The effects of exercise and exercise-related changes in blood nitric oxide level on migraine headache

Objective: To observe the effects of moderate aerobic exercise on migraine headache, to assess exercise-related changes in blood nitric oxide (NO) levels, and to examine the impact of such changes on migraine attacks.Design: Controlled clinical trial.Setting: School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation.Subjects: Forty women with general migraine attending the Neurology Department of the Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Dokuz Eylul University.Intervention: Patients were assigned alternately into two groups: exercise group undertaking 1 hour aerobic exercise three times weekly, and a control group.Main outcome measures: Patients were assessed before and after treatment using three clinical scales – visual analogue scale for headache, Pain Disability Index and Quality of Life Scale – and chemiluminescence analysis for plasma nitric oxide.Results: After the eight-week therapy period, patient complaints concerning the intensity, frequency and duration of pain had decreased significantly in both groups; however...