• Why does my head hurt when I blow my nose?

When I blow my nose, I feel a tight pressure and pain in my head, and it is pounding afterward just for a few seconds. I don't think I have any other symptoms or any other medical conditions. What could this be?

4 Answers

  • Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT)
  • Detroit, MI

When you blow your nose you are creating some slight increased venous pressure within your body, similar to what we refer to as a Valsalva technique. This increased venous pressure is transmitted to the veins and venous sinuses around the brain resulting in this temporary discomfort.

  • Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT)
  • Hialeah, FL

You may be blowing pressurized air into your sinuses producing the pain. Consult an ENT for examination and possible CT scan of your sinuses to rule out other possibilities

  • Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT)
  • Larkspur, California

Probable barotrauma to sinuses

  • Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT)
  • Waconia, MN

When you blow your nose you force air into your sinuses. In an otherwise
normal/healthy sinus, the air just comes right back out. In an inflamed
and partially obstructed sinus, you may force air in and that air may have
a hard time getting out, leaving a positive pressure in a given sinus.
This may be uncomfortable. Other explanations may exist, but this seems a
likely one in this case.

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