Orbital floor fracture non-blowout: Experienced facial trauma to the right side of face 3 weeks ago.

Question

Doctors(plastic surgeon & dentist )said no surgery just observation.They also wanted to wait til the swelling is gone to see what is the damage (as in nerve damage) my question is how do I know the swelling is fully gone ? I still feel numb I regained just a bit of sense but barely. I feel constant tingling when should I go check the damage ? And do I go back to the plastic surgeon or do I schedule an appointment with a neurologist?

Amir Nakhdjevani, MBBS, MRCS, FRCS(Plast) · Answer

Thank you for your question. A neurologist will not help here. The plastic surgeon and maxillo facial surgeon will know what is best for this area as they will have dealt with hundred of blow out fractures. There are several methods to treat this area. The swelling needs to resolve as going in too early will mean more bleeding and further swelling. Nerves that have only been minimally traumatised will start to fire slowly. If they are cut then there may be no resolution. Either way, waiting to see what happens is what i would consider to give a more accurate idea of the extent of damage. With a blow out fracture, several structures can be involved and therefore allowing the swelling to settle will give them a better idea of all that is involved. They will then review you as requried to make a plan of what their treatment will entail and what will be beneficial for you. A neurologist will not know whether this area needs to be treated surgically or non-surgically. They can assess the nerve sensation but even this will need to be repeated to check how it is improving and in my opinion will be a total waste of your time and money. It would be better to relax and let the swelling resolve and then take the advise from your surgical team.I hope this is helpful for you BW

Jasmine Mohadjer, MD · Answer

I am sorry you have had this trauma, and sounds like you are fortunate enough not to need surgery.  However, when you break any bone, the healing takes many weeks or months.  At 3 weeks, you are certainly not done healing.  Any damage that has occcured to your nerves many take 6 months to a year to fully heal.  There is no surgery that will help that.   The tingling you are feeling is actually a great sign that things are starting to heal.   Hang in there.

Orbital floor fracture non-blowout: Experienced facial trauma to the right side of face 3 weeks ago.

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Orbital floor fracture non-blowout: Experienced facial trauma to the right side of face 3 weeks ago.

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Everything you need to know about Eyelid Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.