Problems and Treatment of Deviated Septum!

Posted by Sparsh Gupta on July 30th, 2019

The wall between the left and right sides of the nose is known as the nasal septum. It is made of soft tissue, covered with skin and has a rich supply of blood vessels. The septum lies at the center so that the left and right sides of the nose pass the same amount of air. However, the story is different for most of us. Based on a lot of research, it was found that nasal septum is a little off-center for nearly 80% of people, but it goes unnoticed for a lot of cases. The slightly bent or crooked septum rarely causes problems, but when the degree of deviation is higher, the same may lead to recurrent infections, chronic nasal sickness as well as breathing disorders.

A wall in between!

People with deviated septum feels an altered pattern of airflow in the nose. The same is a result of one bigger side (nostril) of the nose from another. Moreover, it can cause the sinus openings to get blocked triggering a sinus infection that may last for a long time. The altered airflow pattern may cause the skin of the nasal septum to become dry and cracked leading to frequent nosebleeds.

Signs of deviated nasal septum!

A lot of people are born with a deviated septum as the nose decided to develop that way before birth. Alternatively, nasal septum deviation may be caused by an injury to the nose. In a lot of cases, a blow to one side of the nose during contact sports, playground games, or a traffic accident, resulting in nasal septum deviation.

How can you identify the condition?

Symptoms of a deviated septum can include:

• Blockage of one or both nostrils

• Nasal congestion, sometimes on one side

• Frequent nosebleeds

• Frequent sinus infections

• Facial pain, headaches, postnasal drip

• Noisy breathing during sleep in infants

The symptoms may not persist all the time, but, at times they cause a lot of problems. We are listing out the horrible symptom that this condition inflicts as well as complications.

• If you experience trouble breathing through your nose, more so on one side; you may often feel like you have a cold as well as with a stuffy nose

• If you get recurrent bacterial infections of the nose, sinuses, or both; it is known that a deviated septum causes air to flow in circular current inside the nostril which leads to inflammation and stagnant mucus with trapped bacteria

• Snoring: If the nasal obstruction is causing you to breathe through your mouth when you sleep, it contributes to obstructive sleep apnea, characterized by episodes of breathing issues and loud snoring

• Other complication can be a frequent or chronic postnasal drip, nasal crusting, nosebleeds, headaches, dry mouth, and sore throats

There are cases where patients with mildly deviated septum exhibit symptoms when they have a cold or upper respiratory tract infection. For such patients, the respiratory infection may cause nose tissues to swell, making airflow problems even worse. After the cold resolves, the symptoms of a deviated septum go away too but, alas, not always.

Unhappy because of your nose? No more!

After looking at the symptoms of a patient of nasal septum deviation, an ENT specialist may ask whether the patent has ever broken or severely injured the nose. Or whether the patient has ever had nasal surgery.

An expert doctor may look at the nose and the position of the nasal septum. The doctor will conduct the diagnosis using a bright light with an instrument that gently spreads open your nostrils to inspect the inside surface of each nostril.

Avoiding a deviated septum is quite difficult but it can be prevented by avoiding injury to the nose. Take extra precaution regarding the nose, use seat belts and shoulder harnesses whenever you ride in a car and well-fitting headgear to protect your face during contact sports.

An impressive outlook to reshape your nose!

If you are a patient of a deviated septum, you can consult with your doctor if you can take the modern and advanced procedure to remedy the nasal septum deviation. The USFDA procedure helps an ENT surgeon to move the septum to a normal position.

There are cases where the people take a nose job, a surgical procedure to change the shape of the nose that may or may not be related to any infection or breathing disorder. In this procedure, a surgeon reshapes the external appearance of the nose, its called rhinoplasty. Moreover, if two procedures are performed at the same time for a patient, the surgical procedure is called a septorhinoplasty.

Bottom line, patient with mild deviation may have symptoms only during an upper respiratory tract infection. However, a patient with severe deviation may get sinusitis or recurring nosebleeds that will last until the problem is corrected surgically.

Trust an experienced doctor to be your surgeon!

In cases of kid younger then 16 years of age, an ENT specialist may suggest waiting until the kid’s nose has finished growing. In most cases, boys need to wait a bit longer than girls as they finish growing a little later.

If your nasal septum deviation causes troublesome nosebleeds, frequent sinus infections or other problems, you need to visit an ENT specialist or an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist).

Make an appointment asap to consult with your doctor if you keep having nosebleeds or if you have a blocked nostril or a sinus infection that does not respond to simpler treatment. Ask your ENT doctor more about advanced surgical procedures and daycare treatments.