Sinusitis is nothing to fool around with. The condition demands immediate chiropractic attention because repeated acute attacks may bring on a chronic sinusitis condition.
The sinuses are air pockets, hollows within certain frontal bones of the skull which connect to the nasal cavity. Like the nose itself, sinuses are lined with moist mucous membrane. Sinusitis is an inflammation of one or more of those membranes. They become infected, inflamed, swollen, and impacted with mucus, pus, and other fluids and debris.
WHAT TRIGGERS SINUSITIS?
Sinuses may become inflamed and infected while the victim is already suffering from a cold or other respiratory problem. But sinus problems can also be triggered by allergic inflammations, by air pollution, by overheated or dry air, by accidentally forcing water into the sinuses while swimming or diving, by sudden air pressure changes while flying or mountain driving, by sudden temperature or humidity changes, and by numerous other environmental stresses.
Victims may suffer from one or more of the following symptoms, depending upon which sinuses are inflamed:
SYMPTOMS OF SINUSITIS
- Cheek pain, sometimes radiating to the ear, to the opposite side of the face, or the forehead.
- Runny nose.
- Toothache. Some sinus conditions are caused by tooth infections.
- Tenderness over the affected sinus.
- Slight swelling of lower eyelid.
- Severe pain in sinus caused by any head-jarring movement such as putting heel down hard or making a small jump.
- Forehead pain intensified if victim leans forward. May be present in morning, but go away in afternoon.
- Pain behind and between the eyes.
- A “splitting” frontal headache.
- Pain in the back of head – sometimes throbbing – sometimes comes and goes.
- Vague feelings of illness, discomfort.
CHRONIC OR ACUTE SINUSITIS?
Generally the pain of chronic, persistent sinusitis is dull and lingering compared to the sharp, aggressive pain of acute sinusitis attacks. Also, nasal discharges may be minimal.
Sometimes chronic sinusitis acts like a low-grade head cold —getting neither better nor worse — hanging on and hanging on — even in summer — keeping its victim listless, ambitionless, and suffering. Acute sinusitis tends to be unmerciful. It may nearly fell its victim with severe head or face pain. It may bring on fever and may lead to other health problems.
Inevitably, if not corrected, any degree of sinusitis forces its victim into major lifestyle changes.
CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINATION AND CARE
Some of the symptoms mentioned are common in other conditions besides sinusitis. A thorough chiropractic examination will usually find the cause and indicate the type of care needed including chiropractic adjustments and other chiropractic therapeutic measures.
In sinusitis cases, spinal nerve interference in the neck area (and sometimes other spinal areas) is almost invariably discovered upon examination.
Of course chiropractic enjoys an enviable record in the diagnosis and treatment of such problems.