Music aids recovery postsurgery

Music aids recovery postsurgery


Antibiotics, bland food and TLC are all part of a solid postsurgery recovery plan. Add music to that list, according to one study published in the journal The Lancet.

The study found that when patients listened to tunes before, during or after surgery, they significantly lowered their anxiety and pain, cut their need for pain medicine and amplified their satisfaction with their care. Those who listened to music before enjoyed slightly better results than those who tuned in after surgery. Another finding was that patients who chose their own music experienced slightly bigger declines in pain and the need for painkillers.

Patients don’t even have to be conscious to reap the benefits of good vibrations. Even listening to melodies while under anesthesia decreased postsurgery pain, but not as much as when they were awake during surgery.

It’s not the first study to prove that good tunes are good for the soul. Past research has shown that music can help Alzheimer’s patients become less agitated, spark memories, engage the mind and even improve eating habits. Performing music yields even more dramatic benefits. For example, kids who take music classes showed larger improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading. Another study found that the brains of epilepsy patients react differently to music than in people who don’t have epilepsy. That study also showed that music could be used as an intervention tool in the case of an epileptic seizure.

So the next time you’re scheduled for surgery, make sure to bring along your favorite music. It doesn’t matter what kind — it could be opera, rap or country music — just as long as your enjoy it. Rock on and recover better.

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