Music is good, it relives back pain

Music is good, it relives back pain

Have you ever noticed how listening to your favourite song instantly puts you in a good mood? Music, many agree, is a mood booster but scientists have now discovered that music can do more than just lifting your spirits. They say that listening to it helps to relive chronic neck and back pain.

Consultant neurologist, Dr. Segun Akinpelu, says music cand be the best medicine that any physician could prescribe for a patient suffering from chronic pain and a terminal illness such as cancer – a disease associated with brain-numbing pain.

Akinpelu states that music works well on the autonomic nervous system – the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling our blood pressure, heartbeat and brain function – and also the limbic system ,the part of the brain that controls feelings and emotions.

“ The brain is the first to pick sounds and music. It is also the first to react to pain. It is your brain that relates the pain sensation to the body even though it seems like it is the body that reacts first. All the systems in the brain react sensitively to music.

“So, when people in pain listen to music, the feel-good sensation in the brain overpowers the pain sensation. The pain neurons also relax to the sensation of the music and this translates to lesser pain for the individual.

“When slow rhythms are played, our blood pressure and heartbeat slow down, which helps us breathe more slowly, thus reducing muscle tension in our necks, shoulders, stomachs and backs.”

Australian scientists, in a new study on 650 patients aged between 21 and 68, with chronic back pain, concluded that music is more beneficial and effective than drugs when it comes to pain management.

Music, they say, can meaningfully reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric, accident and terminally ill patients care.

The physicians compared the results of patients who received standard medical care and physiotherapy with the other group that listened to music and received visualisation classes for 25 minutes every day for three weeks.

They found that the group who listened to music and used imagery experienced better pain relief than the group who did not.

Clinical psychologist, Dr. Franz Wendtner , who led the study, says, “Music is an important part of our physical and emotional wellbeing – ever since we were babies in our mother’s womb listening to her heartbeat and breathing rhythms. Listening to music for about 25 minutes every day for at least 10 days can help prevent back pain and also make you sleep better.”

In other words, when we feel pain, we become frightened, frustrated and angry, which makes us tense up hundreds of muscles in our back. Listening to music on a regular basis helps our bodies to relax physically and mentally, thus helping to relieve and prevent back pain.

Music is not for just the soul, it is also good for the heart. Experts say that apart from releasing physical tension, music also reduces psychological tension in our mind and heart.

Cardiologist and heart specialist, Dr. Segun Akinsanya, notes that musical waves enhance blood vessel function and circulation of blood around the heart, which helps us to breathe in and process oxygen better.

Akinsanya adds that patients also experience happy emotions when listening to music, which increases the secretion of endorphins which have been known to increase blood flow to the blood vessels and organs of the body.

What music will help achieve this? Experts believe any type of classical music with a slow rhythm can help relieve muscle pain and calm the nerves.

Evidence has also emerged that fast-paced music boosts performance at work, during exercise or while doing any strenuous activity.

Fitness and healthy living expert, Mr. James Edwards, in a paper titled, ‘ Music and Your Work’, states that listening to music while working gives a better performance in several ways.

The expert claims that music helps to block out every distraction from the surroundings, which inadvertently increases one’s focus and concentration on the task at hand.

Still on its effect on cognitive performance, scientists add that background music may enhance performance on cognitive tasks.

A 2011 study showed that listening to music allowed test takers to complete more questions in the time allotted, and get more answers right than those who were in a quiet room. Interesting – isn’t it? They explain that this happens because the part of the brain which processes music is located next to memory.

Other studies show that listening to music releases endorphins – the natural ‘feel good’ hormones that lift mood and give people the motivation they need to carry out some mental tasks like writing an examination.

Which type of music is best? The physicians all agree that the best type of music for improved mental performance is thought to be high-energy, high-tempo music such as hip hop or dance music.

Listening to music while driving can positively impact your mood too . So, when you are feeling cranky in traffic, try cranking some of your favourite tunes! What are you waiting for? Spend this weekend boogying down to your favourite songs, then!