Postoperative pain can hamper recovery by aggravating surgical stress and increasing tissue breakdown, coagulation and fluid retention. Pain also interferes with appetite and sleep and can lead to complications that prolong hospitalization. Dr. Steven Tovian, director of health psychology at Evanston-Northwestern Healthcare in Chicago, has studied the psychological effects of postoperative recovery. He believes that music can directly counteract pain's physiological effects. We know that stress elevates the pulse, and we know music lowers the pulse.
Blood pressure goes up postsurgery, and music can lower blood pressure.
Getting people to relax is always beneficial. But pain will always be painful, Tovian says, and you can't expect a musical miracle. Just know what your expectations are. Still, a little music can go a long way. Good believes that, for patients using music and relaxation techniques to recover from surgery, the positive effects can carry over into everyday life.