The effects of exercise and exercise-related changes in blood nitric oxide level on migraine headache

To observe the effects of moderate aerobic exercise on migraine headache, to assess exercise-related changes in blood nitric oxide (NO) levels, and to examine the impact of such changes on migraine attacks.

Controlled clinical trial.

School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation.

Forty women with general migraine attending the Neurology Department of the Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University.

Patients were assigned alternately into two groups: exercise group undertaking 1 hour aerobic exercise three times weekly, and a control group.

Patients were assessed before and after treatment using three clinical scales--visual analogue scale for headache, Pain Disability Index and Quality of Life Scale--and chemiluminescence analysis for plasma nitric oxide.

After the eight-week therapy period, patient complaints concerning the intensity, frequency and duration of pain had decreased significantly in both groups; however, visual analogue scale scoring showed better pain relief in the exercised group than in the controls (from 8.8 +/- 1.7 to 4.0 +/- 1.4 and from 8.5 +/- 0.8 to 7.0 +/- 0.9 respectively). Quality of life measures also revealed better migraine relief in the exercised women than in those who received medical treatment only. Blood NO rose significantly from pre- to post-therapy in the exercised group, but the change was not significant in the control group.

The study showed that regular long-term aerobic exercise reduced migraine pain severity, frequency and duration possibly due to increased nitric oxide production.