Does music reduce postoperative pain? A review

Background: Music therapy supports music in medicine, suggesting that music may reduce post-operative pain.This study examined the evidence supporting this hypothesis.Methods: All studies that looked at the effects of music on postoperative pain were identified by a systematic literature search.Four trials were identified by searches on Medline and Embase, Cinahl, Cochran Library, and Cinahl.Results: All four studies involved 886 elective general anaesthesia patients.Despite the intervention being applied differently, three studies revealed that music reduced postoperative pain using visual analogue scales (VAS).Conclusion: Music seems to be an effective, non-invasive, nonpharmacological, and inexpensive intervention method for managing postoperative pain.