Anderson Reporter

With a simple new procedure, you can breathe better and get relief from sinus headaches.

With various ways to treat your inflamed sinus conditions and sinus headaches with medications you can purchase over-the-counter, it can be hard to know where to start and when to see a doctor. If headaches take place more than 15 days per month and over-the-counter medicines are used frequently but help little, it is time to see a doctor, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“A sinus headache is due to inflammation in your nose and sinuses. It's a difficult problem that tends to be chronic," Dr. Anthony Sanders of the Indianapolis Sinus Center said. "A lot of people initially are managed with medical treatments such as antibiotics, along with adjunctive type medicines such as saline irrigations, intranasal steroid sprays, sometimes decongestants, sometimes mucus thinning agents like Mucinex. People who do not respond to that, then surgical treatments are the treatment for choice for that."

According to the Mayo Clinic, sinus headaches are associated with pain and pressure in the face and sinuses and can cause nasal symptoms such as inflammation of the sinus, nasal congestion, pain, pressure and fullness in your cheeks, brow or forehead, worsening pain, if you bend forward or lie down, stuffy nose, fatigue and an achy feeling in your upper teeth.

It might be hard to breathe through your nose even with acute sinusitis, according to the Mayo Clinic. The area around your eyes and face might feel swollen, you might feel maxillary sinus pain and you might have throbbing facial pain or headaches. All sinusitis symptoms are the same. Acute sinusitis is sinusitis resolving on its own or when symptoms do not last longer than 12 weeks.

You could even try home remedies for sinus headaches and when all options have been exhausted, there is a new procedure called balloon sinuplasty. During this minimally invasive procedure, a tiny balloon is inserted into the blocked sinus cavity to open sinus passages, allowing them to drain. During the procedure, the sinuses can be irrigated as well, according to Healthline.

A previous study of 65 patients by Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation found that 85% of patients reported an improvement of their sinus symptoms after two years. The study was done at six months, one year and two years. X-ray evidence proves sinus disease remission still after two years.

If you or a loved one suffers from a sinus headache or other sinus problems we encourage you to take our quiz.