INTEGRATED APPROACH IN CHRONIC PAIN FROM MUSCULOSKELETAL STIFFNESS: MUSIC THERAPY AND VIBRO-ACOUSTIC PLATFORM

G. Barassi^1*, R. Pellegrino², G.L. Matera¹, L. Prosperi¹, A. Younes¹, V. Guglielmi¹, M. Cuozzo¹, C. Parone³, A. Di Iorio⁴ and M. Panunzio⁵

¹Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Re-Education (Ce.Fi.R.R.) venue “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy;
²Department of Scientific Research, Campus Ludes, Off-Campus Semmelweis University, Lugano, Switzerland;
³Professional Teaching, Course in Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti;
₄Antalgic Mini-Invasive and Rehab-Outpatients Unit, Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine & Dentistry, “G. D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy;
⁵Responsible Research Hospital, Campobasso, Italy

*Corresponding author:
Giovanni Barassi,
Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Re-Education (Ce.Fi.R.R.),
“G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara,
66013, Chieti, Italy
e-mail: coordftgb@unich.it

Received: 26 April 2024 Accepted: 16 July 2024

ISSN 2975-044X (online) ISSN 2038-4106 (print) Copyright © by BIOLIFE 2024 This publication and/or article is for individual use only and may not be further reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction may result in financial and other penalties. Disclosure: All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

ABSTRACT

Music Therapy (MT) can be used in the presence of many pathologies. It has the ability to stimulate the organism both through the acoustic vibrations transmitted by the auditory system and through the mechanical vibrations picked up by the somatic mechanoreceptors. Therefore, we observed data relating to 20 patients (average age 69.6±10.8 years) suffering from painful musculoskeletal rigidity subjected to a treatment session consisting of the administration of 6 relaxing songs through a specific Vibroacoustic Therapy (VT) platform. Half of the patients (n=10) carried out the session with music + vibrations (Intervention, INT) while the other half (n=10) of the sample carried out the session with music only (Control, CONT). Patients were evaluated before and after the session using Digital Algometry (ALG) at the lumbar paravertebral level and evaluation of Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) with digital pulse-oximeter. At the end of the session, it was observed that the ALG value detected tended to rise in INT patients, with more mixed results for CONT. As regards the HR, INT highlighted a lower reduction in the value compared to the CONT. Regarding SpO2, INT showed a slight increase in the value, in contrast to the slight reduction highlighted in CONT. Therefore, it is possible to state that MT has modulation effects on pain and basic vital parameters both when administered in the form of music alone and when administered as a combination of music and contact vibration.

KEYWORDS: muscle rigidity, chronic pain, music therapy, vibrations