If you were recently in a car accident or playing a contact sport for fun with family and friends, you may not have expected to end up with a broken nose! Many people associate a broken nose as something that only happens to characters in a tv show or movie. However, everyday accidents like a car wreck, playing sports, or even an unfortunate slip and fall can lead to a broken nose. In some cases, a broken nose can happen on its own, and you do not suffer any other injuries. It is also possible to sustain a broken nose along with other injuries in a car accident, sports accident, or slip and fall. If you think you have a broken nose and are dealing with other injuries, then you might be looking for chiropractic back pain treatment. You might even be wondering how to tell if your nose is broken. Here’s what you need to know about a broken nose, including common signs, what to expect, when to see a doctor, and treatment options for a broken nose.
Common Causes of a Broken Nose
Any type of direct blow to the nose can lead to a broken nose. If you hit your face hard enough on part of the car, like the steering wheel or dashboard, a broken nose can be a car accident injury. Playing sports, especially contact sports like football, hockey, and boxing, can also lead to a broken nose, especially if you are not wearing a helmet or face mask. Solo activities like riding a bike could even cause a broken nose if you fall and hit your face on the ground or part of the bike. If you go to the gym or lift weights, you must also be cautious to avoid a broken nose. Unfortunate accidents at work or around the home can also cause a broken nose, like tripping or slipping and hitting your head on a nearby object. People who have problems with balance are also more susceptible to a broken nose. Getting punched or kicked in the nose can also cause a broken nose.
Signs of a Broken Nose
The nose is made up of two bones that form the bride of your nose, along with cartilage that helps support the side of your nose and shape your nostrils. The hard, bony section along the top of your nose is the most commonplace for you to suffer a broken bone. When you have a broken bone in your nose, also known as a fractured nose, you can also damage cartilage and blood vessels as well. When the bridge of your nose cracks or breaks, it can cause instant and obvious symptoms. Fractured nose symptoms include immediate and uncomfortable pain and a nosebleed. The pain will typically get worse when you touch your nose, and tenderness will occur along your cheeks and under your eyes. You may even develop bruising beneath your eyes or black eyes as a result of a broken nose. Your nose and the area around it may swell, and you might notice your nose is bent to an odd angle or looks crooked. In addition to a nosebleed, you may also experience mucus running out of your nose and even have trouble breathing because your nostrils may be blocked with mucus and blood.
What to Expect with a Broken Nose
As soon as you experience a broken nose, the first thing you want to do is stop any bleeding. A common misconception about broken noses is how to stop a nosebleed. While some people tilt their heads back to stop the bleeding, this can actually cause the blood to pool in the back of your throat. Instead, you should hold a cloth or rag to your nose while sitting up with your head tilted slightly forward. By tilting your head forward, you prevent blood from running into the back of your throat and keep your head and nose elevated above your heart. When you are bleeding, it is important that you keep that area above your heart because this will slow the bleeding. You can try to gently pinch the soft part of your nose to help stop the flow of blood unless the pain is too much.
Once you have the nosebleed under control, you can focus on addressing the pain and swelling. Elevating your head by sitting up or propping your upper body up above your heart will help ease the pain and throbbing. To address the swelling in your nose and face, you can gently apply a cold compress to the area. An ice pack or small bag of ice wrapped in a cloth can help to reduce swelling by restricting the blood vessels and blood flow to the area. You may try over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help with the pain and swelling. However, these medications should not be taken immediately after the injury when you are still dealing with a nosebleed because they can increase bleeding.
Over the next few days after the accident, you should start to see the swelling go down around your nose and eyes. Bruising around your eyes should also start to lighten, and you should no longer be experiencing any nosebleeds. However, your nose may still look crooked either due to the swelling or because of the break itself. In most cases, it is better to get checked out by a doctor sooner rather than later in case your symptoms do not improve and you are not able to get better on your own after a minor broken nose.
When to See a Doctor for a Broken Nose
If more than three days have passed since the initial incident and your symptoms have not gotten any better, then you should see a doctor. If pain and swelling are not getting any better after a few days, then you will likely need medical support. If the swelling has completely gone away but your nose is still crooked, then a doctor can help. If you continue to have nosebleeds after the broken nose, then a doctor can help. Any difficulty breathing or fever should be cause for getting checked out by your doctor as soon as possible.
