Exercise as a Trigger!

Also I have to add when I swim I donā€™t feel so good afterwardsā€¦

Has anyone else felt really DIZZY after working out.

I didnā€™t used to but now i do. eight weeks ago when all this super bad stuff started i was going to the gym and all of a sudden when i left the gym to drive home i couldnt hardly do it i was soooooo dizzy. so i use an elliptical and home and a ball and a few weights not exactly great butā€¦ wish i had a treadmill too.

I used to always feel better after exercising but now i feel horrible for a while then okay for a bit then back to feeling crappy again like i have been. stinks!!!

chris

Physical exertion, cleaning the house, walking too far, shopping etc. is a trigger for me, but I have been diagnosed with ME as well.

Odd thing was, when I used to walk the dogs at a rescue centre, I would collect the dog, nearly falling over with dizziness, after a short time of walking slowly, I would feel better, like it got the circulation going. But later, after I got home I would feel exhausted and head would start up.

Christine

What does ME stand for??

Myalgic encephalomyetis or sometimes referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Just a term to cover a group of symptoms they cant find the answer to I always reckoned, but theres some real interesting research going on at the moment.

Christine

Oh, I see, r u taking anything for it??

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9827601/My-lockdown-workouts-gave-blinding-headaches.html

An interesting article packed with info. In a study in the Journal of Headache and Pain 38% of migraine patients experienced exercise-induced migraine. Dr Ben Turner consultant neurologist from London Bridge Hospital comments headaches most likely have a combination of triggers and writes ā€œItā€™s all about homeostasis [the ability to regulate our internal mechanisms]ā€. ā€œNerves want to be in a perfect condition. Hormones, dehydration, hypoglycaemia, periods can make your nerves unstable, and make you more likely to get headachesā€.

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Very interesting. When Iā€™m on the verge of an attack, I can get on the treadmill and walk a bit and it will head the attack off.

Iā€™ve been odd all my life, why not now also?

Exercise and any kind of repetitive motion are my biggest triggers. I usually feel dizzy and foggy for about 2 hours afterward and then it subsides. I do notice the day AFTER a workout though, I feel better than usual.

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Both of my chronic episodes were preceded by a week of very strenuous exercise (cardio, planks, HIIT training, etc). I stupidly wasnā€™t taking rest days or eating enough calories to fuel my body. I guess Iā€™ll never know for sure if it was the exercise that triggered the migraine cycle for me. But Iā€™ve stayed away from excessive exertion since. Walking and occasional yoga donā€™t seem to upset my system.

I avoid treadmills like the plague. They have always upset my vestibular system. After stepping off one, I always feel like Iā€™m floating for at least 10 minutes (maybe transient mal debarquement?). Itā€™s similar to my daily VM dizziness, just less severe.

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Interesting article! When I had my major vestibular migraine attack in May I was unable to go to my strength gym for 2 1/2 weeks. When I came back, the physiotherapist told me to reduce all weights by 10% and then increase them very slowly. It took me 7 weeks to be back to my pre-attack weights.

The physiotherapistā€™s advice was not specific for vestibular migraine, but for anyone who has not done certain exercises for a while. Maybe exercise is a trigger when someone does too much at once and it would not be there if the exercise is increased very slowly?

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Thatā€™s much what the article is suggesting and certainly would seem the answer to the lady featured. Of course it isnā€™t specifically aimed at regular migraines and certainly not at vestibular migraine sufferers (very little ever is) but I know any exercise can be a trigger to symptomatic VM sufferers. In fact I think resumption of any unaccustomed activity can be. Proved that myself recently. Feeling fine I decided the only way to really get the quarry tiles in my utility clean was the scrubbing brush on the hands and knees approach. Did a brilliant job. Took about 20 minutes. Itā€™s only a small narrow room. The resultant migraine lasted five days.

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I just bought a treadmill and now I regret it. About 20 minutes into the workout I start to get dizzy. I have to slow down and then I have to completely stop. When I get off the treadmill, I am still dizzy and it lasts into the next day.
What a waste of money. Iā€™m okay walking outside though.

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Maybe that was too much @rosjane. If it was me, I would start with 5 minutes every second day for a week, then 10 minutes the next week, and so on. If you build up slowly, your body might get used to it.

I had a VM attack last Friday and had to stay at home for 3 days. On Monday I went to my strength gym (we are out of lockdown, so it was open again), but I was unable to train on the 12 machines I usually train on. I did nine of them and felt that this was the absolute maximum. It will probably take me one or two weeks to be back to all of them. Similarly, today I went for a walk. I normally walk between 50 and 60 minutes, but today I was only able to walk for 30 minutes. Again, I think it will take me one or two weeks to be back to my normal walking time.

I think our brains just need longer to do things other people can do without problems at all.

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And quite often they just cannot adapt to doing them at all. Probably because the brain is using all its resources just to keep us upright if we are lucky.

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Do you use elevators regularly?

My SO was very keen to buy me a tread mill when I was pretty much housebound but I refused the ā€˜kind offerā€™ because I knew Iā€™d never be able to cope with it. It is completely different from walking outside. Much more akin to being on a boat deck. When we walk normally either inside or out the floor doesnā€™t move beneath us. Or at least we hope it doesnā€™t. If the brain is relying on the feet for balance it needs them to be on a stable surface. They need to be able to ā€˜feelā€™ the ground. For that same reason I cannot even wear memory foam shoes.

Because of VM the brain no longer relies on the same ratio of input from its various sources as is usual relying far more (too much) on vision and proprioception (probably mostly feet) so using a tread mill will throw it into confusion. Itā€™s relying much on the feet being on terra firma and suddenly quite literally youā€™ve taken the feet from under you by walking on a constantly moving surface. You did extremely well to last 20 minutes. IMO only a symptomatic MAVer boasting the luxury of being habituated to the tread mill from pre-MAV would have done better. I imagine youā€™d need to habituate to the thread mill gradually over a period of time to stand any chance of success. Might be good idea to get a VRT bod to check you out first too. Might be able to obtain some exercises to change any dominance.

Your absolutely right. My brain is so confused when I am walking on the treadmill. The belt is turning and then there are bright red lights displaying the time and mileage. I canā€™t wait to get off the monster of a machine. Itā€™s not at all enjoyable. But I am going to give it some more time. I am going to cover up the display numbers and just look at my watch instead and start out with slowly ( 5 minutes and gradually increasing) and see how it goes. I think my brain prefers to walk on steady ground. Iā€™ll keep you informed.

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Yes, I should have started out slowly and built up. I was anxious to get going on my cardio workout. My brain just has a mind of its own and I canā€™t push it. Iā€™m sensitive to motion which I should have realized that the motion of the turning belt would be a problem. But Iā€™ll try starting out very slowly like you suggested and see if my brain adjusts to this.

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I dislike elevators. When my son was 4 years old we got stuck in an elevator and when they finally got the doors open they said I was as white as a ghost. Iā€™m a little bit claustrophobic. I have more problems! :blush: