Music As Medicine: The Impact of Music On Pain Reported After Surgery

Authors

Anastasia Pike, Christopher Newport University, Virginia, USAFollow
Gregory T. Chesnut, Murtha Cancer Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland, USAFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The impact of music on subjective reporting of pain and anxiety has been increasingly described in medical literature. Multimodal methods of alleviating postoperative pain and anxiety, including the use of live or recorded music in perioperative settings, have been shown to improve patient-reported pain levels and, in some studies, to result in decreased opioid usage. The overprescription of opioids after surgery can contribute to long-term abuse or trafficking of medications, and the use of non-opioid medications, alternative methods of pain relief, and environmental/auditory stimuli offer new mechanisms to promote safe opioid prescribing while improving both pain control and patient wellbeing. Soothing music has been shown to potentially lower heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. As pain is a subjective sensation that has complex neural pathways, it is important to evaluate auditory inputs and their impact on these pathways and the subjective pain response.

Recommended Citation

Pike, Anastasia and Chesnut, Gregory T. (2025) "Music As Medicine: The Impact of Music On Pain Reported After Surgery," Journal of Global Awareness: Vol. 6: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholar.stjohns.edu/jga/vol6/iss1/4