Effect of Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Migraine Headache Indexes and Quality of Life Improvement in Women with Migraine

Abstract

Aims: The beneficial effects of physical activities on migraine indices, i. e. frequency, duration, and intensity of the attacks, have been proved by different studies. Despite the fact, it is required to notice the sport characteristics, such as intensity, duration, repetition, and type of the sport, to investigate the beneficial effects of the physical activities on migraine treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Moderate Intensity Aerobic (MIA) exercises on the migraine indices and quality of life in women with migraine. Materials & Methods: In the controlled random semi-experimental study, 20 non-athlete women with migraine were studied in Kermanshah in 2015. The subjects were divided into two groups including control and MIA groups (n=10 per group). 8-weak MIA exercises (13-15 Borg RPE Scale) consisted of three 40minute sessions a weak. The migraine indices of the subjects (frequency, duration, and intensity) were measured one month before and after the exercises. In addition, the quality of life and the aerobic power of the subjects were assessed 48 hours before and after the exercises. Data was analyzed by SPSS 21 software using ANCOVA, LSD post-hoc, and independent T tests. Findings: MIA exercises resulted in significant reductions in the intensity, frequency, and duration of headache attacks, as well as an increase in the aerobic power (p<0.001). Passing from pretest to posttest, the variable change percentage was significant between control and exercise groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: MIA exercises lead to a reduction in the migraine headache, as well as an improvement in the quality of life and aerobic readiness, in the women with migraine.

Is aerobic exercise helpful in patients with migraine? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…All the studies measured the frequency in days/month except Kroll et al, who measured frequency by weeks, and Disttrich et al, who measured frequency by weeks and months. Three of these studies showed improvements in the exercise group . In Hanssen et al, these improvements were superior in the intense exercise group and in Santiago et al, they were superior in the therapy combined with exercise group.…”

“…Only two studies performed an intention to treat analysis including even though they obtained a loss to follow‐up greater than 20%. In the rest of the studies, the losses to follow‐up were less than 20% …”

“…Six of the studies had two groups: a moderate exercise and a control group . In the case of Hanssen et al, there was a third group of intense exercisers.…”

“…The meta‐analysis on pain intensity showed statistically significant differences in the reduction in intensity in the short‐term. The estimated SMDs were considered to represent a large clinical effect in four studies (n = 166; SMD = 1.25; 95% CI 0.47‐2.04. heterogeneity Q value = 18.19; P = .001; inconsistency I 2 = 78%) and there was no evidence of publication bias in the meta‐analysis (SE = −0.47; T = −1.23; P = .3).…”

“…The duration of migraine was measured by self‐reports in all the studies, which recorded the hours that the patient suffered migraine …”