Water dripping from the nose when you bend over is not always a symptom of the common cold. Yes, it IS common if you have a cold or a bad fever. However, chances are the problem is far more severe in some instances.
I’m not here to scare you, but the most likely reason I can think of is the Cerebrospinal Fluid leak. It’s a watery, colorless, and odorless substance that fills a particular space in the brain. Yes, the brain!
However, several reasons, such as allergy and nasal abnormality, can cause the same problem.
How would you know what you are actually suffering from, and what are the options for recovery? You will get to know all these in this article.
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The Most Likely Reasons You Have Water Dripping from Your Nose
Cerebrospinal Fluid, or CSF leaks, are usually caused by severe head injury. However, past head surgery can be responsible as well. Either way, the fact that something is leaking from the brain is as scary as it gets.
But, as previously mentioned, CSF leakage is not the only reason for this condition. Allergies can be a culprit as well. Check out more about them below.
CFS Leakage
CFS leakage is the most common reason water drips from the nose when bending over. Usually, a horrible migraine accompanies CFS leakage.
The headache gets worse if you sit or stay in an upright position. However, the pain should disappear once you lay down.
If CFS leakage is the issue, water also leaks through your ears when bending down or moving your head. Some people even feel liquid draining down their throats.
You may confuse this as nasal passage. But its salty and metallic taste should tell you that it’s actually coming from your brain. Tinnitus, ringing ears, and hearing loss are some more signs of CFS leakage.
Head trauma or head surgery is the initiator of this problem. Chances of CFS leak increase if you have fractured the facial bones or either side of the skull.
However, it’s not like the liquid leaks due to the cracks. It’s more complicated than that.
You are vulnerable to infections and tumors when you have a head injury. These diseases are notorious for causing CFS leaks. But these are not all.
Many medications used to treat head injuries, such as epidural injection, anesthetic injection, and even lumbar punctures, can lead to this problem. Skull’s structural abnormalities are another reason why cerebrospinal fluid is likely to leak.
If you think you have a CFS leak, you should immediately consult a doctor to be sure of the problem. The doctor will run a few tests and determine what your issue actually is.
If testing the CSF sample reveals something alarming, you must undergo an MRI or CT scan. This is the only way of confirming the issue. Once the doctors examine the report, they will recommend the appropriate treatment for you.
Allergies
Chances are you have allergies instead of CSF leakage. In some allergies, clear liquid is released from your sinuses. This uncomfortable situation usually occurs in an air-conditioned room.
However, you will also have sneezing and other nasal symptoms if water is dripping from your nose because of allergies. Hay fever can cause such nasal problems too.
These allergies usually come at a specific season. However, the drastic change in the weather can also be a reason.
Structural Abnormality
Deviated nasal septum or nasal polyp often causes leakage of clear fluid. In this case, the watery substance is not the CSF. Instead, it’s a regular nasal liquid. Though the problem here is not as severe, you should address the issue as soon as possible.
Home Remedies for the Predicament
I can understand people having a panic attack right now. What we’ve discussed till now can and most probably will frighten you. However, as silly as it sounds, a runny nose also has home remedies. Let’s discuss them in detail.
Bed Rest is One Way of Dealing with It
The simplest yet most effective way out of the problem is taking uncompromised bed rest. Try to stay as much inactive as possible. Don’t look at any screen for a prolonged time. This can increase your headache.
Stay Hydrated If You Want Runny Nose Gone
You have to keep yourself hydrated in this situation, no matter what. An excessive runny nose can create a shortage of liquid in your body. Consuming more fluid than you usually do can fill in that scarcity.
Staying hydrated will also help with the headache you are likely to have from CSF leakage or the common cold.
Drink Coffee
Drinking lots of coffee is never healthy. But in case of CSF leakage or when liquids constantly pour out of your nose, coffee can be a life-saver. However, you should never drink too much. Two cups are fine as long as you have no caffeine problem.
Rinsing Sinuses with Salt Water
As already mentioned, a common cold can cause you to drool from your nose. Rinsing sinuses with warm salt water can be the best treatment if this is the case.
The entire process is pretty simple. All you need is warm water, salt, a squeeze bottle, and a bulb syringe.
At first, you have to prepare a solution. Take the water into a bowl and pour some salt into it. Stir the whole thing well before pouring the mixture into the squeeze bottle. Finally, attach the bulb syringe to the bottle.
Now stand over a sink and tilt your head to a side. Slowly put the open end of the syringe into your nostril.
Next, push the squeeze bottle slowly to let the solution pour out of the other nostril. Remember to breathe through your mouth during this time. Otherwise, the water can go down to your throat.
Repeat the same process on the other nostril. When you are done, blow your nose into a tissue. This process will clear out any bacteria or amoeba trapped inside your sinuses. Now there shouldn’t be any discomfort once your nose is completely clean.
Try to practice this process daily till your nose is completely fine.
Apart from this, you should avoid staying in an air-conditioned room. Instead, use cortisone nasal spray and antihistamine for further improvement. Unfortunately, these are all you can do at home to handle a runny nose.
Medical Treatment for Dripping Nose Water
Dripping nose water isn’t usually a thing to be concerned with. However, panicking won’t do you any good if and when it gets serious. You’ll have to seek professional help. Let’s review some of the medical treatments one can pursue to navigate the issue.
Endoscopic Repair
The endoscopic repair process is a popular way of treating CSF leaks. In simple terms, this method takes a piece of nasal lining tissue and fixes the leak.
The first step is accessing the patient’s nasal passage and locating the leak or the crack. Don’t worry. This process doesn’t require an incision.
However, it’s not a method with instant results. Depending on the severity and the type of the leak, the recovery process can take 3 to 11 days.
The good news is the success rate of treating CSF leaks through endoscopic repair is 90 to 95 percent. In addition, the process is less risky than the alternatives. Although, there is some bad news as well. Endoscopic repair is a delicate thing to handle.
This is why it needs utmost precision and care. One wrong move while surgery can lead to scarring, infection, bleeding, change in taste or smell, eye damage, and meningitis.
Consult and operate under a reputed expert’s supervision if you want to avoid all these horrible injuries.
Epidural Blood Patch
An epidural blood patch is one of the invasive treatments for CSF leak. It’s mainly a surgical procedure where the crack is patched with the patient’s blood.
The process has a greater success rate. But unfortunately, it can’t cure all types of tears. Your doctor will look at your condition and decide whether this is the ideal option for you.
During this, the surgeon draws 5 to 25 mm of the patient’s blood. Then they inject the blood into the space just outside the leakage in the dura mater (the layer of connective tissue that forms up the meninges of the brain).
Epidural blood patch or EBP is usually performed at two spots. Directed EBP is placed on the exact spot of the leak. On the other hand, the non-directed EBP is placed at the spine to obstruct leakage.
However, you should know that despite the high success rate, EBP is not always reliable. The patch can break after a specific time. Nevertheless, it doesn’t break on its own. Excessive movement of the face muscle and the neck muscle can cause trouble.
The first 6 weeks are the most sensitive time. After that, doctors recommend avoiding lifting, twisting, bending, or straining for at least 4 weeks post-treatment.
Epidural Patch with Fibrin Glue
This method is the same as the previous one. The only difference is that while the last method uses the patient’s blood as the sealant, a biological adhesive called fibrin glue is used in this process.
The glue is injected into the epidural space. This glue seals the crack and mends the leak with time. The whole process is risk-free because the fibrin glue is pre-treated with medicines. This reduces the risk of an allergic or anaphylactic reaction.
Full-Fledged Surgery
Surgery is the final resort if the leakage is too significant to fix with a patch. In fact, surgery is the only option if the patch doesn’t heal the leak or if blood clots in the brain.
Long-term meningitis and herniated brain tissue pushed into the nose or ears are also signs that you need surgery.
The surgical process closes the CSF leakage with stitches. An endoscope is inserted through the nose at the beginning of the procedure (in case you don’t know, an endoscope is a thin, flexible tube).
All the tools of the surgery are passed through this tube. Therefore, you can say that this tube performs the primary operation.
However, the neurosurgeon will perform an open surgery if the fluid leaks from the ears.
This operation is more or less risk-free. And, as you will be under anesthesia, you don’t have to endure any painful experiences during the process.
Although, you will have to stay at the hospital for a few weeks after the surgery. Close monitoring is crucial during this time.
Polypectomy
Nasal polypectomy is the process of removing nasal polyps. If your problem of water dripping from the nose originates from polyps, then polypectomy is your savior.
However, if you have the habit of smoking or have heart conditions, then the doctor may recommend you something else. Cardiac patients are also discouraged from getting a polypectomy.
Septoplasty
A deviated septum is a common reason for a runny nose. Usually, a tiny quantity of liquid drains from the nose every now and then if the septum is misaligned.
The solution, in this case, is septoplasty. This surgical process straightens the nasal septum by repositioning and replacing the bone or the cartilage.
This is minor nose surgery. But you may have mild pain and swelling for a day or two. Don’t worry. Your doctor will remember to recommend you some medicines to alleviate the pain.
Apart from these procedures, there aren’t many available treatments for CSF leakage or any other ailment that causes water to drip from the nose.
In any case, you should avoid lifting heavy stuff. Don’t use straws. Bending, stretching, and twisting are prohibited until your doctor says so.
Keep Calm when Water is Dropping from Your Nose When Bending Over
Water dripping from the nose isn’t a pretty picture, I understand. Apart from this, it’s a painfully uncomfortable experience. The reason why it happens is also horrifying. Things that reside in your head should stay there no matter what!
But if they do get out, then go to the doctors immediately. Now, as you know everything about why liquid drains out of your nose and the treatment options, you shouldn’t have much problem recovering quickly.
Don’t forget to apply the home remedies before the medical treatment starts. This should make the whole healing process less uncomfortable.
