What you need to ‘nose’ about sinus infection treatments

Your head is throbbing, and your face feels like it is being squeezed in a vice. Is it sinuses or a cold? And more importantly how do you get to feeling better?

This time of year, it’s difficult to tell between a cold, allergies or a sinus infection, says Devin Minior, MD, chief medical officer at Banner Urgent Care, which has locations throughout metro Phoenix and Tucson.

“During the winter season, we see those viral illnesses. (For sinus infection), it’s a lot like the symptoms of a common cold: cough, congestion, sometimes sore throat, sometimes fever,’’ Minior said.

“But then you get some involvement of the sinuses, facial pain, sometimes sneezing, really bad nasal congestion and sometimes a worsening cough associated with that.’’

If it is a sinus infection, chances are great that it is viral sinus infection, he said. “The vast majority, like 98 percent of the time, are going to be viral infections,’’ he said. Unlike bacterial sinus infections, viral sinus infections can’t be treated by antibiotics. They usually last ten days, Minior said.

No matter if it is allergies or sinus infection, the treatment may be the same, Minior said. Here’s some important things to keep in mind: