Can a deviated nasal septum cause tinnitus?

Written by Xu Qing Tian

Otolaryngology

Updated on June 27, 2025

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A deviated nasal septum may lead to tinnitus in patients. A deviated nasal septum refers to the deviation of the cartilaginous or bony part beneath the mucous membrane of the nasal septum, protruding into one side of the nasal cavity, forming spurs or local bending. This can cause nasal congestion and headaches in patients, and some may develop tinnitus as a result of the headaches. The primary treatment goal for patients with a deviated nasal septum is to alleviate nasal congestion and help restore normal breathing. The main treatment method is surgery, which corrects the bent part of the nasal septum mucous membrane to achieve the goal of restoring normal nasal ventilation.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu

Otolaryngology

46sec

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Can a deviated nasal septum heal on its own?

The clinical diagnosis of a deviated nasal septum includes two parts. Firstly, there is a structural deviation of the nasal septum, where the cartilage and bone tissues lean towards one side of the nasal cavity. This deviation could appear in various forms, such as S-shaped bends or conical deviations. Secondly, these deviations cause nasal symptoms, such as chronic nasal congestion, nosebleeds, and even headaches. Both of these symptom parts are required to diagnose a deviated nasal septum, which can then be treated surgically. Since it is known to be a structural deviation, which is mechanical in nature, a deviated nasal septum cannot recover on its own and requires surgical intervention.

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Written by Yao Jun

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

59sec

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Does it hurt to remove the stitches from a deviated nasal septum surgery?

Nasal septum deviation is a common surgical procedure in otolaryngology, primarily involving the misalignment of the septal cartilage, which affects the ventilation and drainage of the nasal cavity. This can cause symptoms such as nosebleeds and headaches. Thus, submucous resection of the nasal septum is a routine surgery. Generally, by observing the condition of the wound, if there is no protrusion, tearing, and the alignment is good, it is usually not necessary to stitch. If stitching is done, the stitches are removed after 7 to 8 days. The doctor moistens the nasal cavity with saline, cleaning out any nasal scabs. If pain is a concern, surface anesthesia can be applied using a tetracaine epinephrine cotton swab. Removing the stitches in this way will not be painful. Even without anesthesia, removing stitches feels like a mosquito bite and is not very painful, so there should not be much concern.

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Written by Xu Qing Tian

Otolaryngology

48sec

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Can a deviated nasal septum be inherited?

Nasal septal deviation is not hereditary. The main causes of nasal septal deviation are due to different growth rates of the nasal septal cartilage in patients during infancy and adolescence, which leads to tension-induced deviation, or due to local trauma caused by impact, resulting in deviation of the patient's nasal septum. For the symptoms mentioned above, they mainly cause nasal congestion, headaches, nosebleeds, and other related conditions. The primary treatment method for patients with nasal septal deviation involves the submucosal removal of cartilage under functional endoscopy, in order to correct the deviated parts of the patient's nasal septum. This is done with the goal of restoring normal airflow in the nasal passages and alleviating contact headaches.

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Written by Li Rui

Otolaryngology

52sec

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Can a deviated nasal septum be treated without surgery?

A deviated nasal septum does not necessarily require surgery. The treatment for a deviated nasal septum mainly depends on the severity of the deviation and clinical symptoms. If it's just a minor deviation without obvious clinical manifestations, most patients don't need specific treatment. Generally, they can just be rechecked in the near future to observe any changes. However, if the deviation is significant and accompanied by clinical symptoms, such as nasal congestion, nosebleeds, runny nose, headaches, or dizziness, surgery might need to be considered. Currently, the surgery can be conducted under endoscopy as a nasal septum deviation correction surgery or as a nasal septoplasty. Overall, the surgery is not very traumatic, and generally, the results are quite definitive. Typically, the recovery period is about two weeks.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu

Otolaryngology

45sec

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Does a deviated septum require hospitalization?

The clinical treatment of a deviated nasal septum is primarily through surgical intervention, which involves the removal of the deviated cartilage and bone tissue to correct the structural deviation of the nasal septum. Therefore, hospitalization is required for the surgery, generally for about a week. According to usual procedures, the surgery is performed on the third day, followed by three to four days of intravenous fluid infusion to control and prevent infection. After discharge from the hospital post-surgery, the treatment does not end. Regular follow-up visits to the hospital are necessary to monitor the recovery from nasal mucosal inflammation and to observe the correction of the nasal septum deviation.