Prophylaxis
To prevent a fracture of the nasal bone, there is really nothing you can do except to be careful in everyday life. This includes, above all, appropriate, defensive behavior in road traffic, whereby the car manufacturers also make a major contribution to the prevention of injuries in general by means of well-developed safety systems. In addition, one should of course avoid getting into a fight or exposing oneself to unnecessary risks, for example in certain sports. And if this risk is nevertheless taken, value should at least be placed on good protective clothing.
Prognosis
The prognosis depends on the type of fracture (nasal bone fracture) but is generally favorable. If there is no malposition of bone elements, the nasal bone fracture usually heals completely without causing permanent damage. Even in the case of a fracture with bone displacements, there is a very good chance that the nose will look exactly the same after reduction as before the injury, if this takes place within ten days at the latest.
If the reduction of the bone fragments fails to take place or is performed too late, it is possible that shape defects such as a crooked or saddle nose will remain. In most cases, these are only a cosmetic problem, but in some cases they can be accompanied by a permanent difficulty in nasal breathing (nasal bone fracture). If the nasal septum was also affected by the fracture and a displacement remains, this can promote the development of sinusitis, pharyngitis, nosebleed or snoring in later life (nasal bone fracture).The nasal bone fracture is a typical sports injury.
In addition to any kind of martial arts, especially soccer players often suffer fractures of the bony nasal skeleton. Since considerable force applied during sports usually results in complicated nasal bone fractures with several fragments or the occurrence of dislocated fracture ends, surgical treatment is usually necessary. After completion of the nasal bone fracture treatment, sports should be avoided for at least six weeks.
Only after this period can it be assumed that the nasal bone fracture has healed and the stability of the bony nasal skeleton has been restored. If sport is done during this period and the nose is affected again, this can lead to a complicated secondary fracture. Even after the healing period, certain sports (especially martial arts and soccer) should be continued for another six months with appropriate protection. In order to protect the bony nasal skeleton from a renewed nasal fracture, a special mask can be worn, for example.
