Exercise as migraine prophylaxis: a randomized study using relaxation and topiramate as controls

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sports Medicine
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Migraine is a common neurological disorder requiring effective prophylactic strategies.
• Evidence for exercise as a migraine preventive treatment is limited.
• Non-pharmacological interventions are sought for patients unresponsive or unwilling to use daily medication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of regular exercise in preventing migraine attacks.
• To compare exercise with relaxation and topiramate for migraine prophylaxis.
• To assess the impact of exercise on quality of life and physical activity in migraineurs.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving adults with migraine.
• Interventions included 40 minutes of exercise thrice weekly, a recorded relaxation program, or gradually increased topiramate dosage (max 200 mg/day).
• The primary outcome was the mean reduction in migraine attack frequency during the final treatment month compared to baseline.

Main Results:

• Ninety-one patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis.
• Mean reduction in migraine attacks was 0.93 in the exercise group, 0.83 in the relaxation group, and 0.97 in the topiramate group.
• No statistically significant difference in efficacy was found between the three groups (p = 0.95).

Conclusions:

• Exercise demonstrates comparable effectiveness to relaxation and topiramate in reducing migraine frequency.
• Regular exercise presents a potential prophylactic treatment option for migraine patients.
• This finding is particularly relevant for individuals who do not benefit from or prefer to avoid daily migraine medication.