US Gymnast Maroney Suffers Nasal Fracture

World vault champion McKayla Maroney on the US gymnastics team suffered a nasal fracture during pre-meet training when she over-rotated at the end of a tumbling run and fell hard earlier this month. She also suffered a concussion. A visit to the ER revealed her injuries. Apparently no surgical intervention was pursued.

This case illustrates that most nasal and even facial fractures do NOT require surgical repair.

The key elements that lead towards a decision for facial and/or nasal fracture surgery are the following (not all-inclusive, but general pointers):

- Any functional deficit including inability to open and close the jaw.
- Change in your occlusion (the way your teeth come together).
- Double vision (blurry vision does not count).
- Cosmetic deformity due to nasal/facial fracture (bruising and swelling does not count).
- Nasal obstruction not due to swelling.

The two main specialties able to assess whether surgery is required or not is ENT and Plastic Surgery as well as some oral surgeons.

Source:
Maroney suffers concussion, nasal fracture. ESPN 6/10/12