Headache while bending

The most common cause of headache while bending is the maxillary sinusitis (also called sinusitis). In case of this disease, the headache in the eye-sockets, cheekbones, cheeks area is present; teeth may ache. And this pain is intensified during inclination. How to identify the cause of the headache while bending and how to treat it?

The nature of pain duringthe bendofthe head

Head pain in case of maxillary sinusitis is more often deep, throbbing; it focuses in the front part of the head and face.

Sinus headaches often begin as soon as you get up in the morning, they may intensify in the afternoon. It may be difficult to diagnose the sinus headache, due to the fact that its symptoms are similar to tension and migraine headaches.

Symptoms accompanying headaches while bending

Sinus headaches, as a rule, cause the following symptoms:

• Pressure and pain in one specific area of the face or head (e.g., in the eye-sockets area)
• The face is sensitive at palpation
• Pain increases with energetic movements of the head and bending forward
• Pain is more severe and sharper in the morning, because the mucus is collecting in the sinuses throughout the night
• Sudden changes in temperature increase pain, when a person comes out to the cold from a warm room
• The headache often begins during cold or immediately thereafter
• Other symptoms may be associated with inflammation of the maxillary cavities sinuses:
• Postnasal sore throat (pharyngitis)
• Yellow or green discharge from the nose
• Red and swollen nasal passages (nasal obstruction)
• Fever, chill - from mild to moderate
• General feeling of weakness, fatigue
• Tiredness

Maxillary sinusitis as a cause of headache while bending

The nose first encounters pathogenic microbes, penetrating from the environment; that is why quite often inflammatory processes develop in it. Local "battles" of immunity against pathogenic flora are being fought, and immune system often loses.

Sinusitis (maxillary sinusitis) is the general name of inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. More specifically, the inflammation of the maxillary sinuses (maxillary sinusitis), the frontal sinuses (frontal sinusitis), ethmoid sinus, sphenoid sinus (sphenoiditis). The last of the diseases - sphenoiditis - is extremely rare. And all these diseases are characterized by a common symptom – a severe headache when bending.

How to distinguish maxillary sinusitis from migraine?

If you have a headache while bending, it is necessary to find out the true cause of this pain. One of the recent investigations showed that almost 90% of 100 people who believed that they had headaches due to maxillary sinusitis, actually suffered from headaches due to migraine.

When there is a migraine, headaches also may increase when you bend forward, and they may be accompanied by a nasal congestion as well. However, migraine headaches will, probably, increase due to noise or lights, and may be accompanied by nausea.

Why is there such a confusion?

Firstly, the symptoms of the various types of headaches have many similarities. Secondly, headaches occur in many diseases, such as colds, for example. Taking into account this confusion, it is important to establish the correct diagnosis. Why? Proper treatment of headache due to maxillary sinusitis may have no effect in treatment of other diseases - and vice versa. Without a proper diagnosis doctors would not be able to soothe your pain.

What are the causes of maxillary sinusitis?

Sinus headache while bending can be caused by congestion and inflammation of the sinuses, called sinusitis, or maxillary sinusitis. Maxillary sinusitis, in turn, is caused by respiratory infections, such as colds or influenza, allergy, or hay fever.

Pathogenic microbes penetrate into the sinuses, and the organism cannot resist the effects of infection. The causes are: decreased immunity, hypothermia, allergy, high activity of pathogenic microbes.

A person cannot breathe through the nose during maxillary sinusitis. Possible causes are the following: inflammation and edema of the mucous membrane of the throat and deflected septum. Sinus is isolated from the nasal cavity, but it contains a lot of mucus, which gradually fills the sinuses and is constantly exuded. This creates perfect conditions for the microbial reproduction.

There is the inflammation process in the sinuses; decay products exude (pus). Since there is no outflow of the sinus, decay products remain under pressure and are strenuously absorbed into the blood, poisoning the whole organism. Furthermore, an overpressure irritates sinus of the nasal wall. Hence are the characteristic symptoms, such as severe headache when bending the head.

