Nasal bone fracture | Pain in and around the nasal bone

Nasal bone fracture

A fracture of the nasal bone can in most cases be recognized by an optically altered nose. However, the fracture does not only lead to a pure injury of the bone, but also to a damage of its accompanying structures. The injury to the vessels usually manifests itself as a nosebleed and, in the worst case, can also lead to skin bleeding up to the eyes.

An injury to the nerves can range from pain to a numbness of the nose and must be examined and evaluated in each individual case. An absolute warning signal is a clear discharge after a broken nose bone. For if the nasal bone is pressed towards the forehead and breaks into the frontal bone, there is a risk of brain injury. The brain itself is surrounded by a clear fluid as a buffer. If there is a clear discharge after a trauma, a medical examination should be performed immediately.

Associated symptoms

Accompanying symptoms of a painful nasal bone result from the cause of the pain. In trauma, the extent of the injury correlates with the accompanying symptoms.From a slight nosebleed to a completely deformed nose, everything is theoretically possible. Due to the close position to the eyes and the upper jaw, these structures are often also injured.

Often, this can be seen in bleeding in the eye area or an injury to the teeth or jawbone. In the worst case, the violence was so strong that the forehead bone collapsed. If the nasal bone is pressed into the skull, there is a risk of damaging the protective structures of the front brain.

Absolute warning signals should be a change in consciousness as well as a loss of consciousness and a clear discharge from the nose. These symptoms may indicate that the brain has been injured. In these cases, immediate medical clarification is urgently required.

In contrast, fever, weakness and a general feeling of illness are often predominant in the case of an infection. The greater the swelling of the mucous membranes, the more severely nasal breathing is impaired. Those affected often feel a dull pressure on the nasal bone, which can even lead to headaches.

Swelling of the nasal bone can occur both outwards and inwards. An infection causes mainly a swelling inside the nose and very quickly results in obstructed nasal breathing. The stronger the swelling is, the more pressure is felt on the bone.

The shape of the nose is not changed by this type of swelling. It can only be recognized by looking inside the nose. Then it shows itself by narrowing the airways in the nose.

An external swelling of the nose can be recognized by the patient himself in the mirror. The facial contours around the nose disappear to a greater or lesser extent depending on the degree of swelling. The most common cause is an injury to the nasal bone, which has led to an injury to skin-supplying vessels.

The swelling is therefore often accompanied by visible skin bleeding. If headaches occur in combination with pain in the nasal bone, in most cases this can be explained by the bony connection of the nasal bone to the frontal bone. Especially if the headache is located in the area of the front of the head, this indicates that altered pressure conditions at the nasal bone have an effect on the bony part of the forehead.

The two bones are firmly fused together and cannot shift against each other. Tension can therefore be transferred reactively from one bone to the other. In addition, they have the same sensitive supply of nerve fibers, so that a perception of pain in this area is not uncommon.