Summary: Music has been suggested as a complementary alternative to chronic pain medication. A new study examines the experience of a woman with chronic pain who used music to manage pain. The study looks at the contextual aspects of music listening, as well as the physiological and cognitive benefits of music listening.
The study suggests that music-induced analgesia involves complex cognitive and emotional mechanisms, which may modulate the descending modulator pathway of pain.
Highlights:
- The case study highlights how a woman found chronic pain relief by listening to music after discontinuing her opioid treatment.
- The participant’s experience suggests that music-induced analgesia involves cognitive and emotional mechanisms, such as the descending pain modulator pathway, and that it may be possible to reduce the use of analgesics.
- Therapeutic accompaniment, which involves a mediating figure between the patient and the institution, can be useful to help patients reorient their subjectivity and follow their experiences during treatment.
Source: Neuroscience News
Chronic pain can have a debilitating effect on an individual’s life, making it difficult to perform daily activities and feel well. For years, opioid medications have been the treatment of choice for chronic pain, relieving pain but also altering the perception of the body and emotions.
However, recent studies have shown that music can be a complementary alternative to chronic pain, relieving pain and anxiety, motivating exercise and improving sleep quality.
In a recent study, a woman who had lived with chronic pain for 20 years was investigated. The study explored the participant’s experience of the context in which she listened to music, the intensity and quality of pain, body mapping, memories, emotions and cognition.
The participant listened to music for a variety of reasons, such as pain and anxiety relief, exercise motivation, and sleep quality, all of which revolved around different pain management strategies .
The study found that listening to music not only relieved the participant’s pain, but also reduced withdrawal effects after stopping her opioid treatment. Effects may involve endogenous opioid and dopaminergic mechanisms associated with pleasurable experiences, providing natural analgesia.
The frequency of music use and certain instrumental properties, such as acoustic quality and the use of high-fidelity headphones, may influence the effectiveness of music-induced analgesia.
Additionally, the study showed improvements in physiological and cognitive aspects, including perceived restful sleep, which may have improved the participant’s overall well-being and cognitive and motor performance.
Additionally, the participant’s communication skills were enhanced, reinforcing her learning of new experiences and creating spaces in which she expressed her pain with less stigma.
A therapeutic accompaniment was proposed to reorient the subjective properties of pain and to expand quantitative and qualitative knowledge for more complete reports on music and analgesia.
The accompaniment serves as a mediating figure between the patient and the institution, allowing the patient to reorient his subjectivity and follow his experience during the treatment. It helps to communicate experiences and systematize them for a better understanding of the patient and the medical institution in order to design more sensitive treatments and research.
The results revealed that music can be a powerful tool in chronic pain management, providing an alternative to opioid medications. Feeling in control over one’s body and pain can further increase the pain threshold, and reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety together can improve quality of life.
Although music may not benefit everyone, the study suggests that music-induced analgesia may be a viable option for some people with chronic pain.
The researchers suggest doctors should also investigate how music can reduce pain medication, with the goal of more comprehensive treatment. With the help of patients like the one in the study, we can better understand chronic pain and music-induced analgesia.
About this pain research news
Author: Press office
Source: Neuroscience News
Contact: Press Office – Neuroscience News
Picture: Image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Free access.
“Case report: “I got my brain back“A patient’s experience with music-induced analgesia for chronic pain” by Roberto E. Mercadillo et al. Frontiers in Psychology
Abstract
Case report: “I got my brain back” A patient’s experience with music-induced analgesia for chronic pain