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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Because your nose is the most prominent feature on your face — protruding unprotected from your profile — it's also the facial feature most at risk of injury. In fact, broken noses account for approximately 40 percent of all facial fractures.
Your nose is supported by cartilage (in the front) and bone (on the back and bridge). When this framework of bone and cartilage is struck with a force, the bones can crack or fracture — resulting in a broken nose.
Common causes of a broken nose include:
- Injury from contact sports, such as football or hockey
- Physical fights, such as those in which punches are thrown
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Falls
A broken nose can even be caused by activities such as walking into a fixed object or by rough, wrestling-type play in children.
- Kucik CJ. Management of acute nasal fractures. American Family Physician. 2004;70:1315.
- Pope TT, et al. Maxillofacial and neck trauma. In: Stone CK, et al. Current Diagnosis and Treatment: Emergency Medicine. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3101510. Accessed May 27, 2009.
- Fractures of the nose. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec21/ch312/ch312d.html. Accessed May 30, 2009.
- Mendez DR, et al. Nasal trauma and fractures in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 22, 2009.
- Nasal fractures. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/Nasal-Fractures.cfm. Accessed May 30, 2009.
- Blum DJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 5, 2009.
