Sinusitis

Sinusitis can make you miserable with symptoms like pressure, pain, and a stuffy nose, especially when they become a chronic problem. Julie Wendt, MD, and the experienced team at Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives in Scottsdale, Arizona, have extensive experience providing individualized treatments that give you long-lasting relief from sinusitis. To learn more, request an in-person or telemedicine appointment online or call the office for prompt treatment.

What causes sinusitis?

Sinusitis occurs when your sinuses are inflamed. The sinuses are hollow areas in the bones along your nose. Tissues lining the inside of each sinus produce mucus. The mucus leaves the sinus through a small opening and enters your nose.

Inside your nose, the mucus serves several important roles. It helps warm air before it reaches your lungs and protects your airways by filtering out dust, allergen, and other irritants.

When the mucus-producing tissues become inflamed, the opening swells, and mucus gets trapped inside the sinus. The tissues keep producing mucus, and as the mucus accumulates, it causes severe pressure and creates the perfect environment for an infection.

Viral infections like the common cold or flu often cause sinusitis. However, allergies or a bacterial infection may cause inflammation. Though less common, problems in your nose, such as nasal polyps or a deviated septum, may block the opening.

What are the symptoms of sinusitis?

The top symptoms of sinusitis include:

• Stuffy nose
• Thick green or yellow nasal discharge
• Sinus pain and tenderness
• Postnasal drip (mucus draining into your throat)
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Ear pressure
• Aching upper teeth
• Bad breath
• Change in your sense of smell

Though acute sinusitis usually improves in four weeks, the sinus inflammation can remain after the infection clears up. If the inflammation lasts 12 weeks or longer, you have chronic sinusitis.

How is sinusitis treated?

While a viral infection runs its course and heals on its own, you need antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection. If your provider suspects allergies, they perform allergy testing and recommend the best treatment.

During an acute case of sinusitis, you can use several medications to ease your symptoms. For example, your provider might recommend a saline nasal spray, nasal corticosteroids, decongestants, and over-the-counter pain relievers.

Chronic sinusitis typically requires anti-inflammatory medications or a minimally invasive procedure like balloon sinuplasty to re-open and clean the sinus.

During a balloon sinuplasty, your provider guides a slim instrument through your nose and into the sinus opening, where they inflate a balloon. The balloon gently opens the sinus and restructures the tissues so they stay open after the balloon is removed.

Call Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives today or request an appointment online to get treatment for sinusitis.