Sinusitis is a swelling of one or more nasal sinuses. It may be a complication of an upper respiratory infection, dental infection, allergy, a change in atmosphere, as in air travel or underwater swimming, or a defect of the nose. With swelling of nasal mucus membranes the openings from sinuses to the nose may be blocked, causing pressure, pain, headache, fever, and local tenderness. Complications include spread of infection to bone, brain, or meninges.

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal sinuses that accompanies upper respiratory infection. More than 50% of all cases of sinusitis are caused by bacteria. The sinuses affected by this infection include those above the eyes, inside each cheekbone, behind the bridge of the nose and in the upper nose.

Symptoms of sinusitis include headache, earache, toothache, facial pain, cranial pressure, loss of sense of smell, tenderness over the forehead and cheekbones, and occasionally a high fever. The throat may be affected by problems originating in the lungs, the nose, or the sinuses. A sore throat may take the form of tonsillitis, pharyngitis, or laryngitis. Sometimes sinusitis produces a swollen face followed by a stuffy nose and thick discharge of mucus. If the mucus is clear after a week you probably do not have an infection. If mucus is greenish or yellowish, you do. If the mucus is clear without a cold, you probably have allergies.

Acute sinusitis is frequently caused by colds or bacterial and viral infections of the nose, throat and upper respiratory tract and can be extremely painful with headaches so severe that it is impossible to move the head without pain. Chronic sinusitis problems which give rise to dull pain in the forehead may be caused by small growth in the nose or injury to nasal bones.

The use of essential oils at the onset of a cold can often prevent the infection from spreading to the sinuses.

Special techniques for facial massage can be used to encourage the drainage of mucus from the nose and sinuses. The techniques may be too uncomfortable to perform during a severe attack. Massage may be introduced after a day or two, or whenever a steam inhalation has reduced the congestion enough for massage to be tolerable.