Aerobics may help migraine

People who suffer from migraine headaches can participate in cycling or similar moderate-intensity aerobic exercise without triggering a migraine attack. Short-term physical activity can trigger migraine and many people with migraine are hesitant to exercise for fear of triggering their headaches. Researchers from Sweden studied 26 untrained patients having episodic migraine to develop and evaluate an exercise programme to improve oxygen uptake without making their migraines worse. A supervised exercise programme of moderate intensity based on indoor cycling was performed 3 times a week for 12 weeks. These workouts, tailored to prevent exercise-triggered migraine, involved 15 minutes of warm-up, 20 minutes of exercise, and a 5-minute cool-down period. Oxygen uptake, migraine status, side effects and the quality of life were evaluated in all the participants. At the start of the study, 17 women and 3 men, from 36 to 63 years old, reported 2 to 8 migraines a month. They also reported exercising regularly no more than once per week. Of the 20 individuals who completed the physiotherapist-supervised aerobic exercise program, just one developed migraine immediately after a single training session. Over the course of the study, there was objective evidence that the exercisers increased their aerobic fitness. Moreover, the men and women reported a significant decrease in the number of migraine attacks and average intensity, days per month with migraine, and medication usage. A significant improvement in the quality of life of the subjects was also observed. The researchers suggest that there is need for a randomized controlled study that compares migraine and associated factors among larger groups of exercisers and non-exercisers.

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