You may need emergency assistance if you experience a severe headache, neck pain, nausea, vomiting, or loss of consciousness, in addition to the broken nose. If you have difficulty breathing and the bleeding will not stop, then you may be at greater risk for a serious injury or issue. If you notice a clear, watery fluid is draining from your nose, then you should seek emergency medical attention right away.
Diagnosing a Broken Nose
In order to diagnose a broken bone, your doctor will want to know how the injury happened and perform a physical examination of the area. Your doctor will gently touch the outside of your nose, your cheekbones, and underneath your eyes with light pressure. They will also look inside your nose to see how the structure of your nose may have been impacted by the injury. Your doctor will look for any bruising, cuts, or swelling and note where those are occurring. If you are still experiencing nosebleeds when you go to the doctor for a possible broken nose, then they may need to help stop your nosebleed and help clear blood from your nasal passages to help provide better visibility. Your doctor may also examine your eyes, teeth, and jaw for any other injury or fractures. In some cases, your doctor may request an X-ray or CT scan if they suspect you are dealing with other injuries to the face or head in addition to the broken nose. This can help rule out other injuries that can occur in tandem with a broken nose, such as a concussion, facial fracture, or trauma to the brain.
Treatment Options for a Broken Nose
Once your doctor has confirmed that you have a broken nose, they will talk to you about your options for treatment and recovery. In many cases, you and your doctor will need to wait for the swelling to go down before determining whether the shape of the nose has been impacted and needs to be fixed. Here are the first aid, non-surgical, and surgical treatment options for dealing with a broken nose.
First Aid
First aid for a broken nose involves stopping any bleeding, relieving your pain, and reducing any swelling. The first step is to stop a nosebleed by gently pinching the softer part of your nose and holding it tightly for a few minutes. While you try to stop the bleeding, you should sit up and lean slightly forward to help elevate your head and prevent blood from running down the back of your throat. The next steps include easing the pain and addressing any swelling on and around your nose. Propping up your head and using a cold compress or ice pack will help reduce swelling and provide a natural pain-relieving effect.
Non-Surgical
When the nose is broken, your nose will appear crooked or like the bridge of your nose is dented. The non-surgical option for treating a broken nose would be to manually realign the bone in your nose. Manual realignment of the nose must take place within the first two weeks of the injury or else the nose bone will start to heal on its own, even if it is out of place. Your doctor will typically provide you with pain medication before the manual realignment. They will then use a tool called a speculum to open your nostrils. They will then insert a special instrument into your nose that helps align the broken bone and adjust any damaged cartilage back into place. Then your doctor will use cotton and gauze-like packing material inside your nose and put a dressing along the outside of your nose to hold it in place while it heals in the proper positioning.
Surgical
If non-surgical manual realignment is not an option, you may need surgery to repair a broken nose. You may also need surgery to fix a broken nose if you did not seek treatment soon enough and the broken bone started to heal on its own and improperly. A surgery to fix a broken nose would focus on putting the bones and cartilage of your nose back in their proper place and help to reshape your nose. Surgery may be recommended after a broken nose if you also experience any breathing problems after the initial injury.
Comprehensive Care at AICA Orthopedics
At AICA Orthopedics, our team of doctors works together to provide everyone who walks through our doors with comprehensive and personalized care. Our doctors include orthopedists, chiropractors, physical therapists, neurologists, and surgeons, all in one location for your convenience. At AICA Orthopedics in Tucker, we offer in-house diagnostic imaging like X-rays and CT scans so you can get the tests you need and see your doctor all in one place. Whether you are looking for treatment options and ways to take care of yourself after a car accident, sports injury, or slip and fall injury, our Tucker AICA doctors are here to help.
We understand that an injury to one part of your body can impact the rest of your body. So, if you are dealing with a broken nose after a car accident, you want to get that addressed as soon as possible. However, you do not want to neglect other car accident injuries like whiplash that can cause head, neck, and back pain. Our team at AICA Orthopedics includes car accident doctors and chiropractors who can help with a wide range of injuries and issues. Once you get emergency medical treatment, you want to find a doctor who can help you through your treatment and recovery process. At AICA Orthopedics, our team offers quality and comprehensive treatment for car accident injuries along with chiropractic back pain treatment. Visit our Tucker location to learn more about how we can help you!