Sinus Headaches Are Just An Old Wives’ Tale (You Probably Have a Migraine)

It’s not uncommon this time of year to hear someone say they’re suffering from a “sinus headache.” I’ve said this myself, oh, approximately 3,000 times. But they’re wrong (and so was I). Because sinus headaches, apparently, don’t exist.

On WomansDay.com, Abigail L. Cuffey writes:

There’s no such thing as a “sinus headache.” Over 90 percent of people who think they have sinus headaches (not sinus infections) have migraines; the others are probably experiencing tension headaches.

So where did the notion of “sinus headaches” come from?

“It was a marketing term, made up to sell Sudafed in the 1950s,” says Britt Talley Daniel, a neurologist and author of a textbook called “Migraine.”

From the perspective of the American Academy of Neurology or the International Headache Society (publisher of the International Headache Classification book), “sinus headache” means nothing, Daniel explains. It’s a lay term, not one that means anything to the medical community.

Most people who study “sinus headaches” find that what the patient is really describing is a migraine, he says. With migraine, the trigeminal nerve is activated, and it shoots pain into your face — where the sinuses are. “But the sinus is not the problem, the problem is the nerve.”

How do you tell the difference between migraine and acute rhinosinusitis, or sinus infection? Sinus infection involves green mucous coming out of the nose, says Daniel. “If you don’t get that nasal discharge, you’re probably dealing with migraine.”

An ear, nose and throat doctor can test for sinus infection. Those dealing with migraines should see a neurologist. And if your headache is just average? You should probably head to a Duane Reade for some over-the-counter pain relief.