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Sinus pain and pressure
Category: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat · All head & senses symptoms
What it can feel like
Sinus pain and pressure is an aching, full feeling over the forehead, cheeks or between the eyes, often worse bending forward, with nasal blockage and discoloured discharge. The sinuses are air spaces in the skull that drain into the nose; when their openings swell shut during a cold, pressure symptoms follow.
Possible causes
A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.
Common causes
Sinus symptoms can be associated with viral colds (most cases), allergies, and bacterial sinusitis — suggested by symptoms beyond ten days, worsening after initial improvement, or high fever with facial pain for several days.
Other possible causes
Chronic sinus inflammation, with or without nasal polyps, causes longer-lasting pressure, blockage and smell loss. Dental infections of the upper back teeth can also inflame the cheek sinus above them, and migraine is a frequent impersonator of 'sinus headache'.
Red flags — when to seek help promptly
- Sinus pain with swelling or redness around the eye, or any change in vision — urgent
- Sinus symptoms with high fever and severe headache or neck stiffness
- Facial swelling over the forehead or cheek that is spreading
- Sinus symptoms lasting beyond twelve weeks
What a clinician may do
A clinician will examine the nose and teeth, and assess duration and trajectory — most sinusitis is viral and settles. Nasal steroid sprays and saline rinses are mainstays; imaging is reserved for complications or chronic disease, and ENT referral follows persistent cases.
Watch: related videos
Examination and clinical videos from the MedicalVideos.com library relevant to this symptom. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my sinusitis is bacterial?
Three patterns suggest bacteria rather than virus: symptoms lasting beyond ten days without improving, severe symptoms with high fever and facial pain for at least three to four days, or getting better then clearly worse again ('double worsening'). These are the patterns where antibiotics enter the discussion.
Why might my 'sinus headache' be migraine?
Migraine commonly produces facial pressure, nasal blockage and even a runny nose through nerve activation — and is triggered by weather changes that people blame on sinuses. Recurrent 'sinus headaches' without infection signs are re-diagnosed as migraine often enough that clinicians ask carefully about light sensitivity and nausea.
Related symptoms — Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Browse the S section of the A–Z list or return to the Symptoms A–Z hub.