Sinusitis Explained Dr. Travis Stork: Not all congestion is sinusitis. So lot of folks who have a cold two, three days and they think “Oh, I’ve got sinusitis,” but really what we’re talking about here is truly inflammational sinuses. And there is a difference between acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis. Acute sinusitis maybe you had a cold and then two weeks later you still got congestion, sinus pressure, headache, you can have tooth pain and fevers. People like Jim know they’re suffering from chronic sinusitis. Folks you got it for three months or more in Jim’s case, 20 years.