Special exercise programme could benefit migraine sufferers

Washington, Apr 17 (ANI): Researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden have developed a special exercise programme for people suffering from migraine.

Migraine sufferers are often advised to take exercise, however, they avoid it amid fears that the physical activity may bring on a serious migraine attack.

"We know that everyone benefits from a little exercise, but if you're convinced that a session at the gym will end up with you being confined to bed with a thumping headache and nausea then it's hardly surprising that people give it a miss," said Jane Carlsson, Professor in Physiotherapy at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

During the study, the researchers recruited twenty migraine sufferers who were asked to follow a special exercise programme three times a week for three months.

The programme involved using an exercise bike under the guidance of a physiotherapist.

"We could see that those who participated in the study were much fitter after the training period, since their ability to absorb oxygen increased considerably," said physiotherapist Emma Varkey, one of the researchers behind the study.

Moreover, the researchers revealed that only one of the patients suffered a migraine attack that was directly linked to the training session.

"Now that we've been able to show that the risk of increased frequency of attacks in connection with this type of exercise is extremely small, we can study whether exercise can be used to prevent or alleviate migraine attacks," said Mattias Linde, neurologist at Cephalea Headache Centre and researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

"We have already initiated a new study in which we plan to compare the results against a control group," Linde added.

The study is published in journal Headache. (ANI)