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Exercise headaches can happen during or right after a long, arduous workout. Running, rowing, tennis, swimming, and weightlifting are a few sports that can cause headaches after exercising.
Exercise-related headaches are divided into two groups by medical professionals. Primary exercise headaches are typically not harmful, unrelated to any underlying conditions, and frequently treatable with medicine.
Secondary exercise headaches are brought on by an underlying, frequently serious issue in the brain, such hemorrhage or a tumor, or an external issue, like coronary artery disease. Secondary exercise headaches may need immediate medical treatment.
Symptoms
Primary exercise headaches
These type of headaches:
- Often characterized as throbbing
- Manifest following or during vigorous physical activity
- In the majority of instances, impact both sides of the head.
Secondary exercise headaches
These type of headaches manifest:
- Have the same symptoms as primary exercise headaches
- Fainting
- Vomiting
- Double vision
- Stiffed neck
Primary exercise headaches can last anywhere from five minutes to 48 hours, while secondary exercise headaches often stay at least a day and occasionally even longer.
Consult your doctor if you have a headache while exercising or just after. If the headache starts suddenly or if it’s your first headache of this kind, call your healthcare professional straight immediately.
Causes
Primary exercise headaches
The exact origin of primary exercise headaches remains uncertain. One theory suggests that intense physical activity leads to the widening of blood vessels within the skull.
Secondary exercise headaches
Secondary exercise headaches are brought on by an underlying condition like:
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage, bleeding between the brain and the delicate membranes covering the brain.
- A blood vessel within or going to the brain that is abnormal
- Brain tumors
- Impediment to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid
- Infection of the sinus
- Abnormalities in the head, neck, or spine’s structural integrity
Risk factors
Exercise headaches may be more likely to occur if you exercise on high altitude, scorching weather, or if you have a family member or personal history of migraine.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will probably suggest an imaging test, particularly if:
- Your age is more than 40 years old.
- Your headaches last for several hours or longer.
- You also exhibit additional symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, or eyesight issues.
- Your headaches come on hard and fast, like a thunderclap.
In these circumstances, various imaging studies can assist your healthcare professional in confirming that you have the benign variety of exercise headache as opposed to the sort brought on by a structural or vascular irregularity.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This examination produces cross-sectional pictures of the brain’s structural components using a magnetic field and radio waves.
- Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and Computerized Tomography (CT) angiography. These examinations provide visual representations of the blood vessels that extend to and are located within the brain.
- Computed Tomography (CT) scan. An image of the brain’s cross-section is produced by a CT scan using X-rays. If your headache started less than 48 hours ago, this test may reveal recent or fresh bleeding into or around the brain.
Occasionally, a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) is also required, particularly if the headache developed suddenly and lately and brain imaging is unremarkable.
Treatment
Your doctor may suggest taking certain medications on a regular basis to assist prevent headaches if there are no underlying structural or vascular issues causing your exercise headaches.
- Indomethacin, a medication to treat inflammation.
- Propranolol, a medication to control blood pressure.
There have been reports of other treatments, such as naproxen, phenelzine, and dihydroergotamine mesylate, being successful in certain patients.
You might be able to take a drug an hour or two prior to a planned activity, such as a tennis match or a walk at a high altitude, if your exercise headaches are predictable. You might need to take the preventive medication daily if your post-exercise headaches are frequent or unexpected.
