Sinus Headaches No More: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Natural Fixes

Learn Natural Techniques and PT Tips on How to Relieve Sinus Headaches Quickly

Whether it be from weather fluctuations, barometric pressure changes, allergies, or a sinus infection, sinus headaches can really make you feel crummy. 

Most people I work with try to avoid medications and seek out natural solutions. So if you don’t want to take Advil like candy and deal with the side effects, this blog is for you. 

I bet your first thought when you get a sinus headache isn’t, “Oh, let me call up my physical therapist!” But by the end of this blog post, I hope it is. 

We physical therapists have a lot of tricks up our sleeves on how to relieve sinus headaches.

In this blog we are going to talk about:

• • What are sinus headaches?
  • What causes sinus headaches?
  • How can physical therapy relieve sinus headaches?
  • How to relieve sinus headaches with natural techniques and exercises

Sinus headaches are characterized by pain and pressure around the eyes, forehead, and cheeks. These areas are often sensitive to the touch and worsened by bending forward. They are typically felt equally on both sides of the face.

Sometimes sinus headaches are short lived, but other times can last several days.

Sinus headaches often occur in conjunction with weather fluctuations, barometric pressure changes, sinus infections, and allergies.

Posture, breathing, and muscle tension are also connected to sinus headaches. 

Tightness in the muscles of the neck, either from emotional stress or postural stress, can cause increased pressure in the sinuses. The muscle tightness can compress nerves that supply the sinuses, causing pain. Muscle tightness in the neck can also trigger tension headaches along with the sinus headache. If you want to learn more about tension headaches and how to fix them, you can check out this blog post. 

Additionally, compression of arteries and veins can disrupt blood flow to and from the sinuses, potentially disrupting sinus drainage. 

Poor breathing strategies can sometimes be at the root of sinus issues. Mouth breathers tend to have poorly developed or obstructed sinus cavities. Nasal breathing keeps the sinuses open and improves sinus health.

Medication can alleviate sinus headaches, but in my experience many people don’t want to take medications. They seek natural relief from sinus headaches. 

Medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen can offer quick relief, but do not address underlying issues contributing to the sinus headache. 

Physical therapy addresses the root causes, such as muscle tension, breathing strategies, and posture, rather than putting a band-aid on the issue. Common physical therapy treatments for sinus headaches include:

• • Sinus dry needling and myofascial release

Dry needling and myofascial release are very effective for reducing sinus pressure, promoting sinus drainage, and relieving sinus headaches. Both techniques aim to open up the sinuses and promote drainage.

During sinus dry needling, needles are placed in the skin over the sinus fields. Check out how it looks! Don’t be alarmed, this is a painless treatment.

If you don’t like needles, don’t worry. Myofascial release techniques performed over the sinuses have a very similar benefit.

Oftentimes when performing these techniques on clients, they can immediately breathe more freely through their noses, have a less nasally sounding voice, and feel drainage happening. It is amazing to witness and even better to experience!

• • Neck dry needling and manual therapy

Remember, tight muscles in the neck can impair sinus drainage and increase pressure in the sinuses. Manual therapy and dry needling to address these tight muscles are very effective strategies to relieve sinus headaches. 

By reducing tension in the muscles, there is less pain and pressure in the sinuses. Circulation is also improved, relieving pressure and promoting healing of irritated tissues.

• • Breathing exercises

Nasal breathing is very important for sinus health. When you breathe through your nose, air flows through all the sinuses, keeping these passageways open and healthy. 

During mouth breathing, air does not move through the sinuses. Over time, the sinuses get smaller and can become blocked. This can predispose you to sinus infections and negative effects of allergies and weather changes. 

Controlled nasal breathing is a great way to open sinus passages and relieve pressure. It also reduces inflammation and improves blood flow in the sinuses.

To perform, breathe in through your nose to a count of 5. Hold for a count of 2. Exhale through your nose to a count of 5. Hold for a count of 2. Repeat this pattern for 5 minutes. 

To learn more about nasal vs mouth breathing, I highly recommend the book Breathe: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. It is a fascinating read!

There are several natural techniques to relieve sinus pressure and headaches. Ditch the medication and try one of these instead.

• Posture correction

Remember, posture directly affects the sinuses. Over time, spending lots of time in a forward head position will alter breathing patterns (make you more of a mouth breather), increase tension in the neck muscles, and disrupt blood flow to the sinuses. 

This is one of my favorite exercises to improve posture by promoting length and strength in the neck.

To perform sphinx chin tuck exercise, lay on your stomach and prop on your elbows (like sphinx pose in yoga). From here, perform a chin tuck. You do this by pulling your chin back as if you were trying to give yourself a double chin or avoid a kiss you don’t want. 

You can check out my step-by-step demo of how to do this sphinx chin tuck exercise below.

• • Self sinus myofascial release

Whether or not you’ve seen a physical therapist for sinus relief, it is great to do self sinus myofascial release techniques at home. It will help maintain the benefit you get between physical therapy sessions and provide relief when you need it.

Here is a great video on how to do a self sinus release at home.

• • Sinus rinse

I know a sinus rinse sounds horrifying to many people. I used to be one of those people. But don’t 

knock it until you try it! When done properly, sinuses rinses are very gentle and effective at removing snot and allergens. 

Here is the sinus rinse kit that I use and recommend. 

Pro tips: 

• • • 1. Be sure to only use distilled water! 
      2. Warm the distilled water in the microwave on defrost for 20 seconds before use. 
      3. Squeeze the bottle slowly and gently. It will prevent you from feeling like you just jumped into a pool without plugging your nose!

• • Warm compress

Use a warm compress on your neck and/or face. This will relax tense muscles, improve blood flow, and open up sinus passages. All of this will promote drainage, reduce sinus pressure, and alleviate pain from sinus headaches.

There are many natural ways to relieve sinus headaches. If you’ve stuck with me this far, you now know more about what a sinus headache is, what causes sinus headaches (more than just congestion!), how physical therapy can relieve sinus headaches, and natural remedies and exercises for sinus headache relief. 

Especially if you struggle with frequent sinus headaches, regular physical therapy appointments can be a great part of your long-term management plan. 

Give these techniques a try!

If you’ve tried them and want more individualized guidance, we would love to chat with you! We offer free discovery calls where we can talk in more detail, listen to your story, and see how we could help. You can request that we contact you by filling out this form or you can book your free discovery call here!