With melodies to alleviate a fierce backache

Playwright William Congreve noted in the Restoration era that music “has charms to soothe a savage breast.” Interestingly, this also applies to back pain in modern patients.

Back pain is a prevalent issue throughout the country, with origins that are often intricate and challenging to address using standard treatments. Each year, millions endure such severe episodes that they find themselves in emergency departments.

A recent Harvard research discovered that individuals who listened to music while in the emergency room for back discomfort experienced reduced anxiety, which subsequently lessened their pain.

“There are numerous factors contributing to back pain. It could be related to nerves, spinal cord complications, or nerve compression—all of which lack swift remedies,” stated Charlotte Goldfine, the principal author and instructor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Frequently, we resort to temporary solutions like anti-inflammatory medications or pain relievers, and in critical situations, opioid drugs.”

The study mentions that there are over 2.6 million emergency department visits for pain throughout the U.S. each year, accounting for 4.4 percent of all global emergency department visits. Following the positive outcomes of music therapy in other medical fields, Goldfine asserted that the team believed the intervention could also benefit emergency back-pain patients.

“Music has been utilized in various environments and examined in pre- and peri-operative settings, as well as in pain management,” she noted. “We were carefully considering how we could adapt findings from previous studies on patients undergoing procedures or those experiencing greater pain. What we discovered is that it can also be a readily implementable solution.”

Scott Weiner, co-author of the study, emphasized that aside from the simplicity of implementation—merely supplying headphones and a music device to patients—the intervention is remarkably economical. Weiner serves as an associate professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School and is an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“It’s entirely free apart from the music subscription,” Weiner mentioned.

The rationale behind the intervention’s significant efficacy, both Weiner and Goldfine indicated, is not due to its targeting of the pain’s underlying causes, but because it may alleviate associated anxiety.

“Reflecting on this initially, I gathered inspiration from another relevant study that explored adult coloring books given to patients,” Weiner shared. “It seems that merely having something to distract you, whether it be reading, music, or coloring, is likely beneficial.”

Patients in the emergency room frequently encounter crowded conditions and prolonged waits, even while suffering intense pain.

“It’s daunting because you’re observing everything unfold,” Weiner expressed. “There are alarms; there’s disarray; and additionally, they are in distress. Thus, the fact that this aspect of distraction might effectively reduce their pain and anxiety with virtually no detrimental impact on the patient is rather extraordinary.”

During the study, patients chose music to listen to for 10 minutes. Clinicians subsequently assessed their pain at rest and during movement using a 10-point scale, both prior to and following the music intervention, and had them complete an anxiety survey.

“We engaged in numerous discussions regarding what the optimal type of music intervention would be,” Goldfine said.

However, she noted, the music that patients consider soothing is subjective. Some individuals listened to a specially curated relaxation playlist, while many opted for popular music.

“There was a bit of Taylor Swift included,” Goldfine remarked.

She further emphasized that both physicians and patients can apply insights from the study immediately.

“I attempt to utilize this when I am performing procedures on patients,” she stated. “I let them select any song they wish because I believe it genuinely enhances the experience with essentially no downside.”

Goldfine, Weiner, and their team are actively investigating the effects of music therapy in medicine. A new study focusing on the relationship between music and substance use disorders is currently in progress.