December 14, 2023
Author: Rashi Agarwal
Editor: Dr. Jitendra Kumar Sinha
Pain is a pervasive sensation experienced by 20% of the U.S. population every day, poses a major challenge, with prolonged or acute symptoms leading to negative health outcomes, increased health care utilization, and increased disability rates. Biologically, pain results from the activation of peripheral nociceptors and is modulated by a variety of inputs. Additionally, it is influenced by psychosocial factors such as anxiety, depression, and breakups. Effective pain management becomes increasingly complex as we navigate this complex landscape.
Whereas MUSIC is a universal form of artistic and cultural expression that uses melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre to evoke an emotional response. With so many different styles around the world, music has the potential to play a role in the complexities of pain management.
Pain itself is a subtle experience, woven with both sensory and emotional threads, indicating potential damage to the body. This acts as a protective mechanism and initiates measures to prevent or eliminate the cause of damage.
Stress, on the other hand, occurs as a physiological and psychological response to a perceived threat or challenge and throws the body out of balance in a variety of situations, including work pressure, relationship problems, and major life changes.
Anxiety, a natural stress response, becomes a problem when it becomes excessive and persistent, impairing daily functioning and progressing to anxiety disorders. As part of the human experience, fear usually helps us overcome difficulties, but an imbalance in its strength can lead to stress.
Hypoalgesia is an interesting phenomenon that describes a decreased sensitivity to pain, or decreased response to painful stimuli. People with hypoalgesia have a higher pain threshold, which may be related to neurological, psychological, or pharmacological effects. This is in contrast to hyperalgesia, which is an increased sensitivity to pain.
The complexity of hypoalgesia involves the interruption or reduction of nociceptive stimulation to consciousness. Hypoalgesia can range from mild cases like massaging a stubby toe to more severe effects caused by substances such as opioids. Understanding hypoalgesia, whether influenced by fear, exercise, or exogenous chemicals, sheds light on the interesting interplay between our cognition, emotion, and the complex world of pain management.
In the field of therapeutic intervention, music is emerging as a powerful non-pharmacological force that combines melody and rhythm to create a healing symphony for mind, body, and spirit. Music therapy is associated with reducing depression, improving mood, and reducing anxiety and is an effective tool. Its positive effects extend to social and behavioral outcomes and have shown promise. Results can treat conditions such as autism in children and support recovery in adults after stroke. The therapeutic power of music has significantly improved an individual’s cognitive function, alertness, and overall quality of life.
In a recent study, researchers showed that people’s favorite music significantly reduced pain compared to relaxing music. Nearly 63 healthy people used a thermal contact probe to induce a painful thermal stimulus on the inside of the forearm in this research. Participants were given the freedom to choose their two favorite songs of all time, each lasting at least 3 minutes and 20 seconds and the music was chosen by asking them a question about, which tracts they would bring to a deserted island. Additionally, researchers used externally provided relaxation music and combined musical excerpts with thermal stimulation.
The experimental setup consisted of 7-minute blocks representing different conditions, including favorite music, relaxing music, scrambled versions, and silence. Each block contains eight 50-second music and stimulation cycles with different combinations of music, silence, or scrambled melodies, followed by thermal stimulation. Participants rated the discomfort and intensity of pain, reported chills, tingling, or thrills, and shared insights about music’s emotional arousal and comfort.
Thematic content analysis examined whether specific themes moderated the influence of favorite music on pain ratings.
The findings revealed that the incorporation of relaxing music did not yield a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity; however, it exhibited a noteworthy impact on discomfort, approaching significance. In contrast, the use of favorite music demonstrated a significant reduction in pain levels when compared to the effects observed with relaxing music. There was no significant difference between distorted music and silence. The occurrence of chills affected pain discomfort and intensity, but the pleasantness of the music did not significantly affect pain intensity. Emotional arousal ratings showed no significant effect on pain.
In other studies, using Virtual Reality (VR) and Music Therapy (MT) have shown that the combination of VR and MT is an innovative approach to pain management. This complex intervention activates a variety of cognitive and sensory processes by leveraging mechanisms such as distraction, attentional demands, mood regulation, and engagement. Future research will unravel the complex relationships between these processes and clarify their respective contributions to treatment outcomes.
In summary, this study not only highlights the therapeutic potential of favorite music but also opens the door to innovative integration of virtual reality and music therapy to improve hypoalgesic effects in pain management. Symphony of Insights contributes to understanding the subtle interplay between music, emotion, and healing mechanisms.
References:
- Chu, H., Yang, C. Y., Lin, Y., Ou, K. L., Lee, T. Y., O’Brien, A. P., & Chou, K. R. (2014). The impact of group music therapy on depression and cognition in elderly persons with dementia: a randomized controlled study. Biological research for nursing, 16(2), 209–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/1099800413485410
- Ambron, E., Miller, A., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Buxbaum, L. J., & Coslett, H. B. (2018). Immersive low-cost virtual reality treatment for phantom limb pain: evidence from two cases. *Frontiers in Neurology, 9,* 67. doi: [10.3389/fneur.2018.00067. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2018.00067/full
- Conrad, C. (2010). Music for healing: from magic to medicine. *The Lancet, 376*(9757), 1980–1981. doi: [10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62251-9]. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62251-9
- Garza-Villarreal, E. A., Pando, V., Vuust, P., & Parsons, C. (2017). Music-induced analgesia in chronic pain conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. *Pain Physician, 20,* 597–610. doi: [10.36076/ppj/2017.7.597]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29149142/
- Kühlmann, A. Y. R., de Rooij, A., Kroese, L. F., van Dijk, M., Hunink, M. G. M., & Jeekel, J. (2018). Meta-analysis evaluating music interventions for anxiety and pain in surgery. *BJS (British Journal of Surgery), 105*(7), 773–783. doi: [10.1002/bjs.10853]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29745043/
- Valevicius, D., Lépine Lopez, A., Diushekeeva, A., Lee, A. C., & Roy, M. (2023). Emotional responses to favorite and relaxing music predict music-induced hypoalgesia. *Frontiers in Pain Research.* doi: [10.3389/fpain.2023.1210572]. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpain.2023.1210572/full
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