Symptoms

Nasal injuries are very common in young adults and children.

The nose has a very good blood supply and there is often bleeding after an injury both from the nasal cavities and into the soft tissues around the nose making the nose very swollen and bruised.

The most important thing to exclude immediately after nasal trauma is a septal haematoma (blood clot in the nasal septum - the partition that separates the 2 halves of the nose). In the event this has occurred then urgent treatment is required to prevent infection that can cause an abscess and destroy the cartilage support of the septum. The infection can also be serious.

Symptoms include a very blocked nose which is very tender to touch particularly at the nasal tip. If you look inside the nose this is the appearance of a septal haematoma  

It is difficult to be certain that there is a fracture in the first few days after the injury and this can only be determined about 7-10 days later once the swelling settles. If there is a deformity at that point this can be pushed back in place under a short general anaesthetic.

Sometimes nasal injuries can be associated with other facial bone injuries. Depending on the nature and severity of the injury it may be necessary to carry out a CT scan to exclude other fractures particularly those involving the orbit and the jaw.