The function of the sinuses is to moisten and filter the air that a person breathes, provide resonance to a person’s voice, lighten the weight of the skull and remove unwanted particles in the air. There are four paired sinus air cavities are located in the forehead (Frontal), between the eyes (Ethmoid), behind the eyes (Sphenoid) and in the cheekbone (Maxillary). There is an opening in each sinus cavity into the nose passage. This opening, which is called the Ostium, allows the movement of air and mucus.

The condition when he sinuses are infected and become inflamed, is called Sinusitis. Many people use the term Sinus even though they want to convey that they are suffering from Sinusitis. Due to the inflammation/swelling, the sinus opening (Ostium) gets blocked causing air and mucus to collect. This causes pressure on the sinus walls which leads to pain. Since bacteria thrive in mucus secretions, if the mucus is not cleared, bacteria can start infecting the sinus cavity.

Sinusitis can be caused by colds, allergies, structural defects in the nasal passage, structural defects in the sinus cavity, and problems with the immune system. When mucus accumulates in the sinuses, it provides a breeding medium for bacteria. This can cause Bacterial Sinusitis, which if left untreated it can lead to complication of the eye, ear or nose.

Sinusitis can be a very painful condition and at first it may not be obvious what it is as it might just be that there is a complaint of headaches, which are a side effect of it, with it being difficult to identify that the pain is coming from the sinuses.

Antral washout, which is a washout of the sinuses can be a big help to people although it is not very comfortable but it may be worth putting up with the discomfort for the relief that unblocked sinuses brings!

"Sinusitis" simply means your sinuses are inflamed―red and swollen―because of an infection or another problem. There are several types of sinusitis. Health experts usually identify them as follows:

• Acute, which lasts up to 4 weeks
• Subacute, which lasts 4 to 12 weeks
• Chronic, which lasts more than 12 weeks and can continue for months or even years
• Recurrent, with several attacks within a year

In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 31 million adults were diagnosed with sinusitis. Women were almost twice as likely as men to receive the diagnosis, and there were more cases in the southern United States than elsewhere in the country.

That is great info that Jennifer and you are quite right, although it does not seem like that serious a complaint if you do nothing about it and you have true sinusitis it can lead to other problems. A lot of people don;t really bother much as a lot of the time sinusitis is not really that debilitating but it really does need to be dealt with and the sooner the better!