Music May Help With Pain Management Post-Surgery Study Reveals

Recovering from surgery can be a slow and painful process, but music might just help with recovery according California Northstate University College of Medicine.

The college gathered a number of past research papers on the surgery recovery process, all of which included data on measurements like "pain, anxiety, heart rate, and opioid use" the American College of Surgeons shared.

Through the analysis of the data, researchers noticed that regardless of if a patient listened to music through a speaker or headphone, their perception of pain post surgey changed.

Patients who listened to music reported a 19% lower pain level, a 3% reduction of anxiety, "used less than half of the amount of morphine", and had 4.5 fewer heartbeats per minute.

This method is unlike other recovery options according to researchers, because it is another passive way to rejuvinate other than just rest. Shehzaib Raees, one author of the study, mentions that “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.” 

Senior professor Dr. Eldo Frezza, MD, MBA, FACS, adds that "We’re not trying to say that one type of music is better than another,” he said. “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.” 

Healthline.com mentions that listening to music has benefits for everyone, like leading to better learning, lower anxiety, better heart health, decrease fatigue, boost exercise performance, and more.

The takeaway? Music may have a number of health benefits, and it might be worth a try next time you're feeling down or regaining strength after injury.

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