Sinus Headache Treatment

Sinus headache is commonly thought to occur due to respiratory or sinus infections such as a cold, bacterial infection, or an allergy such as hay fever. In most cases, the cause of sinus headache is a reflection of sinus infection, which can then result in headaches and migraine-like pain.

During an allergy attack, such as inhaling an allergen, the lining of the nasal cavity and sinus will sense this as a threat due to the presence of a foreign body. This is registered by the trigeminal nerve, which then relays the information anteriorly to the superior salivatory nucleus. From here on, the response is to fill the sinus and nasal passages with excess mucus, so that it is either removed by dripping out of the nose, or digested by swallowing. Hence, you will feel pain and pressure, nasal congestion, headaches and possibly migraine headaches associated with acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis.

What commonly occurs with the majority of our patients is a dysfunction in the neck to reproduce sinus headaches. Those found with a SENSITISED BRAINSTEM will have an overactive and sensitive trigeminal nerve. Hence, what would normally not cause an allergy in the nose and sinus now results in immediate allergies and sinus headache pain. In this case, when a simple non-allergic dust particle enters the nose and sinus, due to a sensitive and heightened trigeminal nerve, the body now registers this as a large threat. The sensitised trigeminal nerve then relays information to the superior salivatory nucleus to secrete excess mucus in the nose and sinus. From here on, an infection can occur as there is sinus congestion (an excess amount of mucus) which is a lively home for bacteria to breed in. Once bacterial or viral infection occurs, headaches and migraines will usually proceed, resulting in sinus headaches.