Sinus Pain Relief

Let me guess: You're researching sinus pain relief because you or someone in your family has been besieged by sinus headaches. I am Mark Hawyes, and I have become an expert on sinus problems. I suffered for years from this universal condition, but I learned a way to beat it. I can help you beat it, too.

We have several sinus cavities in several areas of the body, but most often when we are talking about sinuses we are discussing those in the head. We have four pairs of sinuses that, when negatively affected, contribute to headache. The frontal sinuses are behind the prominent bones of the forehead. They are centered above your nose. The ethmoid sinuses are just about where our glasses pinch the nose. You will find the maxillary sinuses residing behind the cheekbones, and the sphenoid sinuses are below our temples. There are passages that connect the eyes and ears to the rear of the throat, with the openings for the other sinuses. The sinuses fill with mucus in order to perform their work. The mucus helps them to stop dirt and foreign objects before they reach our inner organs. Mucus also helps to moisten and heat the air in our sinuses passages. They also provide an air cushion to protect the head, and they give us the individual qualities of our voices.

We develop persistent headaches when our sinuses fail to drain properly. This pain can be mildly annoying and brief, or it can put you out of commission and go one for weeks. Medications, both over-the-counter and prescription types, provide temporary relief only; the headache returns as each dose wears off.

From the ache in your head you can tell which sinuses are most affected. You feel pain and pressure behind your cheekbones or above your eyes. Fluid in the sinuses can make it feel as if there is pressure on the roof of your mouth when you talk. You can end up bedridden with pain that seems never to cease; you can develop a fever and generally feel rotten all over.

I can teach you what I've learned about the causes of sinus pain. You might have a bacterial or viral infection. It's possible that you're allergic to mold or fungus. The structure within your facial bones might prevent proper fluid drainage, especially if you have polyps, a deviated septum, or simply narrow sinus passages.

Most viral infections originate in the lungs, and then mucus thickens. Usually a viral sinus infection improves within five to seven days. If the mucus does not clear up then bacteria flourish, and you end up with a bacterial sinusitis. This cannot be cured without an antibiotic.

If you experience one of these infections, it should resolve in four weeks or less. Those that last longer are categorized as chronic, and the infection travels along your respiratory and sinus passages.

The next symptoms to develop will include dizziness, a thick yellow or green nasal discharge, or an ache in the jaw. You can actually develop a toothache. This type of infection causes your breath to smell bad-halitosis-and pain spreads to the ear canals. Some people experience a crackling sensation in the ear or bouts of mucous-filled diarrhea. The pressure around your eyes will build up uncomfortably.

The infection might start in your head and spread to your chest, or it might originate in your lungs and then move up to the sinuses. It might begin in your ears and end up in your sinuses.

If you believe your sinus problems results from molds, fungi, or other allergies, you cannot be certain without a biopsy of sinus tissue. And do not expect your physician to explore these possibilities aggressively until your sinus headaches have raged for three months or longer. One certain indication of allergy is an elevated level of eosinophils, noted on microscopic examination of sinus tissue or in blood work. Eosinophils are present in body fluids and multiply when the body is fighting an allergy.

Nasal endoscopy will reveal any polyps or a deviated septum. To do this, your doctor threads a flexible thin tube with a camera and light into your sinus passages. A deviated septum means the nostrils are divided unevenly by their cartilage. This can be present at birth or it can occur when the nose is injured.

There is no question that all sinus problems result in nagging sinus pain or headaches. This pain keeps you from enjoying your daily life and you probably feel unwell pretty constantly. Perhaps your work is suffering. The best you have been able to do, until now, is use both a pain reliever and a decongestant to control symptoms.