For many patients with health conditions, exercise seems to be the furthest thing from their mind. For migraine sufferers, exercise itself can initiate a headache episode. And if you already have a headache, just the idea of going for a three-mile run will likely increase your pain, not lessen it.
But exercise is an integral component to overall health and that includes people who suffer from headaches too.
The key is to exercise when you are headache-free, to manage your exercises so that your spine is not excessively stressed, and make sure you have good flexibility of your spine before you begin loading it with exercises.
This is where chiropractic enters the picture. Your spinal flexibility is integral to maintaining good posture and assuring nerve impulses transmit freely from your brain to distant areas of the body. If you have a spinal problem, this may interrupt the free transmission of nerve impulses and make you susceptible to headache.
You may want to consider getting adjusted before strenuous exercise to make sure you have good spinal flexibility. After performing a strenuous activity, it may also be a good time to have your spine checked. Little by little, your spinal muscles will regain strength and you may find your headaches become a less dominate part of your life.
Other points to consider are getting adequate rest/sleep and to avoid overtraining because sleep deprivation can provoke a headache. You will also need to pay attention to water intake. Being dehydrated may also be a trigger for people with headaches. The bottom line is this: if you get the spinal care you need, if you watch strenuous movements that strain the spine, and if you get adequate rest and sleep, then you can begin exercising again despite your chronic headaches. Many patients with headaches say that stress is a trigger for their pain. Regular exercise can be a great way to deal with the stresses of life. Exercise is also key to your maintaining a healthy weight.