How Sinus Headaches Occur and How to Resolve Them Articles | Headache

By: Darren Williger

The symptoms are quite clear: it all starts with a constant throbbing pain in the side of the face and sometimes the eye; sometimes nasal congestion is also one of the symptoms of the condition and fever too. These symptoms can all lead to sinus headaches that are quite severe in nature.

Most sinus headaches usually tend to occur when a person has a bad cold, has allergies of suffers from the flu. A sinus headache may also be something else such as the symptom of a much more severe sinus disease or a sign that something may be blocking the sinus ducts and which may lead to the reoccurrence of sinus infections. It must always be diagnosed and treated by a doctor or physician.

A real sinus headache is actually caused by a rather serious infection that often leads to the blockage of all the sinus ducts. This tends to prevent normal drainage which also causes a negative pressure right within the sinuses. What results is that a person tends to feel the symptoms such as a dull ache and fullness experienced in the face and the head as well. This pain may also transcend to other areas such as the area behind the eyes as well as areas such as the back of the head and the teeth as well. As they are often caused by infections, real sinus headaches tend to be followed by fever and other symptoms of the flu.

The face has four different pairs of sinuses, and when one or another of these pairs of sinuses develop an infection then different types of symptoms which may be symptoms of a sinus headache result. These sinus areas are listed as follows.

Frontal Sinuses. These can be found over the eyes and an infection that occurs here will result in forehead pain.

Ethmoid Sinuses. These can be found in the deep recesses of the nose and any pain caused here will circulate between and behind the eyes.

Sphenoid Sinuses. These are the deepest of the sinuses they often cause severe pain in the back of the head whenever an infection occurs here. This is the least common of all sinus infections.

Maxillary Sinuses. These sinuses are usually found in the middle third area of the face, the pain of an infection of these sinuses is usually experienced across the face and below the eyes in the area next to the nose. Most people who suffer from sinus headaches are usually experiencing headaches caused by an infection of these sinuses.

Regular blockage of the sinus ducts may lead to a condition which is described as Chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis is usually treated with treated with a course of antibiotics, decongestants and nasal sprays. It all really depends on the cause of the repeat infections that continue to occur. In some cases surgery may also be needed in order to remove any polyps that may be causing a blockage of the air ducts, or surgery may be required that correct a deviated septum in order to reduce the progression of the infections and stop any discomfort that may be felt with repeat attacks.