What is Nasal Bone fracture?

Nasal fractures commonly result from blunt facial trauma in events, such as,

Motor Vehicle accidents	Sports Related injuries
Assaults	Falls

This will lead to the nose to look crooked and in some cases, the nose might have swelling and tenderness, and breathing through the nose becomes difficult.

If the patient received severe trauma to the nose and has any pain, bleeding, or swelling, then medical assistance is essential. These fractures involving the nasal bones are very common but the patient often ignores them. This might even lead to deformity, tenderness, hemorrhage, edema, ecchymosis, instability, and crepitation. Fractures commonly occur in the transition zone between the proximal thicker and distal thinner portions.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms exhibited by patients of nasal bone fracture are:

• Change in the shape of your nose
• Bruising an around your nose and eyes
• Pain and/or Sensitivity when touching your nose
• Bleeding from your nose
• Difficulty breathing through your nose
• Severe Headaches
• Mucus Discharge
• Stuffy nose that won’t drain due to blocked nasal passages

It is highly recommended that the patient seek emergency medical attention when any of the following is experienced:

• A head or neck injury, which may be marked by a severe headache, neck pain, vomiting or loss of consciousness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Bleeding that cannot be stopped
• Clear, watery fluid draining from the nose

Diagnosis

The proper treatment of this condition would require the accurate diagnosis of this condition, which is done by looking for crepitus and tenderness over the nasal bone area. The radiographic evaluation of the nasal bones will also help in the diagnosis and also in classifying the nasal bone fractures, and in checking the adequacy of reduction. The evaluation of the nasal fractures should include a careful examination.

Treatment

Medical treatment might not be necessary when only minor fractures with no misalignment are present. However, the doctor might recommend the following different treatment methods:

• Apply ice to the affected area immediately after the injury has happened. This will help reduce swelling. Try not to apply hard pressure as this can cause further pain. Apply the ice to the nose for 10 to 15 minutes at a time and up to four times in a day for few days after the injury.
• Elevate the head at all times even while sleeping.
• Pain medication like ibuprofen might be prescribed to relieve pain and to ensure the swelling and throbbing doesn’t worsen.
• Doctors might prescribe antibiotics too.
• Treatment might also involve splinting and realigning of the nose by hand or through surgery. A complicated fracture could require surgery when the crooked and broken bone or cartilage has to be moved back into place. Some of the treatment options for fracture nasal bone correction are:
  • Closed Reduction Surgery: is a procedure where a broken bone is set or reduced without cutting the skin open. The broken bone is put back in place allowing it to grow back.
  • Rhinoplasty: is a medical procedure to help repair and reshape the nose of the patient. An incision is usually done inside the nostril to help perform work on the nose tip or for cartilage grafts. A splint is usually kept outside the nose to maintain the new shape of the nose after the surgery.
  • Septorhinoplasty: is a combination procedure usually performed to repair the nasal septum where a deviated septum, causing breathing obstruction, is first corrected with a surgical procedure called Septoplasty. Then, Rhinoplasty is performed for cosmetic and structural changes to the nose.