The effects of physical exercise on inflammation-induced maladaptive neuroplasticity in post-traumatic headache

Abstract

Post-traumatic headache (PTH) lack effective treatment due to the wide variety of possible brain damage that can occur, as well as the neural mechanisms of pain. However, immunity and maladaptive plasticity are involved in many hyperalgesia states, including secondary headaches. While analgesic drugs can act on specific molecular pathways, headaches involve a complex system of pain. Physical exercise can be a potent nonpharmacological modulator of the immune system and is known to play an important role in neural plasticity. However, further studies are needed to better understand the beneficial effects of physical exercise on secondary headaches and how physical exercise, the immune system, and plasticity interact with PTH. Here, we examine how immune system–induced neuroplasticity contributes to headache pathophysiology and how physical exercise might reverse these maladaptive changes.