Does your head ever feel tight? Do you have a headache that feels like the pain gets worse whenever you bend over or down? If so, you’re probably dealing with a sinus headache.

Sinus headaches are a symptom of sinus infections, and our AFC Urgent Care Ballantyne team further elaborates on them below. Keep reading!

What Are Sinuses?

Before you can understand what sinus headaches are and what causes them, it’s important to know what sinuses are, first. The sinuses are a series of connected, hollow spaces behind the cheekbones, forehead and nose.

Sinuses produce thin mucus. As air travels through the sinuses to your lungs, the mucus traps harmful particles like dust, pollutants and bacteria. After those particles are trapped in the mucus, the mucus then drains out through the nose. When sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, though, germs can grow and cause an infection.

Common Sinus Infection Symptoms

• Thick, yellow or greenish mucus from the nose (runny nose) or down the back of the throat (postnasal drainage)
• Blocked or stuffy nose that causes difficulty breathing through the nose
• Pain, tenderness, swelling and pressure around the eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead that worsens when bending over

What Is a Sinus Headache?

Most of the time, what people call a sinus headache is actually a migraine with nasal symptoms. A true sinus headache develops because of a sinus infection, which, like we said earlier, causes pain and pressure in the sinuses that are located in the forehead

Sinus headaches are very common with an infection, but they can be caused by other things as well. We’ve listed them below.

Common Causes of a Sinus Headache

• Common cold
• Seasonal allergies
• Nasal polyps, which are abnormal growths in the nose or sinuses and can block mucus from draining
• Deviated septum, which is when the line of cartilage and bone down the center of the nose isn’t straight. A deviated septum can prevent mucus from properly draining.

Feeling rough? Don’t hesitate to visit our AFC Urgent Care Ballantyne center to get the treatment you need to feel better!