Sinus Headache

It is reported that a headache is rarely a symptom of sinusitis and a "sinus headache" is often a misdiagnosis of a migraine.  However I used to suffer form sinus headaches-- no doubt in my mind.  They were always accompanied by exposure to dust mites and flushing my sinuses with nasal irrigation using Nasaline helped get rid of them.

This is what the medical literature is reporting however -

Acute sinusitis can cause pressure within the sinus cavities of the head, but this typically has associated pain to palpation of the sinus area and purulent greenish (should be yellowish?) discharge from the nose. The use of the term sinus headache therefore is often misleading and results in underdiagnosis of migraine. they report. Recent studies indicate that up to 90% of "sinus headaches" are migraine.

This confusion occurs in part because migraine involves the activation of the trigeminal nerves which innervate both the sinus region but also the meninges which surround the brain. As a result, the direct determination of the site of pain origination can be confused on a cortical level. Also, nasal congestion is not an uncommon result of migraine headaches, further confusing the issue.

A recent study further demonstrated that most patients with "sinus headache" respond to triptan migraine medications, and state dissatisfaction with their treatment when they are treated with decongestants or antibiotics.

While most  of the patients with sinusitis have some sort of facial pain, pressure, or headache, not all of the patients who attribute the symptom of headache to their sinuses may have legitimate diseases of the sinus.

Acute and chronic sinusitis can cause pressure within the sinus cavities of the head, but this is associated with pain on palpation of the sinus area. So we still don't know the answer. Sinus headache or migraine?

Sinus Cure Report