Listening to music before, during or after surgery can reduce anxiety and pain, as well as the need for pain medication.
Listening to music softens mores … and alleviates the pain felt after surgery, reveals a study published this Thursday in the journal The Lancet.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers studied 73 randomized controlled clinical trials involving more than 7,000 participants. Some of these studies have compared the effects of music to the use of pain relievers, while others have compared music to relaxation techniques or massage. All of this work was done with adults.
Even under general anesthesia
It emerges from this analysis that music calms pain and reduces the use of painkillers. It also appears that patients’ anxiety after the operation decreases and their satisfaction increases.
Based on their observations, the researchers indicate that listening to music at any time – even under general anesthesia – is effective; it seems, however, that listening to your favorite song before the operation is more beneficial than during or after the operation.
In addition, last January, a study revealed the same benefits in children. The authors then explained that music is an effective method for reducing postoperative pain in children and avoiding the side effects of analgesics.
Music for everyone
“There is now enough evidence to show that music should be available to all patients undergoing surgery. They should be able to choose the type of music they want to hear. The listening moment can of course be adapted according to the care and the medical teams ”, explains Jenny Hole, co-author of the study and medical intern at Queen Mary University in London (United Kingdom).
Despite everything, the team continues its research thanks to a pilot test carried out at the Royal London Hospital. This will allow us to examine the impact of music on women having caesarean section and those undergoing a hysteroscopic examination (introduction of a mini camera into the uterus). Patients will choose their own reading list and can listen to it through speakers integrated into a pillow. A test in real conditions which will make it possible to say if this practice can be adopted in the clinic.
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