The Effect of 8-Week Aerobic Exercise on Migraine Headache indices and Blood Nitric Oxide Level in Women with Migraine

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of regular aerobic training for 8 weeks on migraine headache indices and levels of nitric oxide in women with migraine. In this study, 29 women with common (without aura) migraine in the age range of 25 to 50 years were randomly divided into control group (n = 14) and experimental (n = 15) were studied. The performed aerobic exercise further experimental drug treatments similar to the control group, 8-week aerobic exercise program included 3 sessions per week with pre-determined duration and intensity (Borg’s Rate of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE scale, 6-20)). Migraine status, including the headache indicators (frequency, severity and duration), was assessed through the use of daily diaries (with visual analog scale (VAS)) regarding migraine. Fasting blood samples were taken before and after the intervention for measuring blood nitric-oxide levels in subjects. Data were analyzed by Kolmogrov-Smirnov, the independent and paired T-test at significance level of α ≤0.05. performing aerobic exercise for 8 weeks caused significant increase in blood nitric oxide levels and significant decrease in migraine headache indices (frequency, intensity and duration of headache) in the exercise group (p<0.001). In the control group, no significant changes were observed for the mentioned variables. It appears that aerobic exercise as a complementary therapy in conjunction with other treatments in patients with migraine headaches and Reduce symptoms maintained.