broken nose

[Drag'n]

A guy broke his nose in BJJ class the other night.
He tried to take down his opponent by wrapping both legs round his waist and falling backwards, pulling his opponent down on top of him.
Bad move!
His opponents head slammed him right in the face.OUCH!
After lying there dazed for a minute he sat up and blood gushed from his slightly bent facial feature.
The instructor gave him an ice pack and told him to hold it on his nose and lie down. Which he did for most of the lesson.
He was advised by one of our sempai to go to the hospital and get it checked out. Nobody really seemed to know the best thing to do though.
I was given similar advice years ago when I broke my own nose, from eating a round house kick.
When I went to the hospital the next day they told me my nose was too swollen to "fix" it, so I had to go back a few days later to get it reset.
The procedure involved having a long pair of tongs(like scissors with chop stick blades) shoved up my nose and squeezed tight while a nurse shoved my nose from the side. This hurt way more than the kick to the face!
I didn't want to go through that again. So the second time I broke it I just left it bent. Luckily its not so noticeable though.
Which brings me to the point of this post.
Whats the best immediate treatment for a broken nose?
I've heard stories from the old days where instructors reset their students or their own noses on the spot!
Anybody have rellevant experiences?

 

[jfarnsworth]

I would personally go to the hospital immediately.

 

[RRouuselot]

As part of my job requirement I have to talk all kinds of First Aid, CPR, and AED classes.
Pressure to stop the bleeding and ice is good, lean forward slightly or sit up, laying on your back is a bad idea. If there is a lot of blood it may run down your throat....which is a little dangerous not to mention it tastes disgusting. Getting to a hospital as soon as possible after the break is always best.

One of my students (Michael…I think you met him) broke his toe a few years back. That sucker was sticking out sideways….we tried to straighten it right after the break before the swelling got too bad and I have to admit it I did a pretty good job.

 

[shesulsa]

Ice, lean forward slightly and transport him to the hospital. As for straightening it out on the spot or anything else - one word:

embolism.

Even the simplest breaks could be deadly - sad and not very macho, but true.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Thank-you for the information! Better to be prepare, than make things worst. Accidents do happen and no ones wants them. Most of us are not verse in first aid and such. Good advice is always wanted.......Aloha

 

[Vadim]

Ouch... that had to hurt! As others have posted follow the first aid procedures and definitely go see a doctor. Getting injured is not a fun thing, but with proper first aid followed by any further treatment that is necessary the recovery time should be no problem. I guess the guy was trying to apply a jump guard on his opponent.

-Vadim

 

[Cryozombie]

My nose has been broken twice, both times in my youth. I never did anything with it, other than ice it, and its crooked, althout its not as bad as when I was younger. I can also (this will sound gross) stick my finger in my right nostril, (told you) and I can feel the edge of the cartilige (i assume) in a way I cannot when I stick my finger in my left nostril.

Go figure.

 

[Lisa]

Just asTechno described, your nose can become deviated and it can cause problems in years to come. My husband broke his nose twice and it never was straightened either. Years later he had breathing problems and snored horribly. He went in and had his nose drilled out. Yes, it apparently is as painful as it sounds. To this day he swears it is the most painful thing he has ever had done.

 

[Adept]

Well it depends on how bad the break is. If their nose is shattered and flattened onto their face, maybe you should think about taking them to hospital. If its just cracked and bleeding, then dont bother. I rang the A&E department when I first broke my nose, and they said dont bother to come in unless it is really badly broken, or you cant stop the bleeding, or you still cant breathe from it in the morning.

 

[shesulsa]

My nose has been broken twice, both times in my youth. I never did anything with it, other than ice it, and its crooked, althout its not as bad as when I was younger. I can also (this will sound gross) stick my finger in my right nostril, (told you) and I can feel the edge of the cartilige (i assume) in a way I cannot when I stick my finger in my left nostril.

Go figure.

Which finger? How far? Which side? How big is the cartilage? Can I see?

Go eat some turkey and dressing, John.:ultracool

 

[Ceicei]

I broke my nose twice in 1985/1986, once while sparring in an open karate style tournament and once while playing tag football and I got steamrolled in the face by a 200 lb guy. With both of these times, my nose bled so much it took a while to stop. It was a fracture on one side of the nose. Fortunately, it wasn't severe enough to disfigure my nose. It took a long time to recover and sneezing/coughing hurts. Just merely touching the nose, oooowwwwwww.

It wasn't severe enough for the dr/hospital to do anything about it though.

- Ceicei

 

[Drac]

I would personally go to the hospital immediately.

What he said!!!

 

[pakua]

My Dad told me he had his nose bust in a soccer match when he was in the Royal Air Force before WWII. He was keeping goal and went for a ground ball and got kicked.

The medics took him straight to the base hospital, and when he got back the guy in charge of the team crapped him out for deserting his post in the face of the enemy, so to speak!

 

[Bod]

Well, if Bert Traubmann could play on with a broken neck there's no reason you couldn't play on with a broken nose.

Still Traubmann didn't join Man U til after the war, so his sterling example of sporting fortitude had yet to be set.

 

[Tgace]

Went to the hospital when I broke mine (maybe "had it broken" is more accurate) the first time. They just taped a brace over it and sent me home. Its deviated now but hasnt caused any trouble.

I would say "better safe than sorry" and go to the hospital, but unless its really deformed or bleeding heavily, there isnt much they are going to do for you.

 

[dearnis.com]

The good news is that subsequent breaks hurt and bleed less (and if they are breaks of other's noses they dont hurt at all...)

 

[sifu Adams]

I have had mine broke a couple of times. never went to the hospital. I was to big and bad to go. about 3 years ago I realy learned how bad I was when I had to get it fixed because the right side was 100% blocked and the left was 95% blocked. that is not the way to go. they had to rebreak and rebuild my nose. when they were done they had managed to get three full rolles of galls, two splints and a stint (because they right side would stay open) in my nose. I was asleep when they put it all in but not when they took it out. My advice would be to go to the hospital and have it checked out. they my put tape on it and send you home or they may have to reset it but trust me from experiance that would be better than having to get it fixed 10 years later.

 

[chefs]

Agree with that. Broke my collar bone twice a couple of years back, once getting pole-axed in soccer, and once in Rugby. The other bummer in the broken bones front of course is the time it then takes you out of action and training, esp in more contact sports.

The good news is that subsequent breaks hurt and bleed less (and if they are breaks of other's noses they dont hurt at all...)