What causes sinus headaches?
Sinus headaches are caused by an inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis), which typically occurs as the result of a respiratory infection, virus or allergies. A sinus headache may or may not be accompanied by nasal congestion and/or a fever. However, like a migraine or tension headache, symptoms generally include a deep, throbbing pain in the front of the head and face.
What are first-line treatments for a sinus headache?
The first step is to treat the cause of sinus inflammation, whether that’s an infection or allergy, with nasal irrigation or medication (antibiotics, corticosteroids or nasal sprays). However, if your sinusitis is chronic and isn’t responsive to these treatments, the providers at AAENT will recommend a more aggressive approach, which may include endoscopic sinus surgery or Balloon Sinuplasty.
What is endoscopic sinus surgery?
This is a surgery performed through the nostrils with an endoscope. An endoscope is a thin rod affixed with a light source. In addition, the AAENT providers employ a surgical navigation system in all of their endoscopic sinus surgery procedures that enable them to accurately place their instruments in the sinus cavity, even in patients who have undergone previous sinus surgery, or have extensive polyps. With this aid, our providers use thin instruments to remove blockages, such as polyps and scar tissue, that cause chronic sinusitis, straighten the septum, and/or reduce the size of the turbinates (structures on the inside walls of the nostrils). In addition to reducing chronic sinus infections and therefore sinus headaches, endoscopic sinus surgery also improves breathing and your sense of smell. When performing sinus surgery, the providers at AAENT rarely use packing in their sinus procedures. Instead, bleeding is stopped by cautery, or CO2 laser, and ointment. Our philosophy is by not obstructing the sinus with packing, the patient is able to irrigate the sinuses earlier and achieve a better result. Our providers have successfully used this approach in thousands of cases.
What is Balloon Sinuplasty?
This is a relatively new, minimally-invasive office procedure in which a flexible balloon is inserted into the sinus cavity via a catheter, and inflated to enlarge the sinus openings to promote mucus drainage.their