Headache due to maxillary sinusitis often disturbs woman during pregnancy. There are many herbs and medicines, which pregnant and nursing women should not use. Consult your doctor before using herbs or supplements if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

The mechanism of sinus headaches

Healthy sinuses allow mucus to pour out, and the air – to circulate throughout all the nasal passages. When the sinuses become inflamed, these areas are blocked and mucus cannot flow down. When the sinuses are blocked, they become a great place for bacteria, viruses, fungi, which settle there and grow faster and faster.

Risk factors of the headache while bending

1. 1. Allergy - especially hay fever - or asthma
2. 2. Nasal polyps or tumors in the nasal passage, nasal bone spurs, nasal or facial swellings, a deflected septum or cleft palate
3. 3. Climbing or flying at high altitudes
4. 4. Frequent swimming or diving

How to establish the proper diagnosis at the headache?

Your doctor will ask questions to distinguish the sinus headache from migraine and tension headaches. If you recently have had colds, bouts of allergy or maxillary sinusitis symptoms, and you tell about it, it would help the doctor to establish a definite diagnosis.

ENT-specialist, as a rule, carefully inspects the nose to check it for sinus congestion and discharge. The doctor also presses different parts of your face to test their sensitivity. With the help of the light the doctor can check sinuses for inflammation. And if the light does not appear through them, your sinuses can be overloaded with mucus.

If the doctor suspects you have chronic maxillary sinusitis, you may need an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). If the doctor suspects allergy, which can be a cause of maxillary sinusitis, you may need an allergy test. You also may need additional referral to a specialist, known as the ENT doctor or an otolaryngologist. This specialist can perform nasal endoscopy using a fiber-optic area to clearly see the state of the sinuses.

Precautionary measures

You must go to the emergency room or call an ambulance if experiencing the following condition:

• Sudden and severe headache that remains or grows within 24 hours
• Sudden severe headache, which can be described as "your worst pain", even if you have always been inclined to headaches
• Chronic or severe headaches that begin after 50 years
• The headache that is accompanied by the memory loss, confusion, loss of balance, changes in speech or vision, loss of strength, numbness or tingling in any of the extremities
• The headache that is accompanied by fever, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting (which may indicate on meningitis)
• Severe headache in one eye, accompanied by redness of the eyes (may indicate acute glaucoma)

Approaches to the treatment

The best way to get rid of the sinus headache that occurs when the head is bended is to treat the inflamed sinuses. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or corticosteroids.

Changes in lifestyle are also necessary, such as using a humidifier or the irrigation of the nasal passages with the salted water. Some herbs and supplements may help prevent colds and influenza or shorten their duration. They may affect maxillary sinusitis completed with antibiotics for the treatment of infections and support of the immune system.

Comprehensive treatment of the sinus headaches

These treatment methods can help reduce congestions in the sinuses and reduce the headache:

• Using a humidifier
• Using saline nasal spray
• Breathing over the steam or in the steam room, 2 - 4 times a day (for example, sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower)
• Treatment of allergic asthma attacks
• Other methods, good for the headache treatment, include:
• Massage of the painful areas of the head and neck
• Relaxation techniques

Medicinal preparations for the treatment of the headaches while bending

Antibiotics

The doctor may prescribe antibiotics if he suspects that you have a bacterial infection. For the treatment of acute maxillary sinusitis you may undergo the course of antibiotics treatment for 10-14 days. Treatment of chronic maxillary sinusitis may take longer, as a rule, 3-4 weeks.

Nasal corticosteroids

These sprays can reduce inflammation of the nose and relieve cold and allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, itching and rhinitis. They are most effective in reducing the symptoms, although the treatment may take from several days to one week after the beginning of the use.

• Beclomethasone (“Beconase”)
• Fluticasone (“Flonase”)
• Mometasone (“Momate”)
• Antihistamines

Antihistamines are available in the form of oral and nasal sprays. They are prescription drugs, and over-the-counter for the allergy treatment. Prescription quick action antihistamines can relieve the symptoms - from mild to moderate. All of them work by blocking the histamine release in the organism.

