Sinus pain can be very discomforting, and even painful, if patients don’t try to get the proper treatment or manage their symptoms.
The Mayo Clinic explains that sinus pain is when a person experiences mild to moderate headache-like pain due to a sinus infection. A sinus infection, known as sinusitis, causes sinus pain as do migraines and frequent headaches.
While most people confuse sinus pain with headaches or migraines, chronic sinusitis can lead to a variety of painful health complications. A person with chronic sinusitis may have painful symptoms such as high fever, stiff neck, headaches, and even mucus polyps.
Thankfully, most cases of sinus pain can be managed at home for the most part. Only a handful of cases are chronic and require advanced treatment. But what should you do to manage minor sinus pain and avoid it?
Avoid sinus pain triggers, illnesses, and respiratory infections
Sinus pain is usually the result of an upper respiratory infection from an airborne illness like the common cold or influenza.
Make sure to avoid any potential triggers by practicing good hygiene each day. Recommended ways to lower infectious diseases and the spread of germs include:
- Handwashing: Effectively washing your hands can reduce respiratory infection by 16 percent.
- Disinfectant: Using hand sanitizer and disinfectant helps reduce student absenteeism and reduce the spread of germs.
- Coughing and sneezing: When coughing or sneezing, make sure to avoid touching public surfaces. In addition, practice good cough and sneezing etiquette by using a tissue to sneeze/cough into. If you don’t have a tissue then use your elbow.
In addition, you’ll want to make sure you’re limiting contact with any infected individuals. Ways to reduce the risk of infection include not sharing public spaces and items with sick people. People should also avoid contact with infected individuals when possible and disinfect personal spaces.
Other triggers of a sinus infection include airborne allergens and pollens. Make sure to identify any areas that may have an increase in potential irritants!
Try these at-home treatment options to lower sinus pain and symptoms
Sinusitis is relatively easy to make if you can stay at home and try a variety of at-home remedies. Harvard Medical School highlighted the most effective at-home treatment options for sinusitis including:
- Drinking plenty of water to soften mucus
- Inhaling steam in the shower or from a soup/hot dish four times a day
- Sleep with your head elevated
- Use over-the-counter decongestants
- Use saline nasal spray to reduce discomfort
- Try a warm compress over the face to reduce pain
For the most part, patients with sinusitis should try and manage their symptoms at home between 7 to 10 days. Generally, this length of time is enough for patients to manage their symptoms. Plenty of rest, hydration, and pain relief are the keys to effective sinus pain treatment.
However, sinus pain can sometimes become chronic as mentioned earlier. Any patients with chronic sinus pain may need to consult an urgent care specialist about treatment options.
For chronic sinus pain go to an urgent care center for immediate treatment
When patients have chronic sinus pain, then an urgent care center may be the best place to receive treatment.
An urgent care center can help patients treat severe sinus pain symptoms including:
- Consistent dry coughing
- Coughing up mucus
- Severe sinus pain
- Persistent sinus pain over 10 days in length
For residents in the greater Denver area, AFC Urgent Care is here to provide you with sinus pain treatment for even the most persistent cases. Urgent care is an especially useful alternative to the emergency room (ER) since urgent care visits are shorter, more convenient, and more affordable than the ER.
The benefits of coming into your local AFC Urgent Care center are many. Patients that visit one of our four locations receive the following:
- Walk-in clinic access so patients don’t need an appointment
- Access to AFC Urgent Care seven days a week
- In-network insurance coverage for a majority of Colorado insurance plans
- Staffed by a team of board-certified physicians, nurse practitioners, and urgent care staff
- Short wait times for treatment from a friendly and patient-focused healthcare team
Patients with significant sinus pain should make sure to visit one of our nearby AFC locations across Denver. We’re here to help and make sure you get the sinus pain relief ASAP!
For more information about managing painful sinus infections, please feel free to contact your nearest AFC Denver center. Click one of the portals below to schedule an appointment online!
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