Several previous studies have already examined the therapeutic effect of listening to music. Researchers have found that combining music with 1 in 4 analgesics creates a promising therapy.
What conclusions were obtained in the studies?
A recent study by the University of Utah found that a combination of music and analgesics is useful in treating pain. The results of the study were published in the English-language journal, The Frontiers of Neurology.
The combination of ibuprofen and music improved pain relief results in a mouse model with inflammatory pain by more than 90%. Other combination drugs reduced inflammation by 70%.
Medications work without music, but can cause overdose and side effects.
The authors of the study report that reducing the need for analgesics is the key to combining the right medicine with music.
The experiment was held on mice.
Researchers evaluated the new strategy using two pain models. One model mimics inflammatory pain, and another mimics surgical pain. The mice in the study were divided into two groups. The control group was influenced by ambient sounds. A musical intervention group listened to three three-hour sections of Mozart's music for 21 days.
The study was performed 4 times to analyze the combination of music with ibuprofen, cannabidiol, levetiracetam and the galanin analog NAX 5055. Both the control group and the music group received a suboptimal dose of each drug to evaluate the analgesic effect.
In combination with music, ibuprofen reduced pain responses in the inflammatory pain model by 93% compared with a single drug. In addition, music and cannabidiol or NAX 5055 reduced edema in the inflammatory pain model by 21 and 9%, respectively.
Music alone also reduced pain in the surgical pain model by 77%.
Further research needed
There is increasing evidence that musical interventions alleviate pain when used alone or in combination with other treatments. According to the authors of the study, it is interesting to think that music has an anti-inflammatory effect.
The study also examined the combination of music with various drugs for the treatment of epilepsy. The study was limited to two models of pain and did not study pain caused by nerve damage.
Musical interference in the study was limited to Mozart. Mice also hear frequencies other than humans, and the effect of the volume or duration of the music remains unclear. Whether such results can be applied to people should be determined by further research.
Does music relieve pain in the postoperative period?
Based on 73 previous studies with sample sizes ranging from 20 to 458 participants, scientists studied the effects of music after a surgical procedure. British researchers also examined the effects of postoperative music treatment on health.
In the studies in question, experimental groups listened to music through headphones. The rest of the treatment of the experimental and control groups did not differ. Music, according to studies, has a positive effect on the area of the brain responsible for pain.
An analysis of the researchers' data showed that music can reduce pain and anxiety after surgery.
The use of painkillers in patients listening to music was lower. What music was chosen here did not have a significant impact. The therapeutic effect can be detected even in patients who were still under general anesthesia during sound.
The duration of treatment is not reduced due to music. Although patients benefited greatly from the therapeutic effect of music, the length of hospital stay remained the same.
Faster recovery cannot be achieved with music. However, the use of music can significantly improve the well-being of patients during the recovery phase.
