Chronic pain? Take the help of music
A US research reveals that listening to music can reduce chronic pain by up to 21 per cent.
Listening to music could considerably reduce chronic pain, say US-based scientists.
Sandra Siedlecki of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, along with other researchers, studied over 60 patients who were suffering from osteoarthritis, disc problems and rheumatoid arthritis for an average of six and a half years, reported the online edition of BBC News.
They found that those who listened to music reported a cut in pain levels of up to 21 per cent and in associated depression of up to 25 per cent, compared to those who did not.
Some listened to music on a headset for an hour every day for a week, while the rest stayed away from music.
Among those who listened to music, half were able to choose their favourite selections, while the rest had to pick from a list of five relaxing tapes provided by the researchers.
The study, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, also found that music helped people feel less disabled by their condition.
Listening to music has already been shown to promote a number of positive benefits and this research adds to the growing body of evidence that it has an important role to play in modern healthcare, noted Marion Good, another researcher, who is part of the study.
Previous research published in the same journal found listening to 45 minutes of soft music before going to bed can improve sleep by more than a third.
