Dallas City Wire

Former NFL running back, Super Bowl champion and broadcaster Marshall Faulk has had more than a decade of relief since his balloon sinuplasty procedure.

Had he'd known about the procedure earlier, he would have experienced relief sooner, Faulk said in a video posted to YouTube in June 2010 by the University of Pennsylvania Health System's Lancaster General Health.

Faulk, originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts out of San Diego State University, has been in the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2011. He played five seasons with the Colts and eight with the St. Louis Rams.

Balloon sinuplasty has minimal complications because it involves no cutting. However, as with any surgery, some risks are involved. Balloon sinuplasty, available locally at Dallas Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, is recommended for patients who suffer from chronic sinusitis and have not been successful with home remedies.

Faulk said he noticed his sinus issues particularly after his time playing in the NFL had ended.

"The minute that I wasn't working out every day of my life, the problems that I had, they started to magnify," he said in a YouTube video. “If I was at work, broadcasting, I started having severe postnasal drip.”

Faulk said he tried many home remedies, including allergy medications, nasal pump, steamy hot showers, trying cut down on spicy food and reducing caffeine.

"I was trying just about anything, all kinds of homeopathic remedies and teas and stuff like that," he said. "I mean, I tried it all, I literally tried it all."

None of those things worked, but he found permanent relief with balloon sinuplasty.

"It's crazy that it was such a simple procedure to get done, to fix up what I'd struggled with for a long time," Faulk said. "Not a lot of recovery time. And when I think about how I feel now, now (that) I'm capable of breathing, it was an easy decision."

Others who could benefit from the procedure should not hesitate, Faulk said. "I tell them balloon sinuplasty is a must."

Dr. Monty Trimble and the team at Dallas Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers offer balloon dilation as a first line of defense for patients like Faulk, who struggle with sinusitis getting in the way of living their life.

If you're interested in evaluating your sinus symptoms and are considering seeing a doctor, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.