Indy Standard

Doctors recommend that patients who suffer from sinus headaches should seek expert help to address their symptoms.

According to WebMD, the sinuses are air-filled spaces inside the forehead, cheekbones and behind the bridge of the nose. When sinuses become inflamed -- often as a result of an allergic reaction or infection -- they swell, make more mucus and the draining channels become blocked, causing a buildup of pressure in the sinuses that feels like a headache.

People experiencing sinus headaches may feel a deep and constant pain in their cheekbones, forehead or the bridge of the nose. The pain usually gets stronger when patients move their head suddenly or strain. At the same time, there might be other sinus symptoms, including runny nose, feeling of fullness in the ears, fever and swelling in the face.

"A sinus headache is due to inflammation in your nose and sinuses," Dr. Anthony Sanders of Indianapolis Sinus Center told Indy Standard. "It's a difficult problem that tends to be chronic. A lot of people initially are managed with medical treatments, such as antibiotics, along with medicines such as saline irrigations, intranasal steroid sprays, decongestants, sometimes mucus-thinning agents like Mucinex. People who do not respond to that, then surgical treatments are the treatment for choice."

Experts recommend that patients relieve their symptoms and treat an infection if they have one. Patients can take antibiotics, as well as antihistamines or decongestants for a short-term relief. Sinus headache sufferers can use pain relievers to address pain, and doctors can prescribe corticosteroids to ease the inflammation in the sinuses. 

"A sinus headache can be a lot of things to different people because it's like any headache: There's different levels of it," Dr. Nicholas Hollenkamp told Indy Standard. "But to me, a sinus headache is a headache that's generated by nasal or sinus problems. It's usually more of a pressure-type headache, but it can be severe pain at times, especially if you have a sinus that's almost formed an abscess. There's a lot of different shades of gray with the sinus headache, but they can be debilitating for some people. For some people, it kind of comes and goes and it's not too bad."

If an allergic reaction causes your sinus flareups, you may need a preventive allergy treatment. It's important to touch base with your doctor if you’re using any medication for an extended period of time to relieve your headaches. In some cases, doctors may recommend sinus surgery to remove polyps or open up small or persistently swollen sinuses.

It's important for patients to figure out what kind of headache they have in order to choose the best course of action to relieve pain. If you think you could benefit from seeing an otolaryngologist, take this online Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.