Definition- What are headaches after exercise?
Headaches that occur after extensive physical activity can be very stressful for those affected and lead to a significant reduction in sporting activities. The pain is often pulsating and can last from five minutes to 48 hours. Risk factors for the development of these headaches are, above all, a very strong physical strain, high outside temperatures and high altitudes.
This type of headache usually begins in young adulthood and can vary considerably in duration. Thus, the duration of the illness is given from a few days to several years. In most cases, spontaneous remissions occur in the course of the disease, i.e. it subsides without a recognizable trigger. Many patients suffer from headaches caused by physical exertion as well as other forms of headache, such as migraine.
Causes
Basically headaches are divided into two different classes. Primary headaches are by definition associated with no clearly identifiable cause. If, however, a clear cause for the headache can be found, it is called secondary headache.
The first step in the diagnosis of these headaches is therefore to clarify possible underlying causes, as these can sometimes be very severe. For example, cerebral haemorrhages, so-called subarachnoid haemorrhages, masses of space or malformations of the brain stem can lead to secondary headaches that are clinically very similar. If none of these causes are present, the headache is classified as primary.
It is not yet clear how headache develops after physical activity. However, it is suspected that a short-term increase in intracranial pressure, during activity, may contribute to the development of the pain. However, proof of this theory is still pending.
It is known that headaches after physical activity are much more frequent when the outside temperature is high. Since the exact cause of the headache development is not known, this connection is also not completely clear. However, it is known that heat, especially prolonged direct sunlight, can cause irritation of the meninges and thus contribute to the development of headache. Patients suffering from this rare form of headache are therefore advised not to perform sports activities in direct sunlight and to avoid sports at high temperatures.
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