|
Your nasal septum is the wall inside your nose that divides your nasal cavity in half. Ideally, this wall, which is made out of cartilage and bone, runs directly through the midline of your nasal cavity, separating it into two equally sized passageways. When the wall that divides the nasal cavity gets crooked, resulting in a deviated septum, it can cause all kinds of problems - from breathing issues to snoring. If you have a deviated septum, your nasal septum is off-center. You may be born with a deviated septum, or it can occur after a nose injury - even from a simple school yard scrape that happened years ago. How do You Know it's a Deviated Septum? If you have a deviated septum, the disparity between the sizes of your nasal passageways can be so severe that it creates a blockage in one or both nostrils. For this reason, a deviated septum can lead to problems such as:
* Trouble breathing through the nose
* Nasal congestion
* Recurrent nose bleeds
* Pain in your face due to underlying sinus infection
* Headaches
* Post nasal drip
* Snoring
* Sleep apnea
Nasal symptoms associated with a deviated septum are often more severe on one side of the nasal cavity than the other. However, when a deviated septum is mild, it usually goes unnoticed until you have a cold - triggering breathing and congestion problems. Managing Your Symptoms The initial treatment of a deviated septum may be directed at managing the symptoms of the condition, such as nasal congestion and postnasal drip. Your otolaryngologist may prescribe:
* Decongestants - medications that reduce nasal congestion, helping to keep the airways on both sides of your nose open.
* Antihistamines - medications that help prevent many cold and allergy symptoms, including a runny nose.
* Nasal steroid sprays - prescription nasal corticosteroid sprays can reduce inflammation in your nasal passage and help prevent a runny nose. Surgical Repair Medications are a temporary fix, however, and won't correct a deviated septum. If you experience severe symptoms - such as significant airway obstruction or frequent nosebleeds - your ENT may recommend surgery to correct your deviated septum (septoplasty). In a septoplasty, the nasal lining is preserved and the crooked tissue is removed. The nasal turbinates, which are adjacent swellings of tissue and bone, are usually shrunk at the same time to further improve breathing. Nasal packing is not used, unless excessive bleeding occurs, which is very rare. The level of improvement you can expect with surgery depends on the severity of your deviation. Symptoms due to the deviated septum - such as nose bleeds and nasal obstruction - often completely resolve. However, any accompanying nasal or sinus conditions - such as allergies - can't be cured with surgery. Rather, medication will be prescribed for allergy symptom relief. Discuss your symptoms with your ENT in Hackensack, NJ. Your ENT will create an appropriate treatment plan for relieving your symptoms of a deviated septum. If symptoms are not relieved, surgery may also be recommended.
Dr. Christopher Shaari, ENT in Hackensack, is a board certified otolaryngologist and has been practicing in Hackensack, NJ since 1997. Dr. Shaari provides care in medical and surgical management of nasal and Hackensack sinus disorders, as well as surgical management of thyroid and parathyroid conditions.
|
