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

Abstract

Objective: 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. Design: Controlled clinical trial. Setting: School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. Subjects: Forty women with general migraine attending the Neurology Department of the Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University. Intervention: Patients were assigned alternately into two groups: exercise group undertaking 1 hour aerobic exercise three times weekly, and a control group. Main outcome measures: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: The study showed that regular long-term aerobic exercise reduced migraine pain severity, frequency and duration possibly due to increased nitric oxide production.