For a lot of people the thought of a needle is enough to cause anxiety. But what if something surprisingly simple could make the experience less painful? Researchers tested an unexpected approach during a common medical procedure, and their findings suggest that a small change could make a noticeable difference.
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Does the choice of music make a difference?
The study, reported in Frontiers in Pain Research, involved 204 patients scheduled for non-emergency MRI scans of the brain, spine, or head and neck. Each needed a cannula to receive a contrast agent for the scan.
One quarter of the patients listened to no music. The other three groups heard either music they chose themselves, music specifically designed for relaxation, or Mozart’s Sonata KV448, a piece that previous studies have linked to therapeutic effects.
Patients in the favorite-music group named an artist or song they wanted to hear. To track discomfort, the researchers asked patients to rate their pain on a scale from one to 10 before and during insertion, then again 30 seconds and two minutes afterward.
“Although a needle puncture is a minor procedure, the level of pain can vary significantly from person to person,” said lead author Dr Andrei Cristinel Dragnea.
That variation made it useful to look separately at patients who were already in pain before the procedure.
When did favorite songs help most?
Patients listening to their favorite music reported less pain at both 30 seconds and two minutes after the cannula was inserted. The benefit appeared in patients with and without pain before the procedure.
Among those who already had pain, favorite music also reduced discomfort at the moment of needle insertion. Mozart’s benefit was narrower: it reduced pain two minutes afterward in patients with preexisting pain.
The researchers found no pain-relief benefit from relaxation music.
Why might music intended to soothe fall short? According to senior author Dr Meritxell Garcia Alzamora, its slow pace, low volume and lack of noticeable changes may have made it easier for patients to disregard. That is a possible explanation, rather than something the study established.
The timing raises another question. Pain relief appeared stronger at two minutes than at earlier measurements. The researchers suggested that the initial discomfort might draw attention away from the music, or that music’s pain-relieving effects might take time to develop. The data could not explain why.
What could this mean for future procedures?
The findings suggest that giving patients a choice of music could be a useful way to make cannula insertion more comfortable. Garcia Alzamora said the team plans to expand music use during vein punctures for radiological procedures, particularly for anxious or claustrophobic patients.
There are limits to what the study can tell us. It examined a brief procedure involving a small needle, so the results do not establish whether music would help during longer or more painful procedures.
A technician also accompanied and spoke to patients, which could itself have been calming or distracting. Dragnea noted that all patients experienced those same conditions.
For now, the clearest takeaway is a modest but practical one: during a short needle procedure, music may help ease discomfort, and a patient’s own favorite could be the most useful choice.
If you are interested in more details about the underlying research be sure to check out the paper published in Frontiers in Pain Research, listed below this article
Sources and further reading:
Does the brain really feel no pain? - (Universal-Sci)
Is it bad to listen to music while sleeping? - (Universal-Sci)
Explainer: how do drugs work? - (Universal-Sci)
Half a Century of Research Reveals that Fusing Music and Math Can Lead to Better Scores - (Universal-Sci)
Let’s scrap the neuromyths: No, you aren’t a ‘visual’ or ‘auditory’ person - (Universal-Sci)
Effect of music on short-term pain perception during peripheral intravenous cannulation - (Frontiers in Pain Research)
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