injuries
The nose is one part of the body most prone to injury.
Falls, assault and sporting injuries are common causes.
Damage may affect the soft tissues only, or involve the bones and/or the cartilage of the nose (the cartilage is the springy tissue that makes up the lower 2/3 of the nose). The nasal septum, the vertical partition that divides the nose into two halves is made of both cartilage and bone and this too can be damaged by trauma.
If nasal injury results in a change of nasal shape, the bones may be broken. In this situation you should see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist without delay as you may benefit from a 'nasal manipulation'. Ideally this should be done within 3 weeks of the injury before the broken bones knit together again.
Long term problems due to nasal injury include alteration of the shape of the nose and nasal blockage. Both of these problems an be improved by surgery in most cases.
If you would like to arrange an appointment to discuss your symptoms further, please do so via using one of the available options on our contact us page.