www.physiotherapyphd.com Treatment for Sinusitis Sinusitis is the inflammation and or infection of sinuses. It can cause mild to major discomfort and can have varying symptoms. The sinuses are air-filled spaces within the bones of the face. They are located in the cheeks (maxillary), forehead (frontal) and around the eyes (ethmoidal). Most people have experienced acute sinusitis with a cold or flu, however the symptoms should resolve within a few days to weeks. Chronic sinusitis is when cavities around nasal passages (sinuses) become inflamed and swollen for at least 12 weeks, despite treatment attempts. Symptoms •Pressure and “heaviness” feeling in face •Nasal blockage •Pressure changes with head movement •Headache •Possible pain around jaw and the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) •Loss of the senses of smell and taste •Coloured mucus •Running nose and coughing •Feeling unwell and run down Chronic Sinusitis If the patient experience frequent sinus issues/ infections or ongoing symptoms called person is having chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis can be caused by many factors. Chronic sinusitis can linger for weeks or even months at a time that can go on to cause secondary issues and further complications such as middle ear infections, excessive post-nasal dripping, coughing and bad breath. Treatment The first line of treatment for sinusitis is mostly medical drugs including antimicrobial drugs, decongestants, nasal sprays, corticosteroids, and antihistamine drugs which can effectively dry the mucus. In extreme troublesome cases of recurrent sinusitis, operative procedures such as functional endoscopic sinus surgery, balloon sinuplasty, insertion of drainage tube, and invasive conventional surgery may be required. Physical therapy also offers a variety of treatment approaches in sinusitis. It includes various electrotherapy modalities, manual drainage techniques, suboccipital release for sinus headache, Kinesio taping, nebulization, stretching the muscles of the neck, dry needling, and rhinoflow therapy. Ultrasound therapy causes mechanical vibration of the molecules which might help in the faster drainage and facilitation of the secretions and thus reducing pain. The significant effect of ultrasound therapy could also be because of the heating effects of ultrasound. Therapeutic ultrasound when applied to tissues converts into heat, thereby causing molecular vibration which increases the blood supply and helps in reduction of the symptoms experienced in sinusitis. The SWD had showed significant improvement sinusitis. The heat production and phagocytosis could have possibly helped in the reduction of the symptoms in SWD group. There are special electrodes available for sinusitis when SWD is prescribed.
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