Infections in your respiratory tract — most commonly colds — can inflame and thicken your sinus membranes and block mucus drainage. These infections can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Allergies such as hay fever. Inflammation that occurs with allergies can block your sinuses.
Sinus pressure results from blocked nasal passages. When your sinuses cannot drain, you may experience inflammation and pain in your head, nose, and face.
Many people think a stuffy nose is the result of too much mucus in the nasal passages. However, a clogged nose is usually the result of inflamed blood vessels in the sinuses. A cold, the flu, allergies, or a sinus infection can all inflame these blood vessels.
Massaging the sinuses is thought to help sinus pain and congestion by relieving pressure and helping the sinus drain out mucus. The gentle pressure and warmth from the hands may also help by increasing blood circulation to the area.
Using your index and middle fingers, apply pressure near your nose between your cheekbones and jaw. Move your fingers in a circular motion toward your ears. You can use your thumbs instead of your fingers for a deeper massage. This should take 30 seconds to a minute.
Sinusitis is usually the result of a cold or flu virus spreading to the sinuses from the upper airways. Only a few cases are caused by bacteria infecting the sinuses. An infected tooth or fungal infection can also occasionally cause the sinuses to become inflamed.
Acute sinusitis lasts less than a month. Your symptoms may go away by themselves within about 10 days, but it may take up to three or four weeks.
Symptoms of Sinus Drainage
Some of these symptoms include: fever, headache, pressure in the ear, reduced sense of taste and smell, coughing, bad breath, and fatigue. Symptoms that are closely related to sinus drainage are most commonly thick drainage from the nose or down the throat.
See a doctor if you have: Severe symptoms, such as severe headache or facial pain. Symptoms that get worse after improving. Symptoms lasting more than 10 days without getting better.
Most sinus infections last from a couple of days to a few weeks and are not a serious medical concern, but if left untreated, sinusitis can lead to further complications. These include nasal polyps, a deviated septum and serious allergies.
Why It Is Done. Needle puncture and aspiration of the sinus may be needed when a person has repeated sinus infections. More accurate information about which organism is causing the infection may help the doctor and you make better treatment decisions.
Fill a large medical syringe, squeeze bottle, or nasal cleansing pot (such as a Neti Pot) with the saline solution. Insert the tip into your nostril, lean over the sink, and squeeze gently. Aim the stream of saline solution toward the back of your head, not toward the top.
Acute sinusitis usually starts with cold-like symptoms such as a runny, stuffy nose and facial pain. It may start suddenly and last 2 to 4 weeks. Subacute sinusitus usually lasts 4 to 12 weeks. Chronic sinusitus symptoms last 12 weeks or longer.
Nasal congestion typically clears within a few days. If it doesn't, you may develop a bacterial infection. You should seek care if you have the following symptoms: Your nasal congestion lasts more than 10 days.
If a bacterial infection sets in, symptoms will generally last longer than 10 days. In severe cases, especially if left untreated, bacterial sinus infections can endure for weeks. However, if the bacterial infection is diagnosed and treated in time, symptoms should start clearing up within a few days.
The doctor puts a thin tube into your nose. Attached at one end of it is a small balloon. They then guide the balloon to the blocked area inside your nose and inflates it. This helps clear the passageway so your sinuses can drain better and you won't be so congested.
Following are the most common causes of chronic sinusitis: Allergies, especially hay fever or environmental allergies (such as to pollen or chemicals). These can cause your nasal passages to become inflamed. Tissue growths known as polyps inside your nose.
Decongestants and antihistamines are both effective in treating congestion. These medications work by reducing swelling, thinning mucus, and relieving overall sinus pressure.