The Differences Between Headache and Sinus

The Differences between Headache and Sinus.jpg

Sinus pain can be creeping into the head and you may start to feel severe headache. It could be any other headache. If you know the sinus anatomy and how it adds to the pain would help you understand the difference between headache and sinus pain.

Sinus Anatomy and Sinus Pain

The nerve of the face known as that is responsible for the sinus sensation is a cranial nerve. It is spread across the cheeks, jaws, forehead and it registers the pain. This pain spreads in other areas like nose and wherever sinuses are located.

  • Sinusitis

Self-diagnosing of sinus pain is often wrong. People often confuse migraine with sinus headache. When someone suffers from acute sinusitis and has conditions like common cold or allergy, it makes the sinuses congested and inflamed and the person has high probability to get sinus headache.

Symptoms

  • Pain, fullness and pressure around the forehead, brow and cheeks

  • Stuffy nose

  • Fatigue

  • Nasal discharge in green or yellow color

  • Facial pain and pressure

  • Aches in upper teeth

  • Bad breath

  • Red nose

  • Coughing and it ups at night caused by drainage to the throat back

  • Smelling disability

For all the symptoms you should make a visit to a sinus specialist.

  • Sinusitis or migraine

People often confuse between migraine and headache from sinus and the signs of both may overlap. Both the pain worsens when you bend. Migraine often comes up with facial pressure, congestion and nasal discharge. It happens because of the involvement of autonomic nervous pressure in the attack. In fact it has been seen that 90% of people who visit sinus specialist have migraine instead of sinusitis.

Sinusitis is typically not associated with vomiting, nausea or turns worse with bright light, loud noise and more. This is common with migraine. It occurs because of viral upper respiratory infection, cold and comes up with clear and thick nasal discharge, loss of smell, cheek pain, and upper teeth pain. Sinus headache lasts for days or more and migraine stays for hours, one day or two days.

  • Visiting a Doctor

If you are suffering from sinusitis, you should visit a sinus specialist for pain and other similar symptoms. This infection can be a bacterial one or viral. Bacterial sinus infection is more severe and should be treated by antibiotics. See us at OKOA for treating sinus problem and more.

**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.

sinus specialistBrandon Shaverssinus specialist