A broken nose, also called a nasal fracture, is a break or crack in a bone in your nose — often the bone over the bridge of your nose.
Common causes of a broken nose include contact sports, physical fights, falls and motor vehicle accidents that result in facial trauma.
A broken nose can cause pain, along with swelling and bruising around your nose and under your eyes. Your nose may look crooked, and you may have trouble breathing.
Treatment for a broken nose may include procedures that realign your nose.
Surgery usually isn't necessary for a broken nose.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of a broken nose:
- Pain or tenderness, especially when touching your nose
- Swelling of your nose and surrounding areas
- Bleeding from your nose
- Bruising around your nose or eyes
- Crooked or misshapen nose
- Difficulty breathing through your nose
- Discharge of mucus from your nose
- Feeling that one or both of your nasal passages are blocked
When to see a doctor
Seek emergency medical attention if you experience a nose injury accompanied by:
- A head or neck injury
- Difficulty breathing
- Bleeding you can't stop
- A noticeable change in the shape of your nose such as a crooked or twisted appearance
- Clear, watery fluid draining from your nose
Treatment
If you have a minor fracture that hasn't caused your nose to become crooked or otherwise misshapen, you may not need professional medical treatment. Your doctor may recommend simple self-care measures, such as using ice on the area and taking over-the-counter pain medications.
Your doctor may be able to realign your nose manually, or you may need surgery.
Severe breaks, multiple breaks or breaks that have gone untreated for more than 14 days may not be candidates for manual realignment. In these cases, surgery to realign the bones and reshape your nose may be necessary.
If the break has damaged your nasal septum, causing obstruction or difficulty breathing, reconstructive surgery may be recommended. Surgery is typically performed on an outpatient basis.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-nose/symptoms-causes/syc-20370439
