Sinus / Head Pressure + Dizziness

[brainiac]

Hi guys,

I've been very worried the last few days but particularly this evening. I'll precurse this by saying that I have had a history of sinus issues, but I still am waiting for an ENT appointment so nothing is fully diagnosed yet (but I have been told by doctors that I probably have sinusitis a couple of times).

The last week or so, I have been getting a lot of dizzy sensations along with pressure in my skull. The dizzy sensations usually feel like I am slightly spinny and fuzzy in my head and down at my feet I just feel slightly uneasy / off balance though I never really am.

Yesterday and Today it's a bit stronger and there's a tight sinus pressure around my nose and under my eyes as well but my nose is fairly clear (I still have the other usual things like a postnasal drip, this tension headachey stuff etc.)

I have taken some Sinutab tonight, and it hasn't seemed to help much and the dizziness feels a bit stronger and more sway'y (I usually don't feel it when I am sitting down, only when I am standing or walking, but this evening I can feel it constantly).

I also have a really bad shoulder tension which feels like it's in my neck and chest too. So not sure if that is connected and again any insight you can offer would help. I also have strong heartbeat (as in I can feel it very strongly in my chest and partially in my head and sometimes in other arterial areas). Not sure if I should call them palpitations or not but that's there too.

Any thoughts or words would be appreciated :)

[Libra]

I could almost have written that myself..!! Im going through same and ive always found that when I have sinus congestion it affects my shoulder tension and neck tension too..

[PBL80]

I'm too have had the same sensations. Horrible neck pain, dizziness and palpitations

[Libra]

Im not sure if the sinus affects neck/shoulder or other way round all I know is they go together. Ive had this 3 times in 15 years.I do recall one gp telling me that there are air pockets for the sinus at base of skull??

[worrywart29]

I had the same problem and it is definitely caused by neck tension. Here's a excerpt from a site I looked up that helped me discover what was causing my problems

The SCM can cause a variety of symptoms including head and face pain, balance problems, visual disturbances, ear and sinus symptoms, and more body wide symptoms. It is the only muscle that creates such wide spread problems.

The scm is a muscles in the neck and when it tightens it cause a host of problems dizziness being one of them. Sinus issues is also another problem from this muscle.

I started seeing a physiotherapist and she remarked how tight my neck muscles are since I had a few massages I noticed my symptoms lessened. Ive since stopped therapy and I noticed my dizziness is returning. Anxiety cause us to tense therefore causing tight muscles

[Libra]

Thanks. that's very interesting info..

[brainiac]

Thanks for the responses all, helps a lot.

Have another thing I'm not sure is connected today. I have a really mild kind of twingy / throbby pain that seems to be muscled based in my left arm and left leg today. It's kind of just like a short, throbbing muscle discomfort randomly but fairly consistently all day. Anyone ever experienced this?

[Libra]

I have random muscle aches that last minutes now and then. I also have sciatica which flares more when im anxious and for some unknown reason when that plays up it also affects shoulder same side, tension.

[percythetrain]

This is so weird. I'm having the symptoms too and trying to figure out what it is for over 8 months :blush:

The head pressure pretty much waxes and wanes, so one day it might be barely noticeable and another day unbearable.

I also have neck tension and palpitations with it! And it feels like my jaw is stiff which is why I was thinking it could be TMJ in my case.

But it also sounds a whole lot like a sinus issue with the pressure in my nose, forehead and behind the eyes.

Like you guys, I also have a slight tension type headache and some dizziness that gets better when the pressure improves and worse when the pressure is bad.

I'm due to see an orthopedic surgeon this week and will see what he has to say, I'll then try to post it in case it helps someone else :)

BTW, does anybody's head/neck pressure get worse when they lower their head? Or does it feel the same when you're vertical or horizontal? I noticed mine is worse when lowering the head like whatever inflammation is in my head will get much worse when bood rushes to it.

[Libra]

Sinus related pressure is worse when bowing head forward.

[percythetrain]

Hi all, I did see the doctor today and he said that the head pressure I feel is likely to be connected to my cervical issues. He said dizziness is very common for that, and even ear fullness and the feeling of one's head pulsing and it's because the muscles are tensing up and inflamed and it's a highly vascular area. I still want to have an MRI just to see if there's anything odd in my head but I wanted to let people know to ask about their spine if they have head pressure.

[brainiac]

I'm personally still a few months away from an ENT appointment for mine. Pressure is feeling a little different lately at the front of my head (kind of behind forehead / eyes) and just feels really tense. Also been having a lot of dry nose / blood in nostrils (doesn't bleed out). This was mostly while I was away in a hotter country though. Anyone experience this? Ears are still ringing away just as loud as always too. Always alarmed by these symptoms even though they clearly haven't been serious (at least yet). There's no chance that these things are something worse right?

On a side note, anyone else experience symptoms feeling better in hot weather? I always have mild arm and chest pain for the last year, was in Paris last week and didn't seem to be affected as much. Flared up again when I came home then.

[Libra]

For a couple of days now ive had a fullness feeling top left side nose and if I could draw a line it would go back into top left of head. Feels like someone pressing down in that area and if I lean in the wrong way get dizzy, the way you have explained. Again. ive got the neck tension running alongside it.

[Libra]

Thank you for that info Paulm. I will give it a try.. I hadn't realised that sinus issues could cause dizziness until I went through it the first time..Strangley when my sinus cleared before then so did the neck/shoulder tension.

[GoWhiteSox]

i've been having the same issues with ear pressure/fullness/pain and had a ct scan done last week..all it turned up was mild sinusitis near my right eye, i am pretty sure my issues are due to muscle tension as your dr told you yours are