A stroke can result in a number of effects such as impaired speech, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, and impaired cognition. Stroke patients typically work with speech, physical, and occupational therapists, but what about music therapists?
A recent article by Tara Rajendran and Martha Summa-Chadwick examined the use of music therapy in neurological rehabilitation, particularly focused on stroke rehabilitation. This article examined the use of music therapy in neurological rehabilitation to discuss the scope and potential of music therapy in stroke recovery. Music is processed in many different areas of the brain rather than predominantly on one side or in a specific area of the brain. Because music stimulates a variety of areas of the brain, it can be used to aid in brain plasticity, which helps create new connections in the brain to regain lost function such as speech and motor movement.
Music therapists working with stroke patients use techniques such as therapeutic singing to work on speech with patients with aphasia – a stroke side effect in which a person struggles to get words out. I have personally worked with patients that cannot form sentences when they attempt to speak but are able to sing almost every word to a song they enjoy and know well. Music therapists also use rhythm and instrument play to work with patients on motor movement. They can additionally work on tasks such as attention, reality orientation, and neglect – when the brain isn’t processing information on one side of the visual field. Some music therapists also choose to become trained in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT), after which they can practice additional music interventions such as melodic intonation therapy and rhythmic auditory stimulation.
Overall, music engages many parts of the brain and music therapy can therefore be extremely beneficial for a stroke patient for communication, motor movement, cognitive tasks, and mood. For more information on music therapy, visit our website at www.centralohiomusictherapy.com or the American Music Therapy Association’s website at www.musictherapy.org.
Camryn Horning, MT-BC
Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC
Rajendran, T. & Summa-Chadwick, M. (2022). The scope and potential of music therapy in stroke rehabilitation. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 20(4), 284-287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2022.04.006
