When a common cold or allergies leads to inflammation of the sinuses, the spaces in your skull that usually allow for the passage of air and mucus can become infected. The result can be a sinus infection or sinusitis, a condition that affects about 37 million Americans every year.
Causes Of Sinus Infections
While colds and allergies are common causes of sinusitis, the condition can also result from:
- Non-allergic rhinitis of unknown causes
- Polyps in the nasal lining
- Deviated septum that shifts your nasal cavity
- Tooth infection
- Nasal polyps
Although sinusitis may begin as a fungal or viral infection, the resulting, secondary infection is usually bacterial.
Children acquire sinus infections more often than adults due to food, drink or pacifier sharing, spreading saliva, or being in close quarters with other children, such as a school or daycare setting. Adults on the other hand, can develop the initial and secondary infections from smoking, lack of sleep, stress or from exposure in enclosed areas.
Symptoms Of A Sinus Infection
The symptoms may be an exaggerated version of what you may have experienced when you “just” had a cold, but these more serious symptoms typically include:
- A discharge from your nose that is thick, greenish yellow and foul smelling.
- A headache at the front of your forehead and at your temples.
- Pressure around your eyes and face and behind your nose.
- Nasal blockage/congestion or an inability to breathe out of your nose.
- Postnasal drip or discharge from your nose that runs down your throat.
- Coughs and fevers.
- Persistent or worsening cold symptoms.
Diagnosis And Treatment Of Sinus Infections
You may experience many of these symptoms with a cold, but if the symptoms last for more than two weeks, you should make an appointment to find out if you have a sinus infection. After an exam, and possibly some x-rays of your sinuses or a nasal endoscopy, your doctor may offer you antibiotics for bacterial infections. The condition can be acute, lasting for up to four weeks, or chronic, which can linger for years.
For a simple sinus infection, your doctor may also suggest decongestants, like Sudafed, to break up the congestion and reduce swelling in your sinuses in the nasal passages. For chronic sinus infections, your doctor may also suggest steam and hot showers to loosen the mucus. They may also suggest some form of saline solution to clean your sinuses and warm compresses on the nose and sinus area to loosen mucus. If you use over-the-counter medications, you should not take them beyond the prescribed recommendation.
If you do find structural abnormalities that are leading to sinus infections, your physician may suggest some surgical action, such as removing nasal polyps or shrinking the swollen tissues in the nose through a turbinectomy procedure. You can also try sinuplasty, similar to angioplasty, to open up passages with a balloon to permit mucus drainage.
Holistic Approaches To Sinus Issues
If you prefer to take a holistic approach to treating sinus infections, there are several natural remedies that may help you. In addition to drinking fluids and opening your sinuses with steam and humidifiers, natural remedies include a rinse to navigate the passages using: saline, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, grapefruit seed extract, tomato, tea, vitamin C, and many more.
For some people, chiropractic treatments can relieve sinus pain. By targeting the bones in mucus membranes lining the sinus cavity, the chiropractor can use his or her hands to put pressure on the area and bring relief to many patients. He might use other techniques such as trigger point therapy, light force manipulation, or nasal specific techniques that involve using a surgical balloon. It may be necessary to combine both holistic and the conventional methods for optimal healing.
Raintree Medical And Chiropractic Treats Sinus
If you have a sinus infection, Raintree Medical and Chiropractic Center can help. Offering primary care services and chiropractic services, our staff can prescribe the right course of treatment. Call us today at 816-623-3020 or make an appointment online.