Facial massage for sinuses can help you get a quick relief from the pain. You can experience immediate pain relief from sinus massage. We will talk about the varieties of facial massages for sinuses, what they are for sinuses, and how they can help us in this article.
Does Facial Massage Help Sinuses?
Yes. By releasing pressure and promoting mucus drainage, facial massage for the sinuses is claimed to reduce sinus pain and congestion. The warm hands’ gentle touch and circulation-boosting warmth may also be beneficial.
What is Sinus Pain?
Sinus pain can make you feel very miserable because of the nasal congestion and discharge, facial pain, fullness, pressure, and headaches.
Seasonal allergies or the common cold are the usual causes of sinus pain and congestion. However, some persons endure recurrent episodes of sinus discomfort and congestion because to:
- abnormal tissue growth inside the nose, called nasal polyps
- an uneven wall of tissue between the nostrils, known as a deviated septum
- another illness
The term “chronic sinusitis” refers to this form of nasal congestion (characterized by recurrent or protracted episodes). Nearly 30 million Americans are impacted.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications are frequently used to treat sinus irritation. But if you want to try something new, you can think about getting a sinus massage.
Massage facilitates nasal evacuation and relieves congestion. Your fingertips are all that are required for this home treatment.
What are the Types of Sinuses?
It’s crucial to have a fundamental awareness of the many types of sinus canals in your skull before learning about sinus massage techniques. The names of the sinuses reflect the bones in which they are located.
- Ethmoidal Sinuses: Located between your eyes, the ethmoidal sinuses are a common source of infection. A headache from an ethmoidal sinus infection is typically felt behind the nose.
- Maxillary Sinuses: Located below your eyes in your cheekbones, this cavity is the biggest and most prone to infection. Pain from the maxillary sinuses can be felt spreading to your teeth.
- Sphenoidal Sinuses: Located behind your eyes toward the back of the head, there are two sphenoidal sinuses that make up the middle portion of the base of the skull. A deep pain is generally felt.
- Frontal Sinuses: Located above your eyes at the lower portion of your forehead, there are two triangular-shaped sinuses that drain into the middle of the nose. Pain or pressure is typically felt on the face and head.
Source: Integris Health
5 Types of Facial Massage for Sinuses
Self-massage is simple to perform on oneself. Just a few minutes of gentle rubbing and applying pressure to the proper areas of your face will do.
There are four pairs of sinuses in the human body. Each one bears the name of the bone where it was discovered. You might try massaging all four sinus locations or just the sinuses that are hurting you.
Frontal Sinus Massage
Your frontal sinuses are situated directly over each of your eyes and in the middle of your forehead. In order to improve breathing and lessen sinus headaches, massage your frontal sinuses as follows:
- Place your index and middle fingers above your eyebrows and gently rub in a circular motion.
- Slowly move your fingers diagonally toward the middle of your forehead before slowly moving toward the temples.
- This should take about 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat one to two more times.
Maxillary Sinus Massage
The biggest sinuses are in your maxillary region, which is directly below your cheeks and on each side of your nose. Here’s how to properly massage your maxillary sinuses to breathe better through your nose:
- Using your index and middle fingers, apply pressure near your nose between your cheekbones and jaw.
- Move your fingers in a circular motion toward your ears.
- You can use your thumbs instead of your fingers for a deeper massage.
- This should take 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat one to two more times.
Ethmoid Sinus Massage
The bone that separates your nasal cavity from your brain is where the ethmoid sinuses are located. Here’s how to correctly massage your sphenoid and ethmoid sinuses to quickly clear your sinuses, improve breathing, and lessen sinus pain:
- Place your index fingers on either side of your nose bridge.
- Use small circles to massage this area as you move toward the top of the nose.
- Slowly work your way back down to the bottom part of the nose.
- Repeat one to two times.
- You can also apply pressure in the area where your nasal bone meets your frontal bone.
- Gently press with your fingers and hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
Sphenoid Sinus Massage
The sphenoid sinuses are situated exactly between your eyes and behind your nose. Therefore, the sphenoid and ethmoid are fairly close to one another. Here’s how to correctly massage your sphenoid and ethmoid sinuses to quickly clear your sinuses, improve breathing, and lessen sinus pain:
- Using your index fingers, start gently massaging on the side of your head near your ears in an up and down motion.
- Slowly work your way down to the earlobes.
- Repeat one to two times.
Optional Sinus Massage
Feel free to repeat the massages every hour or so for any of the sinus massages you attempt if you don’t feel like your sinuses are clean. Additionally, try out these optional tips for an even more soothing, relaxing, and effective sinus massage.
- Place your hands on a heated-up microwavable hot pack or rub your hands together to warm them up a bit before massaging.
- Lay down and place a microwavable hot pack on your forehead or under the back of your neck while you give yourself the sinus massages.
- Add a drop of your favorite essential oils to your fingertips before massaging. Alternatively, try rubbing a drop of your favorite essential oil just below your nose (never inside) for a calming effect.
- Menthol-based oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, and spearmint work wonders for opening up your sinuses as their smell is a natural nasal decongestant.
How Facial Massage for Sinuses Helps
By releasing pressure and promoting mucus drainage, massage of the sinuses is claimed to reduce sinus pain and congestion. The warm hands’ gentle touch and circulation-boosting warmth may also be beneficial.
However, there hasn’t been a lot of research on sinus massage. A few smaller trials have produced encouraging findings, but additional study is required.
In a recent study, 35 women’s sinus headaches were much less severe after receiving facial massage therapy. In a different study, it was discovered that facial therapeutic massage dramatically reduced face discomfort and congestion in male athletes with chronic sinusitis when compared to the control group who did not receive a massage.
Does Facial Massage for Sinuses Provide Long-lasting Relief?
No trustworthy research has been done to demonstrate if sinus massage has long-lasting effects. To keep sinus pressure from rising again, some certified massage therapists advise repeating the massage procedure throughout the day.
Depending on your symptoms, you can adjust the massage to concentrate more on a certain region of the face.
Where to get Professional Facial Massage for Sinuses?
With Immerse Modern Massage, you can receive the best massage session with a licensed professional. You can book a massage in Portland Oregon, planning it weeks in advance or reserving a same-day session. Book an Appointment to get started!
What We Offer in terms of Facial Massage For Sinuses:
- Frontal Sinus Massage
- Maxillary Sinus Massage
- Ethmoid Sinus Massage
- Sphenoid Sinus Massage
- Optional Sinus Massage
The Conclusion
One of the many natural treatments for sinus pressure, pain, or congestion is sinus massage. There isn’t much evidence that it helps, although modest studies indicate that it might be helpful for some people.
To keep mucus from building up in the sinuses once more, you might need to repeat the massage techniques several times during the day.
Consult a physician if you experience significant discomfort that won’t go away after self-care measures or if your sinus pain is accompanied by a high temperature (more than 102°F or 38.9°C). It can be a sinus infection or another problem with which you need medical attention.
