Music Therapy In Rehabilitation Research Articles

Musical Sonification of Arm Movements in Stroke Rehabilitation Yields Limited Benefits.

Neurologic music therapy in rehabilitation of stroke patients has been shown to be a promising supplement to the often strenuous conventional rehabilitation strategies. The aim of this study was threefold: (i) replicate results from a previous study with a sample from one clinic (henceforth called Site 1; N = 12) using an already established recording system, and (ii) conceptually replicate previous findings with a less costly hand-tracking system in Site 2 (N = 30), and (iii) compare both sub-studies’ outcomes to estimate the efficiency of neurologic music therapy. Stroke patients in both sites were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups and received daily training of guided sequential upper limb movements additional to their standard stroke rehabilitation protocol. Treatment groups received sonification (i.e., changes in musical pitch) of their movements when they moved their affected hand up and down to reproduce a sequence of the first six notes of a C major scale. Controls received the same movement protocol, however, without auditory feedback. Sensors at the upper arm and the forearm (Xsens) or an optic sensor device (Leapmotion) allowed to measure kinematics of movements and movement smoothness. Behavioral measures pre and post intervention included the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) and movement data. Bayesian regression did not show evidence supporting an additional effect of sonification on clinical mobility assessments. However, combined movement data from both sites showed slight improvements in movement smoothness for the treatment group, and an advantage for one of the two motion capturing systems. Exploratory analyses of EEG-EMG phase coherence during movement of the paretic arm in a subset of patients suggested increases in cortico-muscular phase coherence specifically in the ipsilesional hemisphere after sonification therapy, but not after standard rehabilitation therapy. Our findings show that musical sonification is a viable treatment supplement to current neurorehabilitation methods, with limited clinical benefits. However, given patients’ enthusiasm during training and the low hardware price of one of the systems it may be considered as an add-on home-based neurorehabilitation therapy.

Terapia musical en rehabilitación: una revisión narrativa (2004-2014)

Las investigaciones en el campo de la aplicación de la terapia musical como herramienta terapéutica han aumentado en los últimos diez años. Las revisiones narrativas publicadas hasta la fecha muestran los efectos y la eficacia de la terapia musical como estrategia de intervención rehabilitadora. Sin embargo, no tratan la temática desde una perspectiva general y ninguna de ellas ha incluido el término “musical therapy” entre los términos de búsqueda de literatura, quedando excluidos, por tanto, los resultados de toda una serie de estudios que han contribuido a esclarecer la eficacia de la musicoterapia en rehabilitación. Por estas razones, el objetivo de este trabajo es remediar esta laguna y revisar los hallazgos de investigaciones publicadas en los últimos diez años que han quedado excluidas de revisiones anteriores. Específicamente, esta contribución pretende responder a las preguntas de investigación: ¿Qué tipo de trastornos se pueden beneficiar eficazmente de la musicoterapia? y ¿Qué efectos positivos tiene la musicoterapia en rehabilitación? Para responder a estas preguntas, se llevó a cabo una búsqueda electrónica de literatura en las bases de datos Academic Search Complete, Medline y Science Direct. La búsqueda incluyó el término “musical therapy” y ciertos criterios de inclusión, tales como los reportes sobre estudios empíricos redactados en que utilizaran música como estimulación terapéutica. Como resultado, se revisaron en total veinticuatro estudios, de los que se analizaron una serie de elementos, tales como los grupos de participantes (experimental vs. control), los resultados obtenidos y las limitaciones. Como conclusión, afirmamos, con cautela, que la musicoterapia puede contribuir a la rehabilitación de las funciones cognitivas, motoras y sensoriales del daño cerebral; a la rehabilitación de la esquizofrenia y de la depresión primaria; a la mejoría de los trastornos neurodegenerativos, de los trastornos del espectro autista, del abuso de sustancias y de otras patologías. Para el futuro, recomendamos superar las limitaciones metodológicas de estos estudios y la ejecución de estudios transculturales.

Application and Prospect of Music Therapy in Rehabilitation of Cerebral Palsy

Besides gestational age at birth, body constitution, starting age of rehabilitation and nutrition condition, degree of cooperation is also important in the efficacy of rehabilitation in children, which was concluded through years of clinic practices.

