It happens like this: a person is absolutely sure that he is completely healthy, but suddenly he begins to experience strange sensations in the nose. A similar symptom can speak of several diseases at once. Therefore, if the nose bridge hurts, it is important to understand the reason why this happens. First of all, you should consult a therapist who will evaluate the accompanying symptoms and refer you to a specialist.
What is a nose bridge?
For those who do not quite understand what is at stake, a little explain. The nose bridge is the upper edge of the nose, which directly adjoins the forehead. There is even a medical term that defines this site. In Latin, it sounds like nasion. And if you ask the doctor what the bridge of the nose is, he will answer that this is the intersection of the nasolabial suture with the median sagittal plane (that is, the one that conditionally divides the human body into equal parts).
Possible causes of pain. Nose bridge injuries
Nose pain can occur for a variety of reasons. Often the basis for pain is the resulting trauma, the cause of which may be a fight, an accidental blow, a fall. Children often get injured during games. Injuries to the nose are:
- Bruises localized within the soft tissue. Superficial abrasions.
- Cartilage damage. Most often, the nasal septum, which divides the nose into the right and left nasal passages, is injured.
- Fractures of varying complexity.
If after a blow or a fall a person feels that his nose hurts, then he should immediately see an ENT doctor or surgeon.
Neuralgia
In many cases, nose pain is a symptom of neuralgia. We are talking, for example, about the syndrome described by the Chilean doctor Charlin at the beginning of the twentieth century. A more detailed name for Charlin syndrome is nasal neuralgia. With this syndrome, the nose and forehead hurt in a person. Sometimes the pain spreads to the eye area. In this case, there may be problems with the nutrition of the cornea, and you will need to contact not only a neurologist, but also an ophthalmologist.
Neuralgia is accompanied by intense pain. Pressing and bursting sensations arise. Most often, pain attacks begin at night. Patients fall asleep badly and do not sleep well. Disease of the nasociliary nerve has trigger points. If the patient has a slight pain in the nose, when you click on the "trigger" point, the pain will become more intense.
Neuralgia can occur without additional symptoms. But in advanced cases, during an attack, discharge from the nose, pulsation in the forehead, swelling of the mucous membranes in the nose, redness of the eyeballs and lacrimation begin. Ripple in the frontal zone can also be felt in moments of lull of pain. Often, it does not depend on attacks at all.
Causes of the nasolacrimal nerve
The most common cause of neuralgia, from which the nose hurts when pressed, is a complication of acute respiratory infections. And by the time of the occurrence of characteristic pains in the nose bridge, there are already no symptoms of a cold.
The next reason is dental problems. The innervation of tissues in the area of inflammation can associate a dental problem with a branch of the nasolacrimal nerve. A person may not experience toothache, but neuralgia begins due to inflammation of the dental nerve , and the nose and head ache as a result.
ENT diseases are also a common cause of neuralgia associated with the nasociliary nerve. Problems can be of varying degrees of difficulty. But we’ll talk more about this in the next section.
ENT diseases: runny nose
Often patients complain that the bridge of the nose hurts during a runny nose. Patients lose their appetite, experience severe discomfort. Runny nose interferes with normal breathing. Oxygen saturation worsens, which can disrupt the functioning of the heart and vascular system. Other respiratory organs may suffer through inhalation of air through the mouth. Runny nose can cause fluctuations in intracranial and intraocular pressure. So you can not ignore the pain in the nose during rhinitis and the common cold.
Sinusitis and its types
Anatomy of the nose is quite complicated. In many patients, the bridge of the nose hurts due to inflammatory processes in the parts of the nose. It has several sinuses: frontal, ethmoid labyrinth, wedge-shaped, maxillary (maxillary). The common name for the inflammatory processes of the mucous membrane of the nasal sinuses is sinusitis. Sinusitis is a type of sinusitis.
Inflammation can affect not only the maxillary sinuses, but also the frontal. Doctors classify such sinusitis as frontal sinusitis. In this case, the nose and head hurt, discomfort in the interbrow zone is added to these sensations. Most of the time the pain is dull, but with bending or pressing it increases sharply.
If the mucous membrane is inflamed in the area of the cells of the ethmoidal labyrinth, then when pressing on the bridge of the nose, discomfort can also occur. This subspecies of sinusitis is called ethmoiditis. The disease does not occur very often, but it is difficult to treat and is most often accompanied by sinusitis and frontal sinusitis.
Sinusitis
Many people think that rhinitis does not require special attention: “Just think, a runny nose, it will pass ...” But this is a huge mistake. An untreated runny nose can be the beginning of a more complex disease - sinusitis. Inflammation of the maxillary sinuses causes not just nasal congestion, but also general weakness, fatigue, headaches. It is important to know that if the nose is blocked for more than 7 days, then you need to contact the otolaryngologist and clarify where to make an x-ray of the sinuses. Without an x-ray, it’s difficult for a doctor to diagnose this disease.
Ganglioneuritis
This disease has a second name - ganglionitis. The problem arises from the defeat of the pterygo-palatine node. This is the ganglion, that is, the nerve node that consists of cells. The disease was first described by an American specialist and named after him in Slader syndrome. The pterygopalatine ganglion is connected with the facial and trigeminal nerves, as well as with the ear and ciliary ganglia. Therefore, the process often extends to several nodes. Ganglionitis causes swelling, reduces reflexes. The nose, eye socket or upper jaw often hurts because of it. In advanced cases, the pain spreads to the temporal region and to the arm. The pain is localized on one side.
Causes of Pterygopalatine Ganglionitis (Ganglioneuritis)
Ganglionitis, in which pain in the nose is a normal phenomenon, occurs as a result of pathologies of ENT organs, dental problems, chronic intoxications, tumors. Separately, it is worth highlighting maxillofacial injuries.
Where to go in case of pain in the nose?
As you already understood, there can be many causes of pain in the nose. If the onset of discomfort was preceded by a runny nose, then you can immediately contact the otolaryngologist. He will conduct an examination and, based on his results, will prescribe drug therapy, washing, drops or nasal sprays. During the examination, a blood test is taken and an x-ray is prescribed. Where to make an x-ray of the sinuses , check at the place of treatment. In the treatment of sinusitis, a puncture is considered the optimal method. But if you refuse this manipulation, the doctor tries to find another solution. Rhinitis, sinusitis, frontal sinusitis and other types of sinusitis should be treated without delay in order to prevent the transition of diseases into a chronic form and not cause serious complications.
If the bridge of the nose hurts as a result of a nasal injury, it is necessary to consult a trauma surgeon. The best option would be to contact the clinic of maxillofacial surgery. Specialists of such centers are best versed in fractures of the nasal bones, because here it is necessary to solve not only cosmetic problems, but also to control the restoration of the diameters of the nasal passages and the condition of the nasal septum. For pain in the nose after injuries, consult a doctor no later than 10 days later. During this time, the swelling subsides, and it will be possible, if necessary, to perform the operation.
If there were no injuries, and pain in the bridge of the nose was not preceded by a runny nose or acute respiratory infections, then you should consult a neurologist. It is this specialist who can identify Slader syndrome or Charlin syndrome.
If the bridge of the nose hurts, doctors can refer the patient to an additional dental consultation. As already mentioned, some inflammatory processes associated with teeth do not cause pain, but affect other systems and organs.
In any case, if the nose bridge hurts for more than three days, you need to seek help. Only a doctor can determine the severity of your condition. Symptoms that you did not pay attention to may signal the development of a serious pathology.