Migraine is the top cause of years lived with disability among those aged 15-49, and is associated with missed work and high societal costs. For those who cannot tolerate migraine-preventing drugs, other non-drug strategies may help. Exercise in particular may influence how we process pain.
In a study published in February 2019, researchers systematically searched the literature to better understand the effect of aerobic exercise on the number of migraine days, as well as migraine duration and pain intensity. They found 265 articles which they narrowed down to 6 randomized and controlled clinical trials that met their inclusion criteria. The 6 studies included people with migraine with or without aura who were randomly assigned to engage in aerobic exercise (or not) for 6+ weeks. Types of exercise included walking, jogging, and cycling. Study subjects kept diaries to record the number of migraine days, duration, and pain intensity.
After pooling the data, the researchers found a significant effect of aerobic exercise on the number of migraine days at 10-12 weeks, with a mean reduction of 0.6 ± 0.3 migraine days/month for those assigned to the exercise group. The authors did not pool data from these studies to assess the effect of aerobic exercise on duration or pain intensity – the units used in these studies were too variable.
The authors note that although…
The clinical relevance of this finding is low…higher training intensities might provide interesting results as the training intensity in the included studies was low.
They also recommend…
Further research to study the effects reported in this systematic review…(in order) to unravel the mechanisms of physical training on migraine.
Lemmens, J., De Pauw, J., Van Soom, T., Michiels, S., Versijpt, J., van Breda, E., … & De Hertogh, W. (2019). The effect of aerobic exercise on the number of migraine days, duration and pain intensity in migraine: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. The journal of headache and pain, 20(1), 16.
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