Strenuous Exercise

Bob Pahlow says:
"About 20 years ago, I had a cluster starting while I was at work. I had ridden a bike to work and I decided to head for home. I jumped on the bike and after riding about 4 blocks, the headache was gone.

When I first came to CH.com and signed into the guest book, the entry before mine was from a 60 year old guy who said he ran up the hill behind his house whenever he felt one starting. By the time he got to the top, the headache was gone.

This, along with my bike experience made me try strenuous exercise at the onset of a headache as an abortive. I figured something that worked the legs would be best as this would draw blood flow away from the head. I decided to try squats or deep knee bends as some people call them.

I awoke that night 1 1/2 hours after going to sleep with a headache starting. I took a tab of Cafergot and went downstairs. I immediately began doing squats. I did them till my legs burned and I was really huffing and puffing (for me that only takes 1 to 2 minutes). I then sat down, put an ice bag on the back of my neck and concentrated on deep breathing. In about 7 minutes the headache was gone.

The next night I did the same thing except I didn't take the Cafergot. Headache still gone in 5-10 minutes.

I aborted 60+ headaches in a row using this technique. I've shared it with others who have had success using it. I have also seem it mentioned in CH articles."

Last modified: 2001