Music as Post-Surgery Pain Relief

Post-anaesthesia, individuals often grapple with feelings of disorientation, anxiety, or surgical discomfort,” remarks Eldo Frezza at California Northstate University College of Medicine. This observation led Frezza and his team to explore the potential benefits of music therapy in the postoperative period.

Various studies have consistently demonstrated the calming effects of music, prompting Frezza and colleagues to investigate its impact on pain, anxiety, heart rate, and analgesic consumption immediately following surgery.

The analysis encompassed 35 studies involving approximately 100 participants each, focusing on different music genres post-abdominal or bone-related surgeries. Duration of music exposure ranged from half an hour to discharge time.

Comparing outcomes with a control group, the results, presented at the American College of Surgeons congress in San Francisco, California, revealed a noteworthy 20% reduction in reported pain levels among music listeners. Additionally, these individuals required only half the morphine dosage of non-listeners during hospitalization.

The team also noted reduced anxiety levels, evidenced by a 4.5 bpm drop in heart rate and a 2.5 point decline in self-reported anxiety scores on a 20 to 80 scale.

According to Annie Heiderscheit at Anglia Ruskin University, music’s positive impact on mood is attributed to the elevation of serotonin levels, a signaling molecule that induces feelings of well-being. Heiderscheit suggests that integrating music therapy into post-surgical care could offer a simple and cost-effective approach to aid patient recovery.

For robust conclusions, Frezza advocates large-scale randomized trials involving individuals undergoing similar surgeries, differentiating the impact of music intervention from various parameters. This strategy, he believes, would provide more conclusive evidence compared to amalgamating findings from small-scale studies.