Migraine is a draining
condition for its sufferers. It is expensive in terms of
pain, money, and pharmacological use necessity. Drugs remain
the “gold standard” of care. Patients often ask their
migraine healthcare providers for non-drug alternatives.
La Grande migraine sufferers want alternative ideas!
Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC proposes that exercise may be one
such beneficial option.
EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC PAIN
Migraine is, for most La Grande migraine sufferers,
a chronic pain condition. It is not typically a one and done condition. Chronic pain disturbs
the nervous system as well as the specific pain-generator. Researchers described evidence that exercise helps a
variety of chronic pain conditions including migraine directly and indirectly
with an aim to change the cycle of pain,
sedentariness, and degenerating disability. These
changes do not come overnight. They come with
long-term, regular, individualized exercise bringing about improvement in pain and function. (1) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC reminds
our La Grande chiropractic patients with all sorts of
conditions that it is slow and steady commitment that gets the result.
EXERCISE FOR MIGRAINE BEING STUDIED
Researchers and migraine sufferers alike hold out hope for an easy, inexpensive approach to migraine care. Case in point, a new comparison study of
neck-specific exercise set against sham ultrasound to decrease
the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks. (2) A new meta-analysis
in Headache stated that aerobic exercise for migraine patients
decreased the number of migraine days. (3) These are beneficial
outcomes for La Grande migraine treatment.
EXERCISE BENEFITS: Overall and Migraine Specific
La Grande chiropractic patients are often
encouraged to exercise. Exercise seems like a endorsed
panacea for everything from back pain to migraine to depression to neck pain
and so much more. Why? It works. Exercise stifles inflammation
via reduction of inflammatory modulators (many cytokines) and stress hormones
(growth hormone and cortisol). Exercise constructively impacts
the microvascular system that possibly influences
a certain type of cortical spreading depression. Specific
to migraine, exercise benefited migraine self-efficacy by permitting
the migraine sufferer to have a sense of control which lessened
migraine burden. How much exercise does this?
“Sufficiently rigorous aerobic exercise” resulted in statistically
significant decrease in migraine frequency, intensity and
duration. That’s appreciated by La Grande
migraine sufferers! Of course, higher intensity exercise seems
to allow more benefit. Pharmacological drugs like topiramate were
reported to be better than exercise, but adding exercise to its use was implied as being beneficial. Migraine sufferers
who also have neck pain or tension headache are reported to benefit from exercise. Low impact is worthwhile
if high impact exercise is not possible. (4) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC agrees
with the researchers’ bottom-line: exercise is a practical
evidence-based recommendation for migraine prevention.
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. David Kulla on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he presents
how he followed The
Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with
migraine which incorporated Cox® Technic spinal manipulation
as well as exercise for welcomed relief by his patient.