Austrian researchers reporting in the July, 2008 edition of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, in a study of a limited number of participants, found that when 15 migraine sufferers added an exercise-and-relaxation routine in addition to their usual care, they reported an improvement in the intensity of their migraine pains.
Dr. Martin Kopp and colleagues at Innsbrook Medical University divided 30 female migraine patients into two groups, one continuing with their usual treatment, and other half adding twice-weekly exercises including 45 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation. After six weeks, participants in the exercise group reported a greater improvement in migraine pain intensity than those in the comparison group.
This reinforces other similar research, including a study that concluded that while it seemed unlikely that exercise prevented migraine attacks, it may result in easing their intensity.
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