Antihistamines: diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine (“Chlor-Trimeton”), clemastine (“Tavist”). These good old antihistamines may cause drowsiness.

Fexofenadine (“Allegra”), cetrizine (“Zyrtec”), and loratadine (“Claritine”) are the new antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness.

Many of the prescription decongestants are available in the form of tablets or nasal spray. They are often used as antihistamines.

Oral nasal decongestants

These preparations may include “Sudafed”, “Actifed”, “Afrin”, “Neo-Synephrin”. Some decongestants may contain pseudoephedrine, which is able to increase blood pressure. People with high blood pressure or an enlarged prostate should not take preparations containing pseudoephedrine.

Avoid using nasal decongestants for more than 3 days running, unless they are recommended by a doctor. Do not use them if you have emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

In one of the investigations, 82% of patients with headaches because of the sinuses showed a significant allergic reaction to a triptan. This preparation is usually used for migraine treatment.

Surgery and other procedures

In case of chronic maxillary sinusitis, if the prescribed treatment is ineffective, the doctor may recommend you an endoscopic surgery, which is used to remove polyps or bone spurs. Increase or opening of the sinuses is also sometimes recommended for the treatment of maxillary sinusitis and reducing the headaches while bending. For this purpose there is also a very effective treatment, which is called rhinoplasty. It involves the process of inserting balloons inside the sinus cavity, and then their inflating.

All operations relating to the sinuses are conducted by the ENT specialist.

Nutrition and food supplements

Some supplements can help prevent or cure headaches due to sinus oppression, or by reducing the inflammation sinus. They can also help protect against colds. Since supplements can have side effects and interact with other medicines, you should take them only under the supervision of a competent physician.

Bromelain

Some investigations show that bromelain, an enzyme derived from pineapple, can help reduce inflammation and swelling of the sinuses and relieve the symptoms of sinusitis. However, not all scholars unanimously accept this point of view.

Bromelain is often combined with quercetin, flavonoids - plant pigments. It is found in fruits and vegetables, which can be taken as antihistamines. Bromelain may increase the risk of bleeding, so people who take preparations for the blood thinning, such as warfarin (“Coumadin”) or clopidogrel (“Plavix”), should not take bromelain without consulting a doctor.

When taking bromelain with ACE inhibitors, a person can cause severe decrease in blood pressure, and increase the risk of hypotension.

Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonoid - pigment responsible for the color of fruits and vegetables, which contain it. It inhibits the production and release of the substance histamine, which causes allergy symptoms, such as rhinitis and watering. Quercetin is often combined with bromelain, an additive made of pineapples. However, there is no precise evidence that quercetin works well in the human organism. Supplementary researches are needed.

Some people may prefer a water-soluble form of quercetin, such as hesperidin methyl chalcone (HMC) or quercetin chalcone. Quercetin may interact with certain medications; so consult your doctor before taking it for relieving the headaches.

Probiotics (Lactobacillus)

Probiotics, or "friendly" bacteria, can help if you are taking antibiotics for sinusitis. They can also reduce the probability of allergy development. People who have a weakened immune system, or who take medications for the immune system suppression, should ask their doctor before taking probiotics.

Herbs

The use of herbs is a good approach to strengthen the body and treat headaches. The herbs, however, may cause side effects and adversely interact with other herbs, supplements or preparations. Therefore, you should take herbs with caution, under the supervision of a physician.

As in the case with supplements, there are many herbs, which can help reduce the risk of headache due to maxillary sinusitis, help cope with colds, increase the power of the immune system and reduce inflammation of the sinuses.

Among the effective herbal supplements for headaches while bending due to maxillary sinusitis are: “Sinupret”, herbal composition containing the elder-berry (Sambucus nigra), horse sorrel (Rumex acetosa), primrose (Spring primula), European vervain (Verbena officinalis) and gentian (Gentiana yellow). According to investigations, “Sinupret” is very good for stopping the symptoms of sinusitis. Containing it herbs help to thin mucus and drain it from the sinuses; they also help to strengthen the immune system.

