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Music is far from being simple entertainment. The scientific community has understood this well and is increasingly interested in the benefits of the fourth art, particularly in terms of pain management. Listening to music after surgery could be a simple way to ease patients’ pain.
A research team from the University of California Northstate, led by Dr. Eldo Frezza, arrived at this finding after analyzing the findings of 35 studies examining the impact of music on pain, anxiety, heart rate and morphine consumption after surgery. Each of these studies involved, on average, around 100 people who had just undergone abdominal or bone surgery.
Half of the volunteers listened to songs from various musical genres after their operation. The duration of listening varied between studies, with some patients listening to music for half an hour and others throughout their hospitalization. The participants in the control group did not listen to music following their surgery.
The results speak for themselves: music appears to reduce the level of pain felt by patients by around 20% on average. Volunteers who listened to music during their hospital stay also needed half as much morphine as those who did not, according to the magazine New Scientist who shares the conclusions of this study.
Additionally, researchers also found that music significantly soothes patients after their surgery. It lowers their heart rate by 4.5 beats per minute and reduces their anxiety levels by 2.5 points on a scale of 20 to 80.
All these virtues are linked to the fact that the brain can secrete neurotransmitters such as serotonin or dopamine when listening to a pleasant song. Indeed, numerous studies have shown that music has multiple positive effects. Each of us can experience this on a daily basis, by listening to this or that song to distract our attention from the negative emotions we may be feeling.
The medical profession has understood this well and is increasingly using music to relieve patients during certain operations and therapeutic procedures, or even during childbirth. Surprisingly, “great music” – that is, classical music – is not necessarily the most effective. You have to listen a song that is dear to us to counteract the pain that may be felt after surgery.
Slide: The benefits of music on our brain