How music could ease pain

In a review of more than 70 clinical trials involving nearly 7,000 patients, researchers found music to be a powerful analgesic under almost all circumstances.

It’s a clinically meaningful effect, which reduced the amount of painkillers needed, eased anxiety and increased patient satisfaction, compared with controls, Meads said. Music has frequently been investigated in the context of recovery from operative procedures and numerous trials have demonstrated positive effects on patients’ post-operative recovery.

Patients who indulged in music before surgery have reported lower pain levels than those who choose not to, and required less pain medication, which often hold their own risk.

Patients in the studies chose a wide variety of music styles, although they mostly all had a soothing quality.

It’s also worth mentioning that those who listened to music before undergoing surgery experienced slightly less pain than those who listened to music during surgery or after surgery.

Meads and her colleagues pooled and analyzed the results of 72 different studies done over the past two decades to document the effects of music on patients undergoing a range of invasive procedures: from minor endoscopic diagnosis to major organ transplantation operations.

The researchers, based in London praised the strong effects of music and advices that is be played to anyone undergoing surgery so long it doesn’t disturb medical communication.

While some might say that music and drugs have always gone hand-in-hand, new medical research is showing that music may actually be a suitable substitute for drugs in recovering surgery patients.

He added: “Public perception of music in operating theatres is shaped by media portrayals of surgical teams always working to a background of smooth music”.

Martin Hirsch of the Queen Mary University and co-author of the review paper recalled that the positive outcomes music may bring during surgery were well known since Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern-day nursing.

New research suggests listening to your favourite music before, during and after surgery can reduce pain and anxiety – even if you’re under general anaesthetic and can’t hear a thing.

“As the studies themselves were small, they really didn’t find all that much”, Meads says. Researchers speculate that the part of the brain involved in hearing is still conscious even if under general anesthetic, leaving it open to the benefits of music.

“The benefits of listening to music accumulate with findings from other studies, such as those showing that music can reduce stress, strengthen immune systems and improve babies’ sleeping and eating habits”.