For the treatment of headaches other plants are also traditionally used:

• Baikal skullcap
• Feverfew (Tanacetum Parthenium)
• Willow bark
• St. John's Wort
• Labrador tea
• Snowball-tree juice with honey
• Mint
• Mullein
• Melissa
• Oreganum

People who take preparations for the blood thinning or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take these herbs. People who are allergic to aspirin should not take willow bark. Feverfew may interact adversely with some medications. If you are allergic to ragweed, you may also be allergic to feverfew.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy can significantly relieve chronic headaches. Several investigations have examined the effectiveness of specific homeopathic remedies. Professional homeopaths may recommend treatment of headaches due to maxillary sinusitis, based on their knowledge and clinical experience. In one of the investigations of the homeopathy effect, more than 80% of the participants got a significant improvement in symptoms after taking a homeopathic remedy for 2 weeks.

For the preparations prescribing, homeopaths take into account the constitutional type of person, his state of health, individual tolerance to treatment methods. An experienced homeopath assesses all of these factors in determining the most appropriate remedy for each individual.

Acupuncture

Although investigations on this issue are not comprehensive, and they show ambiguous results, some doctors believe that acupuncture helps in relieving the symptoms of sinusitis. Acupuncturists usually describe sinusitis as "dampness", which originates inflammation and congestion in the mucous membranes. This dampness is cleared by strengthening the spleen meridian and the meridian of the stomach.

Practicing homeopaths often carry out the puncture of therapy and / or burning, a method in which certain acupuncture points burning wormwood is applied.

Chiropractics

Although there are no investigations on the use of chiropractic treatment for headaches due to maxillary sinusitis, some practitioners suggest that it can reduce pain and improve the condition of many people.

Relaxation

Relaxation techniques can be very helpful for headaches of unknown etiology. This is especially true if the headaches are often recurring, as happens in case of the maxillary sinusitis. You can try the following methods:

Biofeedback to control muscle tension

Learn to meditate, breathe deeply or try other relaxation exercises such as yoga and hypnotherapy

Try controlled images techniques (imaginary situations with their solving)

Home treatment of headache while bending

Headache treatment, as a rule, purposes the two-folded object: you treat a headache and at the same time eliminate its root causes.

To relieve pain and pressure on the sinuses during maxillary sinusitis, there are some treatment methods, which you can try.

The use of over-the-counter preparations

This is an obvious solution, and you probably have already tried it. But medicines such as acetaminophen (“Tylenol”), ibuprofen (“Advil”, “Motrin”) or naproxen sodium (“Aleve”), can help reduce the pain. Always read the label and do not use these drugs for more than 10 days without consulting a doctor.

Try decongestants

These medicines can help open blocked sinuses by decreasing swelling in the nasal passages and reduce the amount of mucus. But follow the instructions. Do not use nasal sprays and decongestant for more than three days in a row; you also should not use oral decongestants for more than seven days in a row. Examples of such remedies include phenylpropanolamine, tetryzoline and indanazolin.

Keep your nasal passages moist

Dry air will irritate the sinuses, which are already affected. So use a humidifier or wet steam to clear mucus from the sinuses. Relax with a warm damp towel on your face for a few minutes. Try saline solution for rinsing the nose after nasal spray.

Use nasal irrigation (or washing)

Irrigate the sinuses with onion juice, diluted in half with water or salted water. It moisturizes the nasal mucous membrane and helps to clear mucus from the nasal passages. It promotes reducing pressure on the sinuses and relieving the headache. If you have never tried this approach, ask the doctor’s advice.

It is important to note that if you use irrigation, washing or rinsing the sinuses, it is necessary to use distilled water, sterile or previously boiled water to make a solution for irrigation.

Avoid irritants

Perfume, cigarette smoke and some chemicals can worsen the symptoms of maxillary sinusitis, irritating the nasal passages.

If home treatment does not work or if you experience continuing fever, pain or the edema of the face or eyes, redness around the eyes and cheeks, severe headache, confusion or neck stiffness - see your doctor instantly. Together, you can determine the final diagnosis, and then apply the correct treatment of headache while bending.