Music therapy in rehabilitation

Music now plays an increasing role in several disparate areas. Music therapy appears to affect physiological phenomen such as blood pressure, heart beat, respiration, and mydriasis as well as emotional aspects such as mood and feelings. It is used in the rehabilitation of patients with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, stroke, aphasia and visual rehabilitation. Music in the patient with dementia produced significantly higher levels of interest and pleasure than the baseline condition. In accordance with the clinical literature, it may be argued that the Music Therapy-induced improvement in bradykinesia could be due to the effect of external rhythmic cues, which, acting as a timekeeper, may stabilize the internal rhythm formation process in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In fibromyalgia was to investigate the effects of sleep and touch therapy accompanied by music and aromatherapy on the symptoms of fibromyalgia and depression. In stroke rehabilitation, elements of music have previously been used as a part of physiotherapy and speech therapy to enhance the recovery of motor and speech functions. One of the few accepted treatments for severe, nonfluent aphasia is Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT), a treatment that uses the musical elements of speech (melody & rhythm) to improve expressive language by capitalizing on preserved function (singing) and engaging language-capable regions in the undamaged right hemisphere. Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos was used to visual rehabilitation. The following paper is based on information obtained from the literature review on the use of music therapy in rehabilitation. Conclusion: The use of music therapy in the rehabilitation is huge, but little appreciated. Music therapy is a method of cost-effective, non-invasive where it no reported its side effects. There are small number of studies and publications on the use of music as a form of rehabilitation.

Development of a Music Therapy Service in an Australian Public Rehabilitation Hospital

It is often challenging to find information about the details and development of clinical music therapy programs in other parts of the world. This article addresses a gap in the literature by describing the evolution of a neurological rehabilitation program over the past two years in Melbourne, Australia. After providing some local details on the development of rehabilitation music therapy in this part of the world, a brief rationale is offered for the place of music therapy in clinical rehabilitation services. This is followed by a detailed description of the implementation, operation and evaluation of the music therapy program established at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre in 2004. Music therapy in adult neurological rehabilitation is still an emerging area of practice in Australia. Although the first music therapy service for adult rehabilitation was piloted and developed here over 13 years ago, few rehabilitation facilities currently employ music therapy as a standard part of rehabilitation service. Although research and practice of music therapy in rehabilitation internationally is relatively new, it has been practiced for around 20 to 30 years in the United Kingdom and the United States of America respectively. The scarcity of music therapy positions in rehabilitation facilities in Australia is possibly a reflection of the lack of understanding of music therapy on the part of funding bodies and the shortage of rigorous music therapy research in this field. The establishment of new music therapy positions in rehabilitation facilities reflects the development of music therapy in neurorehabilitation internationally in terms of research, clinical practice and publications.

The role of music therapy in paediatric rehabilitation.

Meeting the needs of the child in rehabilitation requires an interdisciplinary approach, whereby a variety of health care professionals are called upon to work together in planning and coordinating each patient's programme. The Registered music therapist is one of the allied health professionals who plays an integral role in this team approach. Music therapy is a recognized allied health profession, which is becoming acknowledged in the expanding world of health care as a therapy able to meet the expansive needs of the patient in rehabilitation. This article will present a literature review which advocates the role of music therapy in rehabilitation, with particular focus on the needs of the paediatric patient. Case vignettes will be used as further evidence to support the role of music therapy in this context, together with considerations for future research.

Music therapy in physical medicine and rehabilitation

The therapeutic effects of music are being recognized increasingly in the field of rehabilitation medicine. More music therapists are being employed in physical medicine and rehabilitation centres, with the goal of using music therapy services to assist in the physical recovery and health maintenance of clients. In spite of the benefits of physical rehabilitation programs, client participation to their full potential is often not observed. Music encourages participation in exercises and activities. Music can ease the discomfort and difficulty associated with exercise and therapy activities, and help ensure consistent participation. One of the goals of the music therapist is to provide a means for the client to express him/herself in a musical activity. Music therapy and rehabilitation medicine are starting to find a common niche in working together with clients who have various neurological, orthopaedic, and paediatric conditions. Therapeutic application of music in rehabilitation contributes to the quality of life of individuals with disabilities. Combined goals could include improving strength, range of motion, balance, communication, and cognition. Continued efforts in clinical practice and research will build on the information already available to further define possible applications of music therapy in rehabilitation, and its outcome and benefits. Occupational therapists can use the therapeutic medium of music, and the services of the music therapy discipline, in assisting clients to maximize their functional independence in their daily occupational roles.