Sinusitis is the swelling of any of the 4 different types of sinuses. This can happen with allergies, viral or bacterial infections, or when there is an increase in pressure, such as when diving or flying in a plane.
There are two types of Sinusitis, one being the acute form, the other is chronic. In the acute form of Sinusitis, there are usually signs of pain, difficulty breathing through the nose, while the nose is running. This mucus can range from clear to yellow or green. As for chronic sinusitis, the pain is diminished if it is present at all, but the sinuses are still blocked making it hard to breathe, however usually there is no mucus present.
If sinusitis is due to an infection, you will have to go on antibiotics to clear the infection. At this point, if there is also a fever present you will not be able to have a massage. However, if there is no fever but you do have an infection, no lymphatic drainage will be done as this type of technique can cause the infection to spread to the other sinuses. If the sinusitis is not due to an infection, you can have any techniques done, without having to worry about any restrictions. At all times the treatment will be done within what you can tolerate, this includes pressure and the length of the treatment.
For the treatment to start, there is a steam treatment for the entire head. To do this there is a large bowl filled with hot steamy water, where you will be able to lean your head over the top, then a towel is draped over the head to keep as much steam round your head as possible. This is to help moisten the mucus in the sinuses so it makes it easier to let it drain. If you don’t have any sensitivities to scents, sometimes essential oils will be used in the water, to also help with opening the airways or to help with decreasing the pain that you are feeling. If essential oils are used you will have to keep your eyes closed, as the oil can be strong and may irritate the eyes. If they are not used it will be up to you if you want to have your eyes open or not during this process. Whether the oils are used or not in the water, usually this part of the treatment will be done for about 5 minutes but can be longer.
Once the steam treatment is complete, the therapist will have you get onto the table. They can put your face down, face up or have you on your side, with the most affected sinus facing away from the table. I like the face-up position, with the person in a semi-seated or reclined position. This is where a wedge of pillows is used, and put against your back so your torso and head are no longer laying flat against the table. All of these, in their way, and depending on which sinuses are affected will help with drainage. Depending on the type of sinusitis present, this is when lymphatic drainage is used, starting into the neck and slowly working towards the sinuses themselves. This may take a few sessions to be able to reach the sinuses, and care is taken to watch out for sudden acute flare-up, if so then lymphatic drainage is no longer used for the rest of the treatment. Lymphatic drainage is a very light technique that helps the lymphatics (this is a system that collects swelling, toxins, and any debris from white blood cells fighting off infections, bringing it back into the circulatory system to be flushed out of the body), so this technique won’t be painful to do but it can put your circulatory system into overdrive to help flush everything out if needed, which can be exhausting when you aren’t feeling well.
The next part is dealing with any trigger points, (active knots) in the muscles of the neck, back of the skull, jaw, and the temporal areas. All of these trigger points can refer pain to other areas of the head, so being able to get rid of these trigger points will ease up the pain that you are having and can also help with lowering the pressure against the sinuses. If you can tolerate any pressure on the sinuses, this will be the last part of the treatment portion of the session, as we usually like to end the session with a few relaxation techniques and/or stretching.
For the frontal sinuses (the ones just below the eyebrows) a sustained pressure, or gentle tapping against the sinuses is used. Sometimes the therapist’s fingers will be chilled, using an ice cube to cool them down, to help with the swelling in these sinuses. As for the maxillary sinuses (just along the cheekbones nearest to the nose), there is a gentle stripping motion done over the sinuses. During this technique, I usually like to advise people to try to take a deep breath in, while I am stripping through the sinus, as people generally feel like it is the first time in a while that they can take a deep breath in through the nose. Again the therapist can chill their fingers with the use of ice, to help with bringing down any swelling that is in the sinus. If either of the sinuses are still really blocked and you do not feel anything draining, and you can tolerate this, the therapist will place their finger (usually one at a time) over a sinus and vibrate their finger to try to help dislodge the blockage.
Of course at any point during the treatment, if you feel your sinuses are starting to drain, there will be tissues readily available and you should blow your nose. When you are blowing your nose make sure that you block one nostril, to clear one side at a time. Partially blocking both nostrils, which is what most people tend to do, at the same time when blowing your nose can cause you to not be able to completely clear the sinus. Also make sure that you are not blowing your nose too hard as this can cause the infection, if present, to spread into the ears or the deeper sinuses. The therapist will give you the time that you need to do so, as they will not be performing any techniques as you are clearing your nose. The last thing that we want is for you to try to keep yourself from blowing your nose, and you block one of your other sinuses in its place.
Once the treatment is done, you will have to get up slowly. Though it is advised for you to do this after any treatment, it is even more important after a treatment like this as it is very likely you could feel light-headed or dizzy. Give yourself time before getting off the table to make sure that you won’t lose your balance. It is usually recommended before you leave that you have some water, or if there is a particular type of tea that you like, you can always bring that to your treatment. Many clinics do have a kettle of some type so they can boil some water for you. Just make sure that it is a hydrating type of drink, no pop or coffee, so it can help the body flush everything out.