Music therapy reduces pain after spine surgery

Editor's Note

In this study, music therapy was found to decrease pain in patients recovering from spine surgery, compared to a control group who received standard care.

Visual analog scale (VAS) pain levels before and after music therapy decreased by more than one point, from 6.20 to 5.09, while VAS pain levels rose from 5.20 to 5.87 in the control group within the same time period.

The degree of change in the music therapy group is notable because it was achieved by nonpharmacologic means with little chance of adverse effects, the authors say.

The treatment of pain continues to gain in saliency as a component of defining best practice in medical care. Music therapy is an integrative treatment modality that impacts patient outcomes in the treatment of spinal...