Hi All,
Iāve seen a few comments on here about exercise causing increased symptoms, is this usually the case with MAV? I asked Dr. S about jogging at my appt and he said not toā¦but I miss exercise, granted itās much harder when so dizzy and some days completely impossible, but when I do have a better spell I was going for very gentle jogs, but have stopped since Dr. S said not toā¦
Any thoughts or advice much appreciatedā¦Iām sort of thinking that it canāt be bad???
Lizzie x
Hi Lizzie,
I know that Dr. S says to avoid undue exercise etc, but Iāve always found that when I exercise the MAV and my migrainous brain can be calmed for a period of time afterwards. Itās almost like a sedating and calming effect on the brain for me. I think if you can keep it aerobic as opposed to anaerobic (i.e. donāt overdue it, so that youāre pushing too hard and gasping for breath!) then you may find it helpsā¦? But, if you find that even gentle aerobic exercise is exacerbating your symptoms, then perhaps you should lay off it for a while as Dr. S saysā¦?
Tony.
Thanks Tony. I actually find a similar effect to what you describe, I feel more alive after exercise, as if the brain fog lifts a little!!! I am sometimes very dizzy immediately when i stop but it usually doesnāt last for more than a minute so I think Iām going to keep doing exercise when I can! It helps me sleep better too. x
its funny, I can run and cycle quite long distances, but as soon as i stop i feel the sensation of floor moving and disequilibrium immediatelyā¦ its amazing that I am able to do the real hard things but simply standing is a real struggleā¦ horrible beast this is
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its funny, I can run and cycle quite long distances, but as soon as i stop i feel the sensation of floor moving and disequilibrium immediatelyā¦ its amazing that I am able to do the real hard things but simply standing is a real struggleā¦ horrible beast this is
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Hi Richy,
I remember you saying this some time ago, and I posted an answer and link to this thread (below) in response. Not sure if you saw that back then but here it is again. Itās pretty amazing, really. A dog with vestibular issues had problems, walking in circles and falling over, and when taken outside for a run, it was able to hold a straight line and was much happier, as evidenced by its wagging tail. They discovered (as far as I understand) that the somatosensory system can override the (faulty or affected) vestibular system during running/exercise! :
Tony.
I started jogging 10 weeks ago. At first, I was really dizzy, but after a couple weeks it was alright. I donāt have any problems with balance I just have the rocking boat feeling. That also didnāt bother me after a few weeks. As a matter of fact, I had a migraine (headache) and decided to go jogging anyway and it took that pain away for a little while. I would say try jogging and see what happens. If you get too dizzy you can always stop. I would job near your house at the beginning though 
Thanks everyone. Wow Kathy thatās amazing that jogging even eased migraine pain. Iām going to keep jogging, Iām not very fit anymore so itās only for 15 minutes or so anyway!! When you say youāre not dizzy but you have the rocky boat feeling what do you mean? I really have trouble describing exactly how I feel but on good days I am just a little spaced out and the ground is bit bouncy but on bad days I feel jelly legged (like my legs will give way) and incredibly disorientated, like Iām walking about on a ferry and my vision is all over the place, i.e I canāt fix on anything! I had a little jog today and felt so so dizzy when I stopped but great after about 10 minutes, it makes u feel a bit more alive as the MAV has made me so so spaced out!!! xx
Ahh man, how do you all find the motivation to get up and do excercise when feeling so dizzy?? I just cannot find the motivationā¦ HELP Iām turning into a blubbery mess! Wibble wobble wibble wobble.
Ha ha, u defo donāt look like it in ur pic! I was already pretty wibbly wobbly before this all hit in July but much more so since then!!! Iām forcing myself to go on the days when I feel better as I know the bad times will be coming again!! xx
Missmossā¦ I donāt have much motivation either. I just picked 3 days per week that I go jogging and make myself do it when I get home from work. Itās getting dark early so I havenāt been in a week. I will definitley pick it up again in the Spring.
Liz. I was really dizzy after I jogged in the beginning but got better with time. Just like you the ground is bouncyā¦ hard to explain thatās for sure. That feeling bothered me when I first started jogging but not anymoreā¦ I also find after I stop jogging and started to feel dizzy I would just walk around til I felt better. If you just stop your heart is racing and you feel weirdā¦ walk it out to see if it helps
Vigorous exercise def makes my symptoms a lot worst so I choose to brisk walk daily at my own pace
What DOESNāT make us worse?
:roll:
Moving, not moving, exposure to light, closing our eyes, food, being hungryā¦
Actually, thatās the naughty pessimist in me coming out! Donāt listen to her. :twisted:
In general, āvigorousā exercise is a problem when any migraineur is symptomatic. But whenever we get to a period of feeling good, most neurologists encourage us to do some kind of exercise. Jogging might be OK once youāve been symptom-free for a good long stretch of time, but itās not really a very gentle form of exercise - itās going to jostle your brain in your skull. Walking or cycling or swimming would be kinder to your migraine brain, in my opinion.
I was having a lot of trouble working out on a previous medication (Papaverine). Overall, it was making me much worse. New medication is much better. I knew that I should be working out to help build resistance to migraines, so I would push myself. Now, I am finding it does help. More demanding workouts with less affect on balance. Building up over time starting with the treadmill seems to work well for me.
My main exercise is swimming, but iI often lose it when swimming. Today I wasnāt at my best, so instead of swimming I hit the weight machines. Thatās usually a lot safer for meāperhaps for the same reason, itās less of a cardiovascular workout.
Thnak you all, some really good insights and advice. xx
I think this depends on where u are on the symptom scale of MAV and how your treatment is going. My meds helped stabilise me and I started jog/walking in April. I have just run in my second 10k race. I do feel off balance when i stop and there are days where I wonāt run cos I know it could make me worse but generally it has been beneficial and has helped my symptoms, however before meds I could walk about 100m to a bench and then I would b exhausted cos my brain had to work so hard to keep me upright. I have found jogging has helped my symptoms much more than VRT.
Thanks Becky. Good on u for the 10ks!!! Thatās fab. I have been very very up and down. One day I was fine commuting 2 hours through central London and back and doing a lot of walking. Another day walking down the road is tough. I upped the nori to 35mg 5 weeks ago and the first 4 weeks were horrendous, I was much worse! But Iām glad I stuck it out as this past week Iāve been much better, I went running and shopping today,only an initial 5 minute wobble when I first got into a big department store, otherwise I was ok. Fingers crossed Iām stabilising!! Thanks 4 the advice. Xx
I was worse when I started amitriptyline and with every dose increase it took about a month to settle. Sou des like you are on the right track. I still have days where I can do lots and feel great but still have badish days when I canāt run but I am happy I have come so far. Definitely try and keep up with the jogging I am sure it has a direct effect on our migraine brain biochemistry but know when to stop and when not to run (for me particularly just after my period).