I recently saw a new patient in my office for evaluation of his nose following an injury sustained while playing soccer. Immediately following the nose injury, he was seen and evaluated in a local emergency room. X-rays were taken and confirmed an obvious nasal fracture. While in the emergency room, he was told that he needed to have the nasal fracture repaired by a nose specialist. Unfortunately, he was also told that he would never be able to play soccer again! This comment from the emergency room staff prompted an immediate phone call to me via this patient’s family member who was a personal friend. Fortunately, I was able to calm their nerves by clarifying his true prognosis. The reality is that once repaired and once healed, a vast majority of patients who sustain an injury to the nose are able to resume essentially all of their normal activities – including playing sports. It is a rare case where a patient suffers a nose injury that is so severe that future participation in sports would be prohibited. If you have questions or concerns about repair of your nose following an injury, feel free to contact one of San Diego’s experts in nasal fracture repair – Dr. John Hilinski.