Melody as medicine? Study finds music helps reduce pain

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Listening to music may speed up a patient's recovery from surgery, according to new research.

Tunes have a "powerful" effect in reducing perceived pain and lowering the heart rate immediately after going under the knife, say scientists.

Researchers found that music can have a calming influence - reducing anxiety levels and the need for painkillers, suggests the review of previous studies.

A reduction in cortisol levels when listening to music may play a role in easing patients’ recovery, say scientists.

Researchers from California Northstate University College of Medicine analyzed previous studies on music and its role in helping people recover from surgery, narrowing a list of 3,736 studies to 35 research papers.

All of the studies included data on patients' pain and anxiety levels, as well as measures of heart rate and opioid use.

The researchers found that the simple act of listening to music after surgery, whether with headphones or through a speaker, had "noticeable" effects on patients during their recovery period.

Patients who listened to music had a statistically "significant" reduction in pain the day after surgery.

Across all the analyzed studies, patients' self-reported anxiety levels were reduced by about 3%.

Patients who listened to music also used less than half of the amount of morphine compared to those who did not listen to music on the first day after surgery.

They also experienced a reduced heart rate, of around 4.5 fewer beats per minute, compared with patients who did not listen to music,

The research team said that was "significant" because keeping a patient’s heart rate within a healthy range helps improve recovery by allowing effective circulation of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, especially to areas that were operated on.

Study senior author Professor Eldo Frezza said: "When patients wake up after surgery, sometimes they feel really scared and don’t know where they are.

"Music can help ease the transition from the waking up stage to a return to normalcy and may help reduce stress around that transition."

The team noted that unlike some more active therapies - such as meditation or pilates which require considerable concentration or movement - listening to music is a more passive experience and can be incorporated by patients without much cost or effort almost immediately after surgery.

Study first author Shehzaib Raees said: “Although we can’t specifically say they’re in less pain, the studies revealed that patients perceive they are in less pain, and we think that is just as important.

“When listening to music, you can disassociate and relax. In that way, there’s not much you have to do or focus on, and you can calm yourself down.”

The research team noted that a reduction in cortisol levels when listening to music may play a role in easing patients’ recovery from surgery.

Prof Frezza advised patients recovering from surgery to listen to whatever music they enjoy, as long as they feel up to it.

He added: “We’re not trying to say that one type of music is better than another.

“We think music can help people in different ways after surgery because music can be comforting and make you feel like you’re in a familiar place.”

The findings are due to be presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in San Francisco, California.

The post Melody as medicine? Study finds music helps reduce pain appeared first on Talker .