Current study resumes: running helps against headaches and migraines

Feb. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Many people suffer from headaches in everyday life or are regularly put out of action due to heavy migraine attacks. A recent study by the University Hospital Kiel, supported by the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG), now revealed that walking and jogging reduce days of migraine and headaches significantly. Sports and regular exercise do have a positive effect on strength, duration and frequency of individual episodes of pain.

A cure for bad migraines or permanent headaches has not been found. But patients can proactively do something against their suffering. A recent study shows that regular exercises affect the phases of pain in a positive way. "Especially sports in the aerobic heart rate zone to improve endurance, like an efficient running training, are highly qualified for this", Dr. Stephanie Darbaneau, member of the research team, sums up.

Study design targeted at the examination of an impact of walking and jogging on the human medical condition. Walking was chosen as a moderate movement, because although it is an activity, it’s not an improved performance in terms of a fitness level increase. In preliminary studies, the increase of the fitness level turned out to be significant for curing a migraine. 28 of the total of 52 test persons kept up the established training plan through the entire period of 10 weeks. In the end, the days of migraine decreased by 17.2 percent and the hours of headaches decreased by 21.8 percent in the group of running people. The group of walking people experienced an average of 1.3 less pain attacks per month. During the study, the researchers also observed the development of migraine symptoms eight weeks before and after the exercises of patients, who had suffered from migraine for 20 years. Both the jogging and walking group showed that sports positively milden the migraine disease.

In particular walking seems to positively effect on the number of migraine attacks. As the test persons increased their own fitness level while being monitored, future studies have to examine if an increase of the individual performance is a necessary. According to Professor Andreas Straube (DMKG) "Out of all the non-pharmacological procedures, sport is the one that patients will continue practising even after one year”.

Unfortunately there are just a few studies, which confirm the expected positive effect of sport yet. Endurance sports are supposed to accelerate the decomposition of stress hormones, reduce the stress hormone level of patients and thereby influence the individual pain threshold. A medical point of view to be discussed.


Other interesting topics around the world of running and health are released on www.myjogstyle.de every week.

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