Do you have a sinus headache … or is it a migraine? Believe it or not, 90% of the time people think they have a sinus headache, they’re really experiencing a migraine. How can this be? Well, to begin with, both of them have some similar symptoms. In addition, both are commonly diagnosed. In this blog, we’re going to compare – and contrast – them further.
In both a sinus headache and a migraine, the pain is focused in the forehead and/or the sinuses. Making it even more difficult to differentiate the two, any pain in the sinus area can trigger:
However, there are distinct symptoms that may accompany each of the conditions that help to differentiate the two:
With a sinus headache, which is a symptom of sinusitis, you’ll likely experience:
On the other hand, with a migraine, you are more apt to suffer from:
Confusing a sinus headache with a migraine shouldn’t be a problem, right? As long as the treatment attacks those symptoms, the type of headache you have shouldn’t matter.
Wrong. The only way to successfully treat an illness is to treat what’s actually causing it, even if the symptoms are similar. This is especially true because sinusitis is usually due to an infection, where a migraine is caused by different things.
Enter CT Sinus Center. Through discussing your symptoms and medical history, and possibly performing a series of tests, our expert physicians will be able to determine exactly what is causing your headache and how to treat it. If your pain is due to sinusitis, you may be eligible for balloon sinuplasty, a noninvasive, in-house procedure done with local anesthesia, that can put a permanent end to your sinus headaches (as well as the rest of your sinus symptoms) forever.
To learn more about what we can do for you, call 860-BALLOON and schedule a consultation at one of our four conveniently-located offices: Kent and Waterbury.
For additional information on sinus-related cnditions or treatments, read more about CT Sinus Center and take a look at our blog.
