Music could help ease pain from surgery or illness. Scientists are listening

"In the recovery unit of UC San Diego Health, Salaysay helps patients manage pain after surgery. Along with medications, he offers tunes on request and sometimes sings. His repertoire ranges from folk songs in English and Spanish to Minuet in G Major and movie favorites like Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Patients often smile or nod along. Salaysay even sees changes in their vital signs like lower heart rate and blood pressure, and some may request fewer painkillers."

"But the science of whether and how music dulls acute and chronic pain, technically called music-induced analgesia, is just catching up. No one suggests that a catchy song can fully eliminate serious pain. But several recent studies, including in the journals Pain and Scientific Reports, have suggested that listening to music can either reduce the perception of pain or enhance a person's ability to tolerate it. What seems to matter most is that patients or their families choose the music selections themselves and listen intently."

A nurse uses guitar and ukulele alongside medical instruments to help postoperative patients manage pain, offering requested tunes that often produce smiles and measurable vital sign improvements. Live performances and recorded music have become more common in hospitals and clinics over the past two decades. Emerging research on music-induced analgesia indicates that listening to preferred music can reduce pain perception or increase pain tolerance. Effective effects depend on patient-selected music and focused listening rather than background sound. Pain arises from both physical sensation and cognitive and emotional responses, so music can influence pain through attention, emotion, and perception.

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