Deviated Septum

A deviated septum is when your nasal septum is not aligned properly. The septum is what separates both the right and left sides properly. But when this portion of the nasal cavity isn't right, the passages are not equal, and one side is smaller then the other.

The common causes of a deviated septum are birth defects, or nose injuries. Nose injuries are the more common causes of a deviated septum.

There are varying degrees of a deviated septum from mild cases to severe. In more mild cases, there are no symptoms, but when the problem is severe, there are symptoms such as:

1. A blockage in one or both of the nostrils. This makes it hard for a person to breathe correctly.

2. A severe deviated septum also causes a lot of nasal congestion. It is not uncommon to have postnasal drip which is annoying since the drainage settles back into your throat since the nostrils are blocked.

3. Many people have a septum that often becomes very drying. This in turn, causes nosebleeds often.

4. Sinusitis and sinus infections are very common in cases of severe deviated septum's. Since one side of the septum is smaller than the other side, it causes many more problems with clogging and drainage, leaving the passages swollen and inflamed.The result of sinusitis is that it causes a lot of pain throughout the face.

5. Snoring loudly is very common.This is due to the fact that normal breathing patterns in sleeping are disturbed because of the uneven septum.

If you are having any of these symptoms of deviated septum, you need to see your doctor who most likely would refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. For a doctor to diagnose the problem is easy to do. All it takes is an exam with a nasal type of speculum, and it is obvious to the doctor whether or not you have this condition.

A specialist will probably try other treatments first before doing some surgery. The treatments might include things like:

1. A decongestant so that you don't have a lot of drainage all of the time. You can take these medications in either a spray or oral medicine. Using a spray is good for only a short period of time. Pills are preferable to sprays since sprays can become addictive causing a dependence after a short while. After you no longer use nasal sprays, the symptoms will return.

2. Cortisone sprays are also fine for a period of time. The purpose of a steroid spray is to help prevent more of the inflammation and obstruction to nasal passages, and therefore, helps to avoid sinusitis.

3. Allergy pills are something else a doctor may prescribe. These help the nasal drainages so that they don't go back into your throat causing more unpleasant symptoms. Allergy pills help your sneezing which can also cause nasal congestion.

Surgery is an option if your symptoms are so troublesome, and you are having a lot of problems controlling your nosebleeds from the drying that occurs, breathing problems and even sleep apnea. The surgery known as septoplasty is done to re-do your septum, and aligning it properly. As a result of having the surgery for proper alignment, your troublesome symptoms will disappear along with your sleeping issues. If the nose has been previously injured and is out of alignment itself, the surgeon may do surgery on the cartilage as well along with placing the septum back in the right place.