Soothing music through headphones is SO good for joint replacements!
Joint replacements are happening around the world, all day, every day! The Baby Boomers are seriously in need of new joints! So far I have worked with many, many patients having knee and hip replacements and a few having ankle and shoulder replacements!
One of the things that differentiates joint replacement surgery from other surgeries is that most patients are not under general anesthesia. I am not an MD but, having worked with many MDs and medical specialists of all kinds, I know that in joint replacement surgery, the patient is sedated so that they don’t really feel anything but they can still communicate with the surgeon.
Lower body surgeries are more apt to have a regional anesthesia or block but it is up to the patient and surgeon.
In either case, anxiety will inevitably be present and beginning the therapeutic playlist in pre-surgery is highly recommended. If the patient is have a regional anesthetic and sedation, the surgeon can actually talk to the patient during the procedure and ask them to “wiggle their toes (for example)” Even when the music is playing the patient can hear the doctor addressing them. And the doctor can always briefly lift the earpiece of headphone.
In the case of general anesthesia, again, starting the music pre-surgery is highly recommended because the waiting period right before surgery is always full of anxiety. Even during the surgery the patient benefits from the music through. While the patient is not consciously listening to the music, their body is still responding positively to the slow, steady pulse of our music, through the process of rhythmic entrainment.
And many patients have told me that waking up to the same beautiful music they were listening to when they drifted off is extremely comforting and orienting to them. Makes sense.
SO, if your hospital to surgery center is ready to tap into the power of therapeutic music for their patients, here is the link to go to! Our 5 therapeutic playlists can be preloaded on either cordless headphones or MP3 players which come with earbuds.
Whichever one you choose, you can be assured that your patients will have a much better experience with their procedure and will sing the praises of your facility!
Our protocol involves giving the patient their preloaded headphones or MP3 player, in the genre of their choice, as soon as they enter the pre-op area. As they are getting their gown on and perhaps an IV, they are listening to our Surgical Serenity music and their vital signs are calming and moving toward homeostasis.
I just returned last evening from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and WOW, what an amazing experience of a lifetime that was!
Music like this is totally engrossing and a joy to listen to.
All of this changed when I was hired by the University of Louisville School of Medicine to do research into Music Medicine and the healing power of music. Within months I began getting invitations to speak to local medical and lay organizations and almost from the beginning, I LOVED it! (Yes, at first I was nervous because I thought I had to memorize a speech, but later I found out that I could speak from an outline and that literally changed everything!) I guess I’m a storyteller and when I think back to my earliest memories and experiences with music–from my father singing to me as a baby, being in the church nursery and singing songs, to hearing a piano for the first time and finally beginning lessons at age 8–the stories begin to flow!
NOW, in the era of podcasts I have been getting invitations from all kinds of interesting people to talk about how music helps in surgery and in other areas of the hospital. When I am interviewed by a podcaster I realize that I really don’t even need any notes because all of this information is stored in my brain. There is almost nothing I’d rather do than talk about the healing power of music and I’ve now done it around the world, including western Europe, South Korea, Hawaii, and Canada!
Most of the podcasters either send me a list of questions that they want me to answer or they ask me to send them a list of questions that I think would be interesting to their audience. I love their questions and eagerly answer them and then expand on them. All but one of these podcasts has been video and audio but one of them was audio only. I prefer having video too because I believe I get lots of information from people when I’m watching them talk, like body language and facial expressions. Maybe that’s because I am also now a psychotherapist and I do this every day.
I’m not sure that the average person who is waiting for surgery knows that there are medical apps that can reduce anxiety and pain perception. My Surgical Serenity Solutions app has been in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for awhile now and it is free to download, listen to the samples, and then choose your preferred playlist for $9.99, a one-time payment.
Are you a healthcare facility, or are you affiliated with a healthcare facility? Does your healthcare facility play music for its patients as part of surgery, MRI, or other procedures? Are you currently using a Pandora, Spotify, or Apple Family Sharing account? If so, STOP! You are subject to large fines, UNLESS you purchase a healthcare license from ASCAP or BMI.
Surgery is a different process and requires a different approach. Very few operating rooms would allow a music therapist in the room while a patient is being put to sleep, operated on, or slowly brought back to consciousness. This is where Surgical Serenity Solutions comes in. Our music has been specifically curated and sequenced to go through the surgical process, the perioperative period, with the patient. Our music has been curated to engage rhythmic entrainment from the moment the patient begins listening through headphones or earbuds. If you are interested in know more about this or are ready to order for your hospital or clinic, just go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/contact-us.