Nasal Rinses

I suffer from dry ness in the nose so I do nasal rinses..Lately I've done them and when I put the rinser in my right nostril and press gently it comes out the other one nice and slow but when i do the left nostril it doesn't come out and it seems to hurt and get backed up any ideas...thanks in advance

[Enoch Choi]

Nasal saline lavage is a great way to keep passages clear.  It's a bit aggressive if symptoms are only of dryness.  If one side doesn't drain it may be due to:
1) congestion on that side
2) septum deviation towards that side, blocking passage
One should never force saline into nares, it can back it up into the throat and possibly run into the lungs.

Other options are available to reduce swelling, such as nasal steroids which require prescriptions.  Decongestants (OTC) can help as well.

Enoch Choi, MD

[starlow]

I think it could be septum deviation also. I also had the same when doing sinus rinse. I ahve had my corrected due to continuous sinus infections. I can also breath better too.

[Enoch Choi]

Correction of deviated nasal septums makes a lot of sense if it contributes to recurrent sinus infections, but that's rather rare.  It's more helpful just with congestion.  When ENTs consider fixing recurrent sinusitis, they open up the ostia, the bony hole at the bottom of the sinus cavity, so it will drain easier with a larger opening.  A CT scan helps with this diagnosis.

Enoch Choi, MD

[canada110]

my septum is straight on both sides i just had surgery back in may and also had turbinate submucous resection....sorry i didn't mention that

[Enoch Choi]

Again, nasal steroids can help some with these problems. Some examples include: beconase, flonase, rhinocort, and nasonex.

Enoch Choi, MD