Top 75 Migraine and Headache Questions, #5

Anatomy of a Migraine
When many people think “migraine” they think only of the pain of migraine. In reality, a migraine episode consists of far more. The typical migraine episode actually consists of four parts, referred to as phases or components.

It's impossible for us to say via the Internet if your symptoms are from Migraine, but it's a definite possibility to discuss with your doctor. When infection isn't present, it's actually rare to have a "sinus headache." It's not uncommon to have facial and eye pain from Migraine because of the location of the trigeminal nerve, which becomes inflamed during a Migraine attack. Take a look at:

• Sinuses Giving You a Headache? It's Probably a Migraine.
  If you've tried various over-the-counter sinus medications to relieve your sinus headaches to no avail, there may be a good reason: chances are you don't have a sinus headache at all. Nearly 9 in 10 people with sinus headache symptoms likely are suffering from Migraines.
• Pathways of Migraine:
  Illustration of the actions of a Migraine and location of the trigeminal nerve.

It would be unusual for a sinus infection to be missed on a CT scan, but again, this needs to be verified with your doctor.

Good luck,
John Claude Krusz and Teri Robert

About Ask the Clinician:

Dr. Krusz is a recognized expert in the fields of headache and migraine treatment and pain treatment. Each week, he and Lead Expert Teri Robert, team up to answer your questions about headaches and Migraines. You can read more about Dr. Krusz or more about Teri Robert. If you have a question for this section of our site, please click HERE. Accepted questions will be answered by publishing the answers here. No questions will be answered privately.

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