Music therapy trials found lower anxiety scores in patients having non-acute fracture surgery
A pooled analysis favored music therapy over standard care for anxiety, but the abstract leaves treatment schedules, study quality and lasting benefit unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Patients receiving music therapy had lower anxiety scores than those receiving standard care in trials of non-acute fracture surgery. Pain and depression scores were also lower. These results concern measured symptoms in a specific surgical setting; the abstract does not establish how long the differences lasted or whether overall recovery improved.
This abstract-based summary lacks details about trial quality, treatment schedules and follow-up times. The abstract also does not report how much trial results differed, limiting confidence in the pooled average.
What researchers found
Anxiety score difference
Music therapy versus standard care; negative means lower anxiety. The difference is expressed relative to score variability, not in raw scale points or percentages. Assessment timing was not reported.
Understanding the score
Anxiety was the main outcome, assessed using standardized scales. The pooled estimate summarizes differences between groups across trials. It does not tell us how many patients noticed relief or how meaningful that relief was.
Questions the abstract leaves open
The abstract does not describe which music was used, how therapy was delivered or when symptoms were measured. It therefore cannot identify a preferred format or show whether benefits continued after the treatment period.
The original publication
Music therapy for anxiety reduction in non-acute surgical fracture patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Tang YL, Zhao YX, Wang X
World J Orthop · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41695724
- Record checked
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