West Ventura News

Sinus headaches can certainly be a pain, but it is important to be able to identify the symptoms to differentiate them from other types of headaches in order to get the proper treatment and alleviate the pain.

Dr. Glenn Waldman of Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery said it is common for people to get headaches, but it can be difficult to know whether you have a sinus headache or an anatomical problem or another type of headache, like a migraine caused by vascular changes in the brain.

“There’s different kinds of sinus pain or facial pain that patients get,” Waldman told West Ventura News. “There’s the kind that comes from chronic infection and chronic inflammation, where in those cases the sinus opening becomes swollen shut, and the sinuses are still making mucus. Now the mucus is infected, and it’s filling up the sinus under pressure, so it’s like a water balloon that’s constantly expanding.”

Dr. Glenn Waldman | Bella Vista ENT

Waldman said that one of the main sensory nerves are sensation nerves for the middle of the face. A buildup in the sinus can add pressure to the area. At the other side of the sinus, the floor consists of the roots of the teeth. This will cause pain in the teeth because inflammation pushes down on the roots.

“There's another kind of pain that you can get in the nose that's caused by basically bad anatomy,” Waldman said. “When you have anatomical structures that are touching that are not supposed to be touching, you can be triggering sensory nerves and causing that kind of pain in your septum is so deep that it's pushing up against your turbinates. You can get trigger point headaches and pain from the nose.”

According to WebMD, a main symptom of a sinus headache is a deep, constant pain in the cheekbones, forehead and bridge of the nose. The pain tends to get stronger if you move your head quickly. Other symptoms include a runny nose, fullness in the ears, fever and facial swelling.

“Other kinds of recurring headaches, like migraines or tension headaches, are often mistaken for sinus headaches,” WebMD states. “Because the treatment you need depends on what kind of headache you have, it’s important to figure out if your symptoms are caused by your sinuses. If a sinus blockage, such as an infection, really is the cause, you'll likely have a fever.”

There are several ways to treat a sinus headache. Methods include taking antibiotics, antihistamines or decongestants. Some take nasal decongestants, but they should be taken for only three days, as longer-term use can make symptoms worse. Some patients try at-home tricks, like drinking fluids, using a humidifier or using saltwater nasal spray. In some cases, sinus surgery, such as balloon sinuplasty, might be necessary to experience true relief.

Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery has a Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz for potential patients to check symptoms and see if they might benefit from seeing a doctor.