Duration of Music Interventions and Pain Tolerance (DOMINANT)

Duration of Music Interventions and PAiN Tolerance in Healthy Individuals: the DOMINANT Trial

This study will investigate the effect of different durations of music interventions (1, 5 and 20 minutes of music) on pain tolerance.

Music interventions reduce perioperative pain and anxiety. However, it is yet unclear how long music needs to be presented in order to have an effect. Therefore, the investigators would like to propose a pilot randomized controlled trial in order to investigate the optimal duration of musical interventions. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of different durations of music interventions on pain tolerance (expressed in amperage). Secondary objectives are to investigate the effects of music duration on heart rate variability (expressed in milliseconds) and subjective measurements of emotions, anxiety and pain. Healthy volunteers (age ≥18 years) will be included, and the study will take place at the outpatient clinic of the Center of Pain Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between 18 and 64 years of age
• Sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language to understand the study documents (in the judgement of the attending physician or researcher)
• Provision of written informed consent by subject

Exclusion Criteria:

• Significant hearing impairment
• Current complaints of tinnitus
• Current use of analgesic medication
• Presence of acute or chronic pain
• History of cardiac disease or arrhythmias
• Current treatment by a medical specialist or general practitioner
• Professional musician or singer (practicing in average >1 hour each day)
• Pregnancy