Have you ever wondered what leads to a crooked, off-center nose? Or felt like only one nostril works at a time when breathing? If this sounds familiar, you may have a deviated nasal septum. Read on to understand what causes septum deviation and if treatment is worthwhile.
Genetics and Injuries Often Cause Septum Deviation
The most common cause of a deviated septum is believed to be developmental, occurring during the growth process and potentially present from birth. Trauma to the nose, such as a direct blow or injury during childbirth, can also contribute to the deviation.
Injuries later in life also frequently cause a deviation in the nasal septum. Contact sports, car accidents, falls, and blows to the face can all shift your septum from the midline due to the fragile cartilage’s susceptibility to damage. Even picking your nose aggressively over time rubs the cartilage raw, increasing deviation risk.
Crooked Septums Impair Breathing and Drainage
While a mildly deviated septum causes no issues for many, more severely crooked septums obstruct normal sinus airflow and drainage. Breathing exclusively out of one nostril at a time indicates substantial blockage. Furthermore, the closed-off nasal chambers are prone to recurrent sinus infections from poor mucus drainage.
Facial pain, frequent nosebleeds, noisy breathing during sleep, and recurring headaches may also accompany a significantly deviated septum. The discomfort and quality of life reductions prompt many with impairment to consider realignment surgery.
Septoplasty Effectively Realigns the Nasal Septum
Fortunately for those with breathing difficulties and recurring infections from a crooked septum, the surgery septoplasty reliably realigns the nasal midline structures. After numbing the nose, surgeons access the skewed septum through the nostrils. Then, they carefully reposition the cartilage and bone into a straight configuration down the center of the nose for symmetrical airflow.
Realign Your Septum
If your deviated septum causes impairment, contact the experts at Del Rey MD | Sinus | Allergy | ENT Center in Long Beach, CA, at 562-774-0844. Find out if septoplasty may help you breathe easier soon. Don’t settle for one working nostril – call today to book your appointment.