Favorite music may ease needle pain, Zurich study suggests
Patients who listened to their favorite music reported less pain around a vein puncture in a Zurich University Hospital study of 204 people. The authors describe the findings as preliminary and in need of confirmation.
What the study found
Researchers at the Universitätsklinikum Zürich tested whether music can reduce pain during needle insertion. The study, reported in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research, involved 204 patients aged 17 to 83 who were scheduled for an MRI examination requiring a contrast agent. Participants were assigned to four groups: no music, their favorite music, special relaxation music ("Quelle des Ich Bin" by Peter Uwe Piotter), or the Mozart Sonata for two pianos in D major, K. 448, played by Alfred Brendel and Walter Klien. The favorite-music group covered classical and modern pop, ranging from Beethoven to AC/DC hard rock. The music played before the vein puncture, and patients rated their pain on a scale from 1 (no pain) to 10 (strongest imaginable pain). Ratings were taken before the puncture, immediately after, after 30 seconds and after two minutes. In the favorite-music group, pain was reduced on average both in patients who had pain before the needle and in those who did not. According to the data, the Mozart sonata appeared to help only people who already had pain before the needle went in.
Why it matters for patients
Lead author Andrei Cristinel Dragnea of the Universitätsklinikum Zürich said that a person's pain level during needle placement can vary considerably. Earlier studies have repeatedly shown that listening to music generally affects how pain is felt. According to the new analysis, personal preferences play a role in that effect. Senior author Meritxell Garcia Alzamora of the same clinic went further in her recommendation.
I would recommend music listening to patients, especially those who generally like music.
Clinic response
The clinic plans to expand its use of music during vein punctures in radiological examinations. The change is aimed especially at anxious or claustrophobic patients. The team says the change follows from its own results.
Caveats
The authors describe their results as vague indications that still require confirmation. The study is small, with 71 of the 204 participants reporting pain even before the needle went in.
