Relaxation Training and Postoperative Music Therapy for Adolescents Undergoing Spinal Fusion Surgery.

Spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis is one of the most painful surgeries experienced by adolescents. Music therapy, utilizing music-assisted relaxation with controlled breathing and imagery, is a promising intervention for reducing pain and anxiety for these patients. It can be challenging to teach new coping strategies to post-operative patients who are already in pain. This study evaluated the effects of introducing music-assisted relaxation training to adolescents before surgery. Outcome measures were self-reported pain and anxiety, recorded on 0-10 numeric rating scale, and observed behavioral indicators of pain and relaxation. The training intervention was a 12-minute video about music-assisted relaxation with opportunities to practice before surgery. Forty-four participants between the ages of 10 and 19 were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group that watched the video at the preoperative visit or to the control group that did not watch the video. All subjects received a music therapy session with a board certified music therapist on post-operative day 2 while out of bed for the first time. Pain and anxiety were significantly reduced from immediately pre-therapy to post-therapy (paired t-test; p).

Adolescents' perceptions of music therapy following spinal fusion surgery.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore adolescents' memories about music therapy after spinal fusion surgery and their recommendations for future patients. BACKGROUND: Spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is one of the most painful surgeries performed. Music therapy is shown to decrease postoperative pain in children after minor surgery. In preparation for developing a preoperative information program, we interviewed adolescents who had spinal fusion and postoperative music therapy to find out what they remembered and what they recommended for future patients. METHODS: Eight adolescents who had spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were interviewed about their experiences. For this qualitative study, the investigators independently used thematic analysis techniques to formulate interpretive themes. Together they discussed their ideas and assigned overall meanings to the information. RESULTS: The eight participants were 13-17 years of age and had surgery between 2-24 months previously. The overarching themes identified from the interviews were relaxation and pain perception, choice and control, therapist interaction and preoperative information. Participants stated that music therapy helped with mental relaxation and distraction from pain. It was important to be able to choose the type of music for the therapy and to use self-control to focus on the positive. Their recommendation was that future patients should be provided with information preoperatively about music therapy and pain management. Participants recommended a combination of auditory and visual information, especially the experiences of previous patients who had spinal fusion and music therapy. CONCLUSION: Music provided live at the bedside by a music therapist was remembered vividly and positively by most of the participants. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The presence of a music therapist providing patient-selected music at the bedside is important. Methods to introduce adolescents to music therapy and how to use music for relaxation should be developed and tested.

Effects of training on timbre recognition and appraisal by postlingually deafened cochlear implant recipients.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of structured training on recognition and appraisal of the timbre (tone quality) of musical instruments by postlingually deafened cochlear implant recipients. Twenty-four implant users (Nucleus CI24M) were randomly assigned to a control or a training group. The control group experienced only incidental exposure to music in their usual daily routine. The training group participated in 12 weeks of training delivered via a laptop computer in which they were introduced to excerpts of musical instruments representing three frequency ranges and four instrumental families. Those implant recipients assigned to the training group showed significant improvement in timbre recognition (p < .0001) and timbre appraisal (p < .02) compared to the control group. Correlations between timbre measures and speech perception measures are discussed.