Recent studies indicate that aerobic activities might reduce severity and/or frequency
of migraine attacks. The present study was intended to investigate whether physical
activities and fitness (aerobic endurance, flexibility, and muscle strength endurance)
as well as body composition are different in patients with headache disorders and
healthy control subjects. The study included 56 patients (aged 17 - 64 year's) with
headache disorders (migraine, tension-type, cluster, analgetics abuse, and other types
of headache) and 145 age-matched volunteers without history of recurrent or chronic
headache. A standardized questionnaire revealed similar self-esteem of physical activities
in both groups. Objective physical fitness testing in a representative sample of 22
patients and 36 (control subjects showed significantly reduced aerobic endurance in
female and male patients as well as reduced flexibility in female patients as compared
to control subjects, whereas muscle strength endurance was not significantly different
between both groups. Female patients presented with a significantly higher total body
fat as compared to control subjects. In conclusion, headache patients turned out to
be less physically fit than control subjects. There was a discrepancy between self-esteem
and objective test results regarding physical activity and fitness in patients with
headache disorders.
Keywords
Headache - migraine - tension-type headache - sports - physical fitness - physical
activity
