Researchers at the California Northstate University School of Medicine in Elk Grove, in the United States, have concluded, after a review of already published research, that listening to music can speed up recovery from surgery.
The research, presented at the 2024 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress in San Francisco, analyzed existing studies on music and its role in people’s recovery after surgery, and narrowed a list of 3,736 studies to 35 research articles.
All studies included data on patient outcomes such as pain and anxiety, as well as measures of heart rate and opioid use. In their analysis, the researchers found that the simple act of listening to music after surgery, either with headphones or through a speaker, had notable effects on patients during their recovery period.
Significant pain reduction
First, the lowest pain levels were achieved. Thus, patients who listened to music had a statistically significant reduction in pain the day after surgery. Pain was measured using two validated measures that asked patients to self-report their pain levels: the Numerical Rating Scale (reduction of about 19%) and the Visual Analog Scale (reduction of about 7%).
They also observed reduced anxiety levels. Thus, in all the studies analyzed, self-reported anxiety levels were reduced by approximately 2.5 points, or 3%, as assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a survey answered by patients who It evaluates anxiety on a scale of 80. All of this led to less use of opioids. Patients who listened to music used less than half the amount of morphine compared to those who did not listen to music on the first day after surgery (an average of 0.758 mg compared to 1.654 mg for those who did not listen to music).
Lower heart rate data
Finally, lower heart rate data were identified: patients who listened to music experienced a reduced heart rate (about 4.5 fewer beats per minute) compared to patients who did not listen to music, which the authors noted, It is significant because keeping the patient’s heart rate within a healthy range helps improve recovery by allowing effective circulation of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, especially in the operated areas. Additionally, tachycardia, or a heart rate above 100, can lead to abnormal heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation, which can be life-threatening.
«When patients wake up after surgery, they sometimes feel very scared and don’t know where they are. “Music can help ease the transition from the stage of awakening to returning to normal and can help reduce stress around that transition,” says Eldo Frezza, lead author of the study and professor of surgery at the Faculty of Medicine. from Northstate University of California.
Less concentration than meditation or Pilates
Frezza and his co-authors noted that, unlike some more active therapies, such as meditation or Pilates, which require considerable concentration or movement, listening to music is a more passive experience and patients can incorporate it without much cost or effort almost immediately after the session. surgery. “Although we can’t specifically say that they feel less pain, studies have shown that patients perceive that they feel less pain, and we believe that is equally important.
By listening to music, you can dissociate and relax. That way, there’s not much to do or focus on, and you can calm down,” says Shehzaib Raees, first author of the study and a third-year medical student at Northstate University School of Medicine in California.
The study authors noted that a reduction in cortisol levels when listening to music may play a role in facilitating patients’ recovery after surgery. Some variables, such as the time patients listened to music, could not be controlled for in the analysis. Future research will look at a pilot program to evaluate the use of music in the surgical setting as well as the intensive care unit.
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