Abstract
Chronic pain with its comorbidities, such as depression, insomnia, and social deprivation,
is a major cause of disability and health-economic burden. Insufficient response to
pain medication and potentially serious adverse effects have led the majority of chronic
pain patients to seek relief from non-pharmacological remedies. Along with this trend,
pain research has paid increasing interest in critical evaluation of various complementary
treatments. Music-based treatments have emerged as an efficacious and safe means to
enhance the management of acute and chronic pain. We review the current position of
music-based interventions in the treatment of chronic pain and present explanations
for the analgesic effects of music through modulation of the primary nociception and
discuss the contribution of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system to the affective component
of pain perception. We propose ways to translate the novel theoretical understanding
into clinical practice in different health care settings, primary health care in particular,
and discuss the preconditions of successful implementation. We argue that music interventions
provide low-cost, easily applicable complementary pain treatments not requiring heavy
utilization of health care resources. Finally, we provide research and quality improvement
frameworks and make suggestions to cover the gaps of existing evidence.
Perspective
This article addresses the current evidence for analgesic effects of music interventions,
discusses its neurobiological basis and evaluates potential use of music in treating
chronic pain patients in different health care settings. We also propose directions
for future research to cover shortages in the currently published data.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 03, 2022
Footnotes
Funding: This work was funded by Finnish Cultural Foundation (grant 191230), Orion Research Foundation sr, and Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation to the first author.
Conflict of Interest statement: All authors declare no competing interests.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
