Exercise headaches

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Introduction Signs and symptoms Causes Risk factors

When to seek medical advice Screening and diagnosis Treatment Prevention

Introduction

Exercise headaches, as the name suggests, occur during or after sustained, strenuous exercise. The activities most commonly associated with these types of headaches are running, rowing, tennis, swimming and weightlifting.

Doctors divide exercise headaches into two categories. Secondary exercise headaches are caused by some underlying, and often serious, problem within the brain — such as bleeding or a tumor. Primary exercise headaches, on the other hand, are usually harmless because they aren't connected to any underlying problems.

One out of 100 people will have at least one exercise headache at some point in his or her life. More than half of all exercise headaches are the harmless variety. Thanks to improvements in imaging technology, however, a higher proportion of exercise headaches are being linked to underlying problems.

Primary exercise headaches can often be prevented with medication. Secondary exercise headaches can be quite serious and may require emergency medical attention.

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Signs and symptoms