Sinus & Headaches

Many of us have experienced sinus-related headaches, haven’t we? These are the headaches that cause pain over the sinuses (above the eyes or in the cheekbones next to your nose) and when you blow your nose, it’s not pretty! Sinus infections are often associated with sinus headaches - that’s what we’ve been told, right?

However, a November 2011 study conducted by researchers begs to differ. The researchers took 58 patients who had been diagnosed with sinus headache by their primary care physician and asked them a series of questions:

• Have you ever been diagnosed with migraine or tension-type headache?
• Is there clinical evidence of a sinus infection during the past 6 months?
• Is there the presence of “mucopurulent secretions” (that’s the not so pretty stuff when we blow our nose)?

All 58 patients clearly seemed to have chronic sinusitis with an acute flair-up and were given complete thorough examinations by a neurologist and an ears, nose, and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) on a monthly basis for 6 months during treatment. Surprisingly, 68% really had migraine headaches, 27% really had tension-type headaches, and 5% really had chronic sinusitis with recurrent acute episodes. Treatment during the 6 months included antibiotic therapy in 73% of the patients with tension-type headache and 66% with migraine. Sinus endoscopy (taking a look up the sinuses with a scope - ouch!) was performed in 26% of the patients, and therapeutic nasal septoplasty (surgery!) was performed in 16% of the migraine patients and 13% of patients with tension-type headache (a pretty BIG mistake, wouldn’t you say?). The conclusion was that many patients with self-described or primary care physician diagnosed “sinus headaches” have no sinonasal abnormalities but instead met the criteria for migraine or tension-type headache.

So what does this mean? Well, for one thing, too many antibiotics are being prescribed for what is likely not a bacterial infection. If you’re experiencing chronic sinusitis or any other type of headache, it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional. At Morgan Chiropractic, we specialize in diagnosing and treating headaches. If you’re experiencing chronic headaches or migraines, give us a call today at [phone number] to schedule an